Falling and Laughing: The Restoration of Edwyn Collins

Grace Maxwell

Grace Maxwell is the partner and manager of Edwyn Collins, the Glaswegian singer songwriter known best for such singles as Rip it Up and A Girl Like You.

In February 2005, Edwyn suffered two devastating brain haemorrhages. He should have died. Doctors advised that if he did survive, there would be little of him left. If that wasn’t enough, he went on to contract MRSA as a result of an operation to his skull and spent six months in hospital. Initially, Edwyn couldn’t speak, read, write, walk, sit up or feed himself. He had lost all movement in his right side and was suffering from aphasia – an inability to use or understand language. When he initially recovered consciousness the only words he could say were ‘Grace’, ‘Maxwell’, ‘yes’ and ‘no’

But with the help of Grace and their 18-year-old son Will, Edwyn fought back. Slowly, and with monumental effort, he began to teach his brain to read and speak all over again – with some areas of his mind it was if he had been a slate wiped utterly clean. Through a long and arduous road of therapy he began to re-inhabit his body until he could walk again.

Grace has written about this journey in Falling and Laughing: The Restoration of Edwyn Collins. It not only documents Collins’ debilitating illness and recovery, but also their early life together from a chance first meeting in a north-west London living room. It is a heart-warming and inspirational read, beautifully penned, complete with photographs and illustrations.

Grace is originally from Lanarkshire, and Edwyn’s family come from East Sutherland. They spend a considerable amount of time in Helmsdale which has inspired Edwyn’s latest album ‘Home Again’.

Grace will be in conversation with Nicky Marr and Edwyn will round up proceedings with an acoustic set accompanied by some friends.