And now here they are, Nick and Sue on Chatterbox. When the stars talk, they talk to Nick and Sue. Welcome back to the Chatterbox Redux Podcast with Nick and Sue and today our special guest is Kelly Lang We're chatterbox giving you all you need to know about Muse! And now in Chatterbox UK, we're just lucky enough to welcome Kelly Lang. Kelly, welcome. How are you? Thank you for coming on. Hello, Kelly. Oh, thank you. Thank
you for having me. I have been in Nashville running errands all day today and it's a beautiful day here. Doing really, really well. I've got a lot of things to talk with you about and I'm hoping we can get to them all. Absolutely fantastic. Now, let me tell you a little something that we have done. Your song. which has been adopted by a hospital over here, over your way. We had that on our hit and miss show last Sunday. Now that's very popular, both in the UK and in the
Netherlands. And they voted it a smash hit. What that means is that all the people that vote, every single one voted, they reckon that's going to be a hit. And that's without the adverb being shown in Europe. So how about that? Oh, my goodness. What a thrill. Well, I wrote that song many years ago. It's called I'm not going anywhere. And you're right. It ended up in a huge national
campaign for Ascension hospitals. And, you know, during the pandemic, everybody had to leave their loved ones either in the hospital or a nursing home, unfortunately. And it was a reassuring song to help people get through that tough time. And I think it resonates for everyone at this point. Absolutely, it's very, very lifting. It's wonderful. There is such a story behind it. Now, your story really hits home with both of us. Sue lost her mother for a brain tumour. My mother...
Sadly, the age of 84 is currently fighting breast cancer. Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Yeah, and you are a survivor of 17 years. So I hand the stage back to you, Kelly, to tell the listeners the rest, please. Well, I'm actually 18 years out now. I'm super grateful to be here to be able to tell my story. As you know, so many people do not survive this. And for a long time, I kept my story to myself. I just wanted to get it in
my past and not really talk about it. But I became really close friends with Olivia Newton John, Dame Olivia Newton John. And in watching her and witnessing her how she lived to help people to use her music platform to be able to help other cancer survivors. It really was a great example for me to learn from and be able to teach other people how I got through it and what's
keeping me going. And a lot of it is positive attitude and gratitude and just looking for for kindness and giving someone your smile and watching her has really helped me. And she wrote the forward to my book and a lot of Yes, and a lot of the collective ideas that I've come from in there has just been wisdom that I have gained from being around her and women like her. Another
great ambassador, of course, for the cause. But your book now, obviously it's about your... fight your battle against breast cancer all those years ago and being a survivor. And I think you've also done wonderful because the way you're doing things, you're becoming an ambassador and an ambassador, as it were, just naturally through by doing your story. And a lot of people, I think, are not looking towards that. It gives some hope, gives people hope because you do have a great
ending. Well, it's not an ending yet, but a great finish so far, 18 years on. And that's pretty, pretty amazing. But I mean, I'm assuming it takes in your, your story, your, your music career and all the rest of it gives you a taste of when you were little, maybe. Oh yes. It starts out, you know, basically talking about where I began. My father was Conway Twitty's road manager and it talks about me living in that life. That's kind of a interesting bubble to live in. and
how I met my husband now, T .G. Shepherd. He's a big country star. We all know him. Yes. Do you know of him? That's cool. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And so it talks about our life and how we became a couple. And then it talks about how wonderful it was for him to stay with me as a dating partner. We were just dating when I became diagnosed and it gives men or partners. another chapter, he did his whole chapter and narrated it as well of what it feels like to stick with a partner
going through such a tragedy. And it's a great encouragement for men to see another man going through that and the blessings that came from it. And it talks about the tragedy of being diagnosed, but even more so the tools that I got through to live. I wished I had had somebody like myself to speak with. when I was first diagnosed because it would have given me a lot of hope and this is a book of hope. I'm really wanting people to get take that from that. That's perfect. It
is amazing. And as you know, me in that present situation with my mother, there's going to be thousands of people, sadly, tens of thousands around Europe, the UK, and in other parts of the British Commonwealth listening to this. And sadly, they are in that situation. But then again, they also have this opportunity of the hope that you're reaching out and offering people. It's wonderful. Now, it's an audio autobiography. I mean, we obviously know what that would be.
Now is it you reading it yourself and do people download it or do they order it in a in a shop or what happens? Well what I did, I wrote the
book by myself. I had a friend named Missy Query help me with the editing but I wanted it to be like a conversation that you're just sitting at the table with me listening to me tell my story and I knew a lot of people that you know weren't weren't able to see as well lately or were more busy with their lives and didn't have the time to physically sit down and read a book. So the audio book just became kind of something of demand that people needed, as well as the
audio and I mean, there's a physical book. So that was a joy for me to go in and it was really emotional for me. I got to tell my story for the first time I was able to read it through all at one time. And I have to tell you, I cried at the end of it, just happy tears, joyous tears. Because it was like I've completed something
could have tied a bow around it. It's a done project But it's it's really helping women helping anybody that that is going through a stressful situation like that to see light at the end of their tunnel You know, I often say that cancer can be a death sentence But my attitude was that I turned it into a life sentence by looking at things more appreciatively and abundantly and I just I just live a bit more aware of the goodness
in life and I choose to focus on that. Now when you were going through your cancer, when you had it diagnosed and you were fighting it as we would in the UK. Was it your faith that helped you through, just true grit and determination, or did you still have music help you through? I mean, what did you turn to? Was it all things and more? I believe it was a combination of all of that. I surrounded myself with very positive people. The people that I felt weren't very positive.
I just kind of steered clear of them. I chose to watch comedies. I chose to write a lot of music at that time, a lot of healing music. I was, you know, happily in love with TG and we did some traveling and just did some things that we might not have or might have put off. I just chose to live in the presence because you know what? We don't know what tomorrow will bring. No, absolutely. So I've learned to live more
in the presence since that. And I know this sounds strange, but I'm really grateful that cancer taught me that at a young age. There is a course. the other victims as well. There's the children, the husbands, the partners and everything else. And I believe your book also is offering them all, everyone hope. It really is. Absolutely. I wanted to share with you, speaking of Olivia earlier, I know that she's beloved there as much as she is here, but I am so honored to be on
her latest album. It's going to be called Just the Two of Us and it's a duets project. Everybody she's ever sung a duet with, including myself, is coming out May the 5th. Oh, very soon. May the 5th. Wonderful. Wow. Yes. So people like Barry Gibb, Paul Anka, Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, myself, John Travolta. So many artists that she's recorded with in the past are going to be on this last album that they put out for her. And I'm just Looking forward to I sang the song.
How can you mend a broken heart? Which is very poignant in this light that she's not here anymore It takes to to tangle and to to present a radio show so here's Nick and Sue Your musical do This is Nick and Sue with Cheddar Box, giving you all you need to know about musical entertainment. Cheddar Box, Cheddar Box, Cheddar Box, Cheddar Box, Cheddar Box. She was an absolute national treasure because she was British born, as I'm sure you're aware. Oh, yes. Yeah, true icon.
And there was a lot of... a lot of wet eyes, like crying and just people upset when she went. We knew it was coming, of course, sadly, we all knew. But when it did come, that still hit. But she also was quite a great ambassador for breast cancer awareness to the extent that we all knew that's what she was suffering from. Yes. And I'm hoping to carry her torch, you know, if in some small way, just to I hear her voice in my head. a lot and it's just that of encouragement
for other people. So, you know, perhaps your listeners will be able to see my story and hear her voice through my story as well. It's something that affects everybody and one out of five women, I believe, deal with breast cancer and it's just it's too much. Honestly, it's too many people affected. Absolutely. I had a lump over Christmas. It wasn't cancer or anything. It was to do with cysts. But how quick it took the doctor and the hospital to see me, within two weeks I got seen.
But it was all clear, thankfully. Thank goodness. we also have to urge all the females listening of you know whatever whatever age they must regularly check themselves the reason why just females it's the reason why i'm saying is because my mother who's 84 got to 70 um i don't know how it just passed her by and now we've got to the age of 84 and we've got a lump that's a few inches wide and things like that so um I'm urging all the female listeners and the guys, they need
to check themselves in as well. And in addition to that, if anything feels not quite right or a little bit different, and please get yourself checked. And I know, Kelly, you will put that in a much better way than I have. Yes. Well, if I may expand a little bit, I found a knot under my arm and I was told that I was too young. I was 36. But the person I saw on TV advocating and asking people to do their self -exams, she
was much younger than myself. So I said to my doctor, I said, you know, I feel like this is something to be concerned about. She says, well, we'll keep an eye on it. So eight months later, I felt a jolt of pain in that area. And I said, you know what, I'm going to just force them to do another test on me. Eight months later, I did a diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound
and neither of them showed anything. But I told the lady that was doing the ultrasound, I said, can you push just a little bit farther in because you're not going deep enough? And there it was. So my point in the book is to be your own self -health advocate because you know yourself more than a doctor would who's just meeting you. And you know, if you know something's not quite right. Don't hesitate to ask harder questions or ask for more details because you, I mean it basically
saved my life. At that point, it had already spread to lymph nodes and I had to lose all my hair with chemo and radiation. But if I had just been more aggressive in the very first of that, who knows if it would have gotten that far. Sure, and do you think, she wants to have a word in a second, do you think also there's this element in just the human race in general that people still think... that it won't happen to them or
may not happen to them. I just wonder if there's that little bit of apathy still and people are just that, you know, they put it off, they make that appointment next week, next month, whatever, and the weeks become months, become years and that kind of - Sure, that's human nature, yes. That's the one, isn't it? Sadly. Sue, you wanted to say something? Kelly, this is for all the ladies and gentlemen out in the world. What would
you say to them if they found a lump? Well, if you find a lump first of all, don't panic because 80 % of them are benign They're no problem whatsoever. So that is encouraging in itself I suggest that you go to your doctor and be very very persistent because a lot of time doctors are busy or they've got you know, their own issues or Unfortunately, some medical things lately have kind of slipped through the cracks, but be your own advocate.
I would suggest going straight to You know, for the women, the OBGYN is a good place to start. I would just be really adamant about your concerns. Ask for a diagnostic mammogram. It is much more detailed than a regular mammogram and your insurance will generally pay for it. And I suggest if you still have that nagging concern, go to a second opinion. You know, you can't offend a doctor. You are your own personal advocate and you've
got to be mindful. You know that doctor might I've had to let go of a few doctors in my time. I didn't feel that one was on the same page with me. I thought she was just a little too busy and she kind of treated me like a number. And, you know, we've got to be mindful of whom we're letting in our lives. And I just didn't think she was as positive as I'd like for her to be. And so I just replaced her. I didn't know you could do that. I thought you were stuck with
the doctor you started with. So, you know, take advantage of that too, because that's not something you need to play around with. The other thing, Kelly, as well, if somebody is having to express their personal parts to a doctor or consultant, they always can have a chaperone of the same sex as the person that's going. Yes, I highly recommend that because, you know, and also this
is another bit of advice. If you are concerned about something or if the doctor's reading you test results, let's say, I suggest you take your phone in with you. We all have voicemail on our phone now, our voice recorder. I suggest you recording the conversation because when you're nervous like that, going into a doctor's office, you don't recall, you think you are. but you don't recall everything that's said. So that
is another bit of advice too. I think it's really healthy to be able to reflect back on the conversation when you're not in a nervous state. You mentioned Kelly, just to put people... explain to people in the UK more. You mentioned about your insurances and you can, you know, you have your insurance in the USA, but of course we have the NHS here in the UK. That's true, that's true. We do have private like Bupa, but the NHS when it comes to breast cancer is open to, they're very, very
good, very hot. We've got to just go there. But the thing is, of course, if you're not happy in the UK with your specialist, you too, although it's the NHS, can get a second opinion. There's nothing that stop you doing that. So just to explain in the UK, that's what people in the UK should do if they're not happy with their
specialty. I mean, put yourself as a priority because, you know, like I said, sometimes doctors miss things and it's not that they're being a bad doctor, but you know yourself better than anybody does. So just listen to that inner voice.
Now this one, I mean I've listened to some other stuff you've done, your songs of Take My Breath Away and Midnight Train to Georgia, the listeners are going to have a little treat with listening to that as well, those two as well, but I'm not going anywhere, which I've said to you before,
got the vote on hit and miss. Now see Chatterbox UK, a lot of the stations linked to at this show and they put their airplay figures through to what's called the CBUK chart which comes out every Saturday and it just so happens when Obviously, we're going to play this song on that show. A lot of the stations repeat it at some other weird time in the night as well as a peak time. So basically, you need to do each station. It counts as one different play, although it's on the same
show. So we are looking at 216 times 2 just by having the song played on this. So we've got 432 plays just by having the song on here. That's a good start. Now, website is nice and easy.
lang dot net kelly lang dot net and can find more about what we've been talking about and you and what you've released and everything else that can all be found on there and is there any other social media that you'd like to tell the listeners about please kelly well we love social media we love facebook instagram tiktok i'm trying to get into it's kind of hard for me but um also i've got another i've got an A lot of people think I'm just cutting a lot of cover tunes,
but that's not necessarily the truth. I'm more of a songwriter than anything. So I'll have an inspirational album coming out in June. So be looking for a song called I think it's Jesus coming out in June. And then my husband, TG, and I are going to release a duets project coming out in the fall. I can't wait to share it with you guys. We'd like to get you back on for an
interview. Please do. We do do updates and we love to have people back on and it's good also for the listeners and then they can follow someone's career. I mean I'm talking about some people have had been singing since the 50s sometimes as well as some more recent ones but yeah they love to follow. Some are back on for about 15 minutes. They love the updates don't they? Yes. Especially with your hopeful story and we would have your duet then Olivia's duet album out as
well by then which is coming up. By the way, TG is here listening to you. Say hi, TG. Hi, TG. Hello. How are you? We're good, thank you. We're good, thank you. I don't know if your ears were burning. We were talking about you saying that you're very well known in Europe and the UK. Well, I'll tell you what, I love it over there. We have a lot of dear friends that live there and we are looking forward to eventually
coming over there. Matter of fact, I just released a new single with Anne Margaret and Pete Townsend of The Who. It just came out. It's a remake of the old Everly Brothers hit Bye Bye Love. And I'm sure that you can go wherever music is downloaded and hear it. But I just wanted to say hello and I look forward to meeting you face to face eventually. Yeah, absolutely. Well, you've made some great names there, TG. I know this is obviously Kelly's dog. Brilliant. Thanks for coming on, TG. That's
amazing. Thank you. Good to hear your voice. Yeah, excellent. Thank you. Thank you. You take care of yourself. You're so sweet. He's sitting right here, so I wanted to make sure you connected with him. Oh, brilliant. Thank you, Kelly. Kelly Lang, thank you for coming on Chatterbox UK. And we can't wait to have you back on and have a little update with you. Thank you very much. Well, let me know when. Indeed. Thank you. Cheers.
You've been listening to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Nick and Sue and today our special guest was Kelly Lang. If you're interested in becoming a future guest on the Chatterbox Redux podcast or the radio show Chatterbox UK, you're welcome to submit songs, books or whatever it is you do and send us a CV, synopsis or press release. However, we receive several thousand such press releases every week and it's impossible
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you then. Bye bye. Nick and Sue with Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about musical entertainment Chatterbox the best interviews with Nick and Sue the best news ever