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Sep 20, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Via Sufjan Stevens' Instagram Account

Sufjan Stevens is not known to over-share on social media, but he has posted a troubling update to Instagram to announce that he was recently diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare auto immune disease that has severely affected his mobility, causing him to no longer be able to walk. “Last month I woke up one morning and couldn’t walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility,” Stevens writes. Thankfully he is undergoing rehab and is expected to recover, but it could take some time. “Most people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful,” he writes.

Stevens is releasing a new album, Javelin, on October 6 via Asthmatic Kitty. In the Instagram post he explains that his illness is the reason he’s done no press interviews or promotions for the album.

Here is the full text of his statement:

“Hi Friends. Quick update on my life. I’m very excited about having new music to share, but I just wanted to let you know that one of the reasons why I haven’t been able to participate in the press and promotion leading up to the release of Javelin is bc I am in the hospital. Last month I woke up one morning and couldn’t walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility. My brother drove me to the ER and after a series of tests—MRIs, EMGs, cat scans, X-rays, spinal taps (!), echo-cardiograms, etc.—the neurologists diagnosed me with an auto immune disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Luckily there’s treatment for this—they administer immuno-hemoglobin infusions for five days and pray that the disease doesn’t spread to the lungs, heart and brain. Very scary, but it worked. I spent about two weeks in Med/Surg, stuck in a bed, while my doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilize my condition. I owe them my life.

“On September 8, I was transferred to acute rehab, where I am now undergoing intensive physical therapy/occupational therapy, strength building etc. to get my body back in shape and to learn to walk again. It’s a slow process, but they say I will ‘recover,’ it just takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work. Most people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful. I’m only in my second week of rehab but it is going really well and I am working really hard to get back on my feet. I’m committed to getting better, I’m in good spirits, and I’m surrounded by a really great team. I want to be well!

“I’ll keep you posted as I progress. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. And a huge shout out to all the incredible caretakers of the world working night and day to help us heal. They are living saints.

“Be well, be joyful, stay sane, stay safe. I love you.

“yours truly from a wheelchair XOXOXO Sufjan Stevens”

Our thoughts go out to Stevens and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Javelin is being billed as Stevens’ first full on singer/songwriter solo folk album since 2015’s acclaimed Carrie & Lowell. Previously Stevens shared the album’s first single, “So You Are Tired,” via a lyric video. “So You Are Tired” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then he shared its second single, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?,” via a music video. “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” was also one of our Songs of the Week.

In 2021, Stevens released the five-volume album Convocations, as well as A Beginner’s Mind, a collaborative album with Angelo De Augustine. Read our digital cover story interview with the duo about that album. In 2020 he put out The Ascension. Earlier this year, Stevens released Reflections, his score for the Justin Peck ballet of the same name that was performed by pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick.

Adrienne Maree Brown, Hannah Cohen, Pauline Delassus, Megan Lui, and Nedelle Torrisi all provide harmonies on many of Javelin’s songs. Bryce Dessner of The National plays acoustic and electric guitar on “Shit Talk.” Album closer “There’s a World” is a Neil Young cover. Stevens recorded the album himself at home, but a press release points out that Javelin still sometimes has a big sound and that it “pairs musical sweep with emotional breadth.”

A 48-page book of art and essays all created by Stevens accompanies the album. It includes “a series of meticulous collages, cut-up catalog fantasies, puff-paint word clouds, and iterative color fields. The 10 short essays—alternatively funny, tragic, poignant, obtuse, and specific—offer little glimpses into loves and losses that have shaped him, and, in turn, these songs.”

Javelin North American Listening Parties on October 3:

Philadelphia, PA @ Repo Records - 5pm
New York, NY @ Rough Trade NYC - 6pm
Atlanta, GA @ Criminal Records - 4pm
Chicago, IL @ Reckless Records, Milwaukee Ave. - 5pm
Chicago, IL @ Reckless Records, Belmont Ave. - 5pm
Nashville, TN @ Grimey’s - 4pm
Austin, TX @ Waterloo Records - 7pm
Toronto, ON @ Sonic Boom Records - 6pm
Vancouver, BC @ Neptoon Records - 5pm
Montreal, QC @ Le Vacarme - 5pm
Wilmington, NC @ The Fuzzy Needle Records and Books - 6pm
Charleston, SC @ J. Stark - 5pm
Chattanooga, TN @ Yellow Racket Records - 6:30pm
Toledo, OH @ Culture Clash - 6pm
Seattle, WA @ Easy Street Records - 6pm
Indianapolis, IN @ Luna Music - 6pm
Halifax, NS @ Obsolete Records - 2pm
Orlando, FL @ Park Ave CDs - 7pm

(All times are local time.)

(Via Stereogum)

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