Appearing today on RNZ’s Afternoons show to play an acoustic session, the Welcome Home singer reflected on receiving his diagnosis, telling host Jesse Mulligan it was “kind of a relief”.
“It was a relief to find out what it was, because my family couldn’t really recognise me. During Covid I went right down the rabbit hole somewhere, I got quite lost.
“And there can be a slight personality change, it can become quite pronounced in some people.
“Thankfully for me, it wasn’t too bad. I was rescued by my family, shall we say, and I was able to tackle it head-on.”
Dobbyn said almost three years on from that life-changing diagnosis he was “thrilled with my progress”.
“It does change you, it makes you more receptive, and humble, you find your place in it.”
Dobbyn is also “literally” fighting the progressive neurological disorder by taking up boxing.
“Twice a week I go and do my boxing with some other Parky people, that’s what we call ourselves – the Parkies,” Dobbyn told Mulligan.
Dobbyn said the combat exercise has helped him counteract many of the physical symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease.
“It [boxing] does wonders for your balance, because your balance is shot with Parkinson’s.
“You get all these things that are taken away from you, your balance, the strength of your voice in terms of loudness, things like that become difficult.
“But if you’re fighting it and you’re doing some exercises, it’s the best way to deal with it.”
Dobbyn was in good spirits during the performance. He said he considers himself in “good shape” at the moment but admitted his musicality has been affected by the disease.
“I play less. I can’t shred anymore, not that I ever did really… things get taken away. I do less on the piano, which is probably a good idea, I do less on the guitar and focus on the vocal.
“Eventually, it takes your voice, so you sound like a slurring drunk. But I think I’m a few years away from that. I’ve already done the slurring drunk bit, and it didn’t involve Parkinson’s.”
Dobbyn was knighted in 2020 and appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2003 for services to music.
He is set to perform a show at the Auckland Town Hall on June 4. He said the thought of the performance “scares the hell out of me right now, but I’m sure in doing it on the night it will just be glorious”.
