Peking Duk have opened up about their experience with cancer in a limited-edition Rolling Stone zine published on Monday 2 September. Peking Duk’s Adam Hyde spoke about his second melanoma diagnosis and while thankfully cancer free, how aware it has made him of being vigilant about his health, particularly the importance of sun safety and getting to know one’s own skin.
“Sure it’s a little daunting, but what’s more daunting than finding out you have cancer?” Hyde said.
Peking Duk’s Reuben Styles also spoke about losing a very close friend to bowel cancer at a young age.
“My friend Jamesy, who was very young, passed away a few years ago,” Styles says. “It was pretty crazy to think that someone my age was taken away by cancer.”
The zine, a collaboration between Cancer Council Victoria and The Brag Media, publishers of Rolling Stone, aims to raise cancer awareness and prevention amongst younger Australians.
Lyrian Fleming-Parsley, head of fundraising and communications at Cancer Council Victoria, said that the zine was an opportunity to talk about cancer with a younger audience who may not realise that cancer affects all of us. “One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer by age 85. This means if we aren’t diagnosed ourselves, someone we love or care about probably will be. But we mustn’t accept cancer as something that’s inevitable”.
“We hope that everyone who gets their hands on the zine takes the chance to read the words of Peking Duk and are reminded to have their skin checked or book an appointment with their GP if they have a health niggle”.
“We hope that everyone heading out to a festival this summer remembers to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide under the summer sun”.
“And most of all we hope it sparks conversation, because we don’t want cancer to be taboo. We can, and are, changing the record against cancer. But it takes all of us,” she said.
Jessica Hunter, head of The Brag Media said that the zine pays homage to Rolling Stone’s iconic legacy, while offering a fresh, innovative format to spark important conversations. “Collaborating on this zine made sense for our audience, given more young people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before”.
“We’ve been able to highlight the messaging that 1 in 2 Victorians will be diagnosed with cancer by 85 and present it in a way that is both eye-opening and accessible”.
“Featuring Peking Duk also allowed us to focus on skin cancer prevention, especially with summer festivals around the corner – it is the ideal time to remind attendees to be sun smart,”
she said.
The Rolling Stone Limited Edition zine is available across Victoria, inserted in Rolling Stone September – November 2024 edition and available online nationally, on sale 2 September 2024.
