Fund lets fans pitch in as cancer sidelines Too Slim

Tim “Too Slim” Langford, frontman of the Spokane-born rock band Too Slim and the Taildraggers, will undergo cancer surgery in Nashville next month, and fans are rallying to help.

The band, formed here in 1986, has since relocated to Nashville, but it remains a popular draw in the Inland Northwest. The band typically tours year-round but will take some time off after Langford’s Dec. 4 surgery for prostate cancer. A fundraising request has been posted at www.giveforward.com, with the goal of raising $20,000. As of 9 a.m. Thursday, the site has raised $11,000.

The accompanying note indicated the cancer was found during a routine physical and came as a shock.

“Tim is very humble and has a very difficult time asking for help, yet he is always the first to play a benefit or give to the needy, help the homeless, raise money for dog rescues, you name it, he is there,” the note, posted by friends, said. “Now it is his time and he needs help.”

Langford said he has insurance, and any money raised will be used to pay for his portion of the treatment, as well as make up for the income he and his bandmates will lose from not playing gigs.

“I’m feeling very blessed and grateful by everybody’s prayers and support,” he said.

Visit www.giveforward.com and search for Tim “Too Slim” Langford for more information or to make a donation.

Carolyn Lamberson

Flick picks

(Posted Monday) Initial reports suggest that the weekend will be fairly quiet, especially after a week featuring the opening of two of the fall’s biggest releases, “Interstellar” and “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).”

But that doesn’t mean that we won’t experience diversity in theme or genre. We have comedy, emotional turmoil, romance and political commentary, sometimes all at once (sometimes even intentionally).

Friday’s openings include:

“Dumb and Dumber To”: Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise the roles they played in the 1994 original (but not in the animated series or in the 2003 follow-up ”Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd”). Note: Entrance requires taking an IQ test.

“Whiplash”: A student drummer (Miles Teller) wants to be good so badly he’s willing to endure the harassment of his teacher (J.K. Simmons). Someone’s gonna get – wait for it – a beatdown.

“Beyond the Lights”: A Beyoncé wannabe finds that the price of stardom might be a tad high, especially if she is forced to forgo the guy with studly abs.

“Rosewater”: While covering protests in Iran, a journalist (Gael Garcia Bernal) finds himself detained and tortured. Written and directed by “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.

And at the Magic Lantern: A pickup of “Laggies,”  a run of the senior romance “Elsa & Fred,” and the documentary “Awake: The Life of Yogananda.”

Dan Webster