Brisbane's original 'rock chick' fighting for life Brisbane's original rock chick Carol Lloyd (left), with singer-songwriter Sue Ray. Carol Lloyd used to swim to help strengthen her voice. Now she swims to help save her life. Lloyd - singer/songwriter for 70s blues rock outfit Railroad Gin and Queensland's original "rock chick" - has been contemplating her own mortality for almost a year, after being diagnosed with a terminal lung disease last April. She's been on an intense treatment of oral chemotherapy, steroids and antibiotics ever since. "My part of the deal is that I must swim as often as possible because that keeps my lungs moving and supports the treatment," Lloyd said. That seems to be working ... and the deterioration is not as bad a rate as it was before. The diagnosis of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis followed several years of ongoing chest infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "I earned that one because I was a heavy smoker, I was doing seven packs a day when I was younger," she said. I was pretty scared by that condition, and then when this one came along I thought, well at least it'll take me out faster than the emphysema! That wicked sense of humour also meant Lloyd could see a new irony in her most famous song, 1974"s It's Only a Matter of Time. "I certainly got that ... but I don't intend to give into this thing," she said. The minute you adopt the patient mode and sit whimpering in a corner feeling sorry for yourself, it's all over. Lloyd threw herself into her work as a mentor and producer for a number of younger artists, including Brisbane nouveau-classical band Topology and singer-songwriter Sue Ray. Both will perform with Lloyd this Saturday night at the Brisbane Powerhouse, in a duets show entitled It Takes Two Baby. As established performers who've been around for a while ... I think we're really obliged to help unearth this depth of talent that is not getting the level of attention it deserves," she said. Their talent speaks for itself - often it's just a matter of exposure to people and they're on their way, and that's very gratifying. Lloyd is also 7000 words into a memoir about her time in the hedonistic rock world of the 70s and 80s, with Railroad Gin, The Carol Lloyd Band and other projects. "I'm certainly going to give people a little window into certain aspects of my life which they'd have no idea about," she said. One aspect will be her drug and alcohol addiction, sparked by getting hooked on a bizarre drug cocktail in her early 20s. "I had no idea what I was smoking ... it turned out to be mescaline-dipped, heroin-injected hash," she recalled. I was doing this a couple of times a week for nearly a year, so yeah, I wasn't in great nick. To withdraw, she turned to whisky, consuming over two bottles a day. I didn't expect to see 25, let alone 65, so I've done pretty well to be around this long. These days it's a more gentle routine, swimming every day at the Camira home she shares with longtime partner Annie. The pair held a surprise commitment ceremony last August as part of a thank you gig Lloyd threw for her friends and supporters, and one of Lloyd's goals is to celebrate their one year anniversary. "I always said swimming helps me sing and singing helps me swim, because they're very complimentary," Lloyd said. I'm hoping that I can still be swimming and singing towards the end of 2014, and maybe a little more. It Takes Two Baby with Carol Lloyd, Sue Ray and Topology is on at the Brisbane Powerhouse Saturday January 11.