Topp Twins: 'We don't want to be defined as the cancer twins'

They're a Kiwi institution and for over 40 years twin sisters Lynda and Jools Topp have been entertaining audiences as comedic country music duo The Topp Twins.

Last year the Dames revealed they both have cancer. Despite their ongoing treatment and the complications that come with it, they've still managed to write a book together (titled Untouchable Girls) and they're also planning to perform again.

Seven Sharp's Hilary Barry caught up with New Zealand's favourite twins at The Civic Theatre to talk music, rebellion and making the most of every day.

One of the chapters in Untouchable Girls describes their foray into performing — singing at their cousin's 21st birthday.

"It was a hard night for a youngster because we were asleep in the back of the DeSoto, which was a great big American tank that dad owned," shared Jools. "And we got woken up because mum said she wasn't going to let the girls miss out on their chance to sing at the 21st."

Their mum had helped with "a little dance routine," Lynda said.

"Mum was a bit of a ballroom dancer. She could hold a tune. We savoured that moment. We had a really attentive audience, it was all aunties and uncles and family. We just thought 'wow, that was amazing'. That was our first taste."

Added Jools: "We weren't like stage kids or anything. We didn't learn to dance, we didn't learn to sing. We were just at home and mostly working on the farm, lugging hay or riding horses. Music sort of became a bit of a dream."

Barry noted that not all of the chapters in the book are filled with fun stories — one of which recounts a time when Jools worked at a pharmacy.

"I decided to tell the story because I feel like I was a young kid experimenting with my life. Drugs seemed to be a cool thing to do, every second person was growing dope in Huntly. I think in some ways I'm lucky I was around when there were drugs that weren't so dangerous," she said.

"I worked at a chemist shop. Every now and again we'd get a piece of paper from the Health Department saying 'beware of kids taking these uppers and downers'. We knew exactly how many to take without getting past the silly point. When you're that age you think you're invincible.

"I helped myself to some drugs at the chemist shop, but I think what happened is between a local policeman, my mum and dad and a community that knew everybody... they got me through that. It really made me straighten up."

"I wanted to say to people that you can get through something and know that it's not the end of the world," she reflected.

Never just musicians, the twins have always been protesters, agitators, and rebels.

They were arrested in 1989 for obstructing a footpath on Queen Street while busking. Detained for the night, they made the most of their time in prison.

"We sang for probably a good four or five hours. We made up all these blues songs, prison songs, stuff like that," said Lynda.

Music remains the most effective way to get a political message across, they said.

"Everyone's ready to listen to a song a number of times. You can talk until you're blue in the face — until people just shut off and don't listen anymore. But a song... everyone can take that song and sing it with us," said Jools.

"All the things we ever fought about was something that was personal to us."

Writing the book reminded the twins of their incredible achievements.

"It [writing the book] was just a very good reminder that we've done a lot," said Jools. "We don't really fully understand the impacts of what our lives have made on this country - we're part of its history. We'll always be in the history books along the way."

In March 2022, the twins revealed in an exclusive interview with Sunday that they had both been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Barry referred to a song that features in their memoir - a song called Radiation Burns that chronicles the realities of their cancer treatment journeys.

"For me, when I first got diagnosed with cancer I said 'no' to the radiation. I hated the idea and as a girl who smarts with Greenpeace for a long time, I just thought 'I can't do it, it's all wrong'. And then not so long ago I had a new tumour between my ninth and tenth rib," said Jools.

"I think in the last couple of years, when anything that's cropped up with my cancer, I just felt like if something came up and it was easy I'd just say 'yes'," she said.

The twins also offered an update on their health battles.

"We've both got cancer," said Lynda. "We've decided that we don't want to be defined as the cancer twins. We want to be defined as what a life we've lived.

"Even now we're both going through treatments... I know there's a lot of people out there going through cancer, and we just say to them to go through each day and just hope that you're there tomorrow."

Added Jools: "I just really wake up every morning and say I've had a beautiful life - I have no regrets. We just say every day above ground is a good day."