Paul Simon has spoken about his experience of living – and making music – with what is now almost total hearing loss.
Simon was first diagnosed during the making of his most recent album, 2023’s Seven Psalms, and only has about 6% of his hearing in his left ear. He told CBS Mornings that he found the experience “incredibly frustrating.”
“At first I was very angry that this had happened,” admitted a visibly weak Simon. “I think I’m most worried when I can’t hear well enough to really enjoy making music.”
Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years (Official Audio) – YouTube
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The clip shows Simon soundchecking for a rare performance at the Soho Sessions in New York and the adjustments he has to make to hear what he’s playing: he has to use bigger speakers and place them strategically around him. He explains that he was “going through my repertoire and reducing a lot of the choices I make to acoustic versions. It’s all much quieter. It’s not like you can call me Al. That’s gone. I can’t do that.”
Simon has not retired yet and still feels he has creativity left in him. “You know, Matisse, when he was suffering at the end of his life, when he was in bed, he imagined all these cutouts and he had a great creative period,” Simon said. “So I don’t think creativity stops with a disability. So far I haven’t experienced that. And I hope not.”
Earlier this year, Simon seemed hopeful about his return to major gigs. He told people that his hearing had returned to “such a level that I can comfortably sing, play the guitar and a few other instruments.”
“I can hear my voice the way I want to in the context of the music,” he continued. “If there’s a drum or an electric guitar, it’s too loud and I can’t hear my voice. But when I first lost my hearing I couldn’t reach it, it threw me off. Everything came from this side.”
Meanwhile, speaking to the Guardian last month, he said he was “optimistic” about his return to performing live, saying he “hoped to do a full concert eventually”.
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