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'I Can't Hear My Voice': Paul Simon Opens Up About Hearing Loss In Left Ear; Addresses Issues With Instruments That Are 'Too Loud'
Paul Simon, 82, disclosed that he has struggled with hearing loss, which made it difficult for him to perform when there were loud instruments present.
Paul Simon, the venerable 82-year-old singer best renowned for his groundbreaking work as a solo artist and with Simon & Garfunkel, has been transparent about his battles with hearing loss. At the premiere of the MGM+ docuseries In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, which debuted in New York City, Simon opened up about the difficulties he has as a result of losing his left ear's ability to hear.
Simon discussed how his illness affects his ability to perform, especially when among loud instruments. This disclosure follows Simon's initial admission of his hearing problems in a May 2023 interview with The Times. Simon persists in the face of obstacles, turning to music as a source of comfort and artistic expression.
Paul Simon's candid talk about his struggle with hearing loss
Paul Simon talked about losing the hearing in his left ear during a Q&A led by Stephen Colbert, who is deaf in his right ear, at the New York City premiere of his MGM+ docuseries, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon on Wednesday.
"That's come back to enough of a degree that I'm comfortable singing and playing guitar and playing a few other instruments," Simon said of his hearing. "That's good. I can hear my voice the way I want it in the context of the music."
However, Simon continued to say that he finds it difficult to perform with instruments that are overly loud.
"If there's a drum or an electric guitar, it's too loud and I can't hear my voice," he explained to Stephen Colbert. "But when I first lost the hearing, I couldn't get — it threw me off. Everything was coming from this side. But you know what I'm talking about."
Paul Simon’s initial journey of hearing loss
In May 2023, the co-founder of Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon, disclosed his hearing impairment for the first time in an interview with The Times.
"Quite suddenly I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it," he told the publication. "So everything became more difficult. My reaction to that was frustration and annoyance; not quite anger yet, because I thought it would pass, it would repair itself."
Meanwhile, Paul Simon's solo career is known worldwide for his hit songs like 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Graceland, Kodachrome, and You Can Call Me Al, whereas the 1960s rock band Simon & Garfunkel has given successful hits such as The Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, America, and The Boxer. This has contributed to Paul Simon being ranked eighth in the list of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.
According to a recent People report, the sixteen-time Grammy winner revealed that during the recording of his most recent album, Seven Psalms, which was published on May 19, 2023, he suffered from hearing loss.
A few months later, in September, at the Toronto International Film Festival for the global debut of his Alex Gibney-directed docuseries, the artist revealed that he was "beginning to" accept his hearing loss.
"I play the guitar every day. It's the instrument that allows me to express myself creatively. But it's also where I go for solace. If I'm feeling ... 'whatever,'" the musician said. "You know, something happens to you when you have some sort of disability that changes your awareness or changes how you interact with life," the Mother and Child Reunion singer elucidated.
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