More than half a century of recording and performing may have taken a physical toll on Paul Simon.Legendary Simon & Garfunkel musician reveals in new interview era He’s lost nearly all of his hearing in one ear, making his return to live performances unlikely.
“Suddenly, I lost most of my hearing in my left ear and no one had an explanation for it,” explains Simon, who quit the tour in 2018. “So it’s all made more difficult. My reaction to that is frustration and annoyance. Not really angry yet because I think it will pass and it will fix itself.”
Simon’s hearing hasn’t repaired itself — not yet. But he doesn’t seem too upset about it, perhaps because he sometimes tires of his songs on the road: “Songs I don’t want to sing live, I don’t want to sing them.” Sometimes I like some songs, and then at some point during the tour, I’ll be like, ‘What the fuck are you doing, Paul? This is often the case during “You Can Call Me Al.” I’d be like, ‘What are you doing? You’re like a Paul Simon cover band. You should get off the road and go home. ‘”
Of course, Simon didn’t stop making music entirely.Just last week, he shared a post called seven psalms, a piece in seven movements, intended to be heard as a continuous piece of music rather than as an album. He also made a surprise appearance at last year’s Newport Folk Festival.
Dave Grohl previously opened up about his hearing loss in a February 2022 interview, sort of joking that he’s “fucking deaf” and admitting he’s been “lip-reading for 20 years” “.