Paul Simon is getting candid about his hearing loss, after acknowledging that he was losing his hearing.
The iconic singer-songwriter, 81, shocked fans when he dropped the bomb earlier this year, saying that he lost most of his hearing in his left ear.
In an interview with CBS News, Simon revealed that he started to lose his hearing about 2 1/2 years ago and believes he has roughly 8% of hearing in his left ear.
"It's upsetting," he told CBS News. "I can still hear well enough to play guitar and write. But I can't hear well enough to play with five or six musicians. Maybe that's fine. Maybe there's something to be learned from that?"
When asked what he believed the lesson was, Simon explained, "Acceptance of … less? That's life. People have a lot worse than this … I feel pretty much the same about it, which is I'm not happy about it."
Simon first announced that he was suffering from hearing loss in May during 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 outlet. "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."
Simon shared that he lost his hearing while working on his new album, "Seven Psalms." He had hoped his hearing would improve on its own, but it hasn't. As a result, he said he expected his concerts to be affected.
"I really wanted to perform the 'Seven Psalms,' " Simon told CBS News. "I haven't given up hope, but I'm prepared to accept that I might not be able to."
Simon took the stage at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival, performing renditions of his popular hits like "The Boxer" and "The Sound of Silence." He remains hopeful that this performance won't mark his final appearance and is determined to continue with the creative process of songwriting.
"I just started to write recently, I've written two songs," he shared. "As long as I can write and sing, I'll make records, even if it's just for myself."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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