• Posted September 12, 2023

Paul Simon Opens Up About Hearing Loss

The singer Paul Simon is coping with hearing loss in his left ear, something he told an audience Sunday he's starting to accept.

“I haven't accepted it entirely, but I'm beginning to,” Simon told an audience at the Toronto Film Festival during a post-screening Q&A for the documentary, “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“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.' So, it's a very crucial thing to me. You know, something happens to you when you have some sort of disability that changes your awareness or changes how you interact with life,” Simon said.

Simon, a solo artist and also known for being half of the 1960s duo Simon & Garfunkel, revealed his hearing loss last May.

That has made it more difficult for Simon to perform live, according to the Reporter.

“Usually, when I finished an album I went out and toured with it, and then I have the opportunity to really investigate the piece. And then it evolves to another standard, and goes further,” Simon said.

“Although a week from now I'm going to try and work with two guitarists who will play the parts that I played on the record, and see if I can sing the piece. I'm not sure how I can integrate my voice with the guitars,” he said.

In Alex Gibney's documentary, Simon works on his album Seven Psalms in his Wimberly, Texas, home studio.

Simon said at the Toronto event that he hadn't listened to Seven Psalms in some time, but has still been working.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on hearing loss.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter, Sept. 10, 2023