Recently speaking to CBS News Sunday Morning, Paul Simon discussed the possibility of his live performance days coming to an end.
The singer opened up about his declining hearing and its impact on his live shows:
“I started to lose the hearing in my left ear about two years ago, two-and-a-half years ago. And at this moment, it’s, I think, 8% hearing in that ear. It’s upsetting. 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 the interviewer, Anthony Mason, asked Simon what he thought could be learned from this challenge, he replied:
“I have to see what it is. Acceptance of, you know, less? That’s life. You know, people have a lot worse than this.”
Mason continued with a follow-up question:
“I imagine that must be a complicated conversation that you’ve had to go through in your own head about all that?”
Paul answered:
“It is. Yeah.”
When asked if he ever felt different about this situation on different days, the musician explained:
“No. I feel pretty much the same about it, which is like, uh, you know, I’m not happy about it.”
In the next part of the chat, Mason also discussed Simon’s performance at Newport last year and whether he thinks it was his final big concert. The singer said in response:
“Well, I hope not. I really wanted to perform the ‘Seven Psalms.’ I haven’t given up hope, but I’m prepared to accept that I might not be able to.”
In an interview with the Times last month, Simon & Garfunkel’s co-founder revealed that he lost his hearing during the making process of his latest album, ‘Seven Psalms,’ which was released on May 19, 2023. The singer has not yet announced concert dates to promote the album but seems hopeful. In addition to that, Simon recently made headlines for selling a portion of his royalties.
You can listen to the record below.
