Paul Simon reveals hearing loss, reflects on mortality: ‘My generation’s time is up’

foxnews.com:

Paul Simon is opening up about his hearing loss, revealing most of the hearing in his left ear is gone. In an interview with The Times, the 81-year-old shared that while making his latest album, "Seven Psalms," he noticed his hearing was deteriorating. "Quite suddenly I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it.

So everything became more difficult," Simon said.  "My reaction to that was frustration and annoyance; not quite anger yet, because I thought it would pass, it would repair itself." Unfortunately, Simon’s hearing has not repaired itself.The singer also noted that he is recovering from a bout of COVID, saying in the interview, "Boy, have I been beaten up in these last couple of years." The hearing loss may impact Simon’s ability to perform live, although the musician admitted it might not be such a bad thing, as it allows him to stop performing songs he’s no longer interested in. "The songs of mine that I don’t want to sing live, I don’t sing them," he said. "Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I’ll say, ‘What the f--- are you doing, Paul?’ Quite often that would come during You Can Call Me Al.

I’d think, ‘What are you doing? You’re like a Paul Simon cover band. You should get off the road, go home.’" In 2018, Simon announced he was retiring from touring.

In a social media post, he wrote, "I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing," adding, it "feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief." In the meantime, Simon has concentrated on "Seven Psalms," which he said came to him in a dream in 2019.