I’ve had this since my late teens; I worked at a great venue for bands in the early to mid 70’s and I was never further than 16 rows from the front of the stage. I still have tinnitus and it is a drudge but if I got rid of it I may feel I’ll-at-ease since I’ve had for so long. Nowadays, I read lips and that allows me to interact effectively except when masks were mandatory.
Thank you, and I hope you got to see the Part 2 that was published this SUnday Jan 14. In the meantime, good luck with moving forwards, you are an example of Living With Tinnitus.
Tony, I can't believe you are writing about this, and now. I have non-stop tinnitus in my left ear. I recall exactly the day and time it started - two years ago this month, Tuesday, January 18, 2022, about 7 PM.
I was not at a concert, by any means. I had just driven two hours from an art exhibition in Columbus... Hardly a loud environment. I got home, turned on the stereo at a moderate volume, and BANG, a ringing started in both ears... Not that loud, not all that high-pitched, but consistent. A just-loud-enough taste of white noise. There was no way it could be related to the auditory experience of that moment, I thought, and turns out, I was right. But first, I started making notes on the experience for my doctor (that's how I know the date and time).
I called my GP, and she said, "We'll flush your ears." I'd never had them rinsed with warm fluid before - Wowza, it's like brain sauna. I’m surprised it isn’t sold as a ‘cranium colonic’ to new age health-experience types, like those oxygen bars of the 1990s. My right ear stopped ringing immediately, but the left one did not. She asked me to wait a day to see what happened. Nothing changed, and I begged her to flush the left ear again. She politely refused, saying it wouldn’t do any good. Now, I was totally confused but made an appointment with an audiologist, prepared to hear that frequency loss had triggered tinnitus. After an intensive hearing test, where I concentrated like I was trying to pass my last college exam, I was told my hearing was just fine... In fact, the specialist told me, "You have the ears of a child." I remember my jaw dropping. For years and years, I have been trying to protect my hearing. When I see a band in a club, I am usually at the back wall. I don't like to wear earplugs at shows, but I’ve done it. John Entwistle toured with what seemed to be half of The Who's stadium sound rig. I saw him in a club in ’88, and left terrified that I’d damaged my hearing - my ears rang for four days. From then on, I never saw Entwistle without stuffing something in my ears. Ditto any show with Wayne Kramer on stage, Iron Maiden, and – this one was a surprise - Dave Edmunds. His show was among the loudest things I have ever heard.
Apparently, my precautions kept my hearing range intact, which is important for my work, and means a lot to an all-day music listener, of course. But still, I got hit with tinnitus like a lightning bolt.
I've seen three otolaryngologists (Geez-us, what a name for your job). Each visit was more maddening. The first guy just didn't give a damn. He literally shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Yeah, I don't know... Might have been the Covid vaccine." I asked if that was truly possible, and he replied "Maybe... That's what they are saying." Infuriating. It was the first time I wrote a formal complaint about a physician. At the top of the table, I waited months to see a Cleveland Clinic specialist, purported to be 'THE guy' for this malady. I got zero help from him after a battery of tests. "People smarter than me don't know how this happens, sorry." Gee, I wonder how many people are in THAT group, you dilettante? It's one thing to deal with a 24-hour-a-day annoyance and concern, but what makes it worse is professional indifference, and it’s an expensive insouciance, at that.
None of the people I saw could explain why one ear recovered after a bath and the other did not. Further, none of them seemed interested in that detail. That really took away some of my faith in modern medicine, I have to say. But I also pursued acupuncture and chiropractic care, too, with no appreciable results.
The best words of advice I have heard, or could offer, so far are these:
- Remember that people have it worse than you. Other people have stage four cancer, are starving at borders, and dying in basements in war zones. That seems platitudinous, but it's true. My old man was a POW in Japanese prison camp. He never complained about it. I've got a sister with Parkinson’s and another with Epstein-Barr. And I'm going to cry over a little noise? It's fine to vent a bit, now and then. But do not whine... It just makes it worse, and can make you think OF the worse, if you know what I mean.
- Try to train yourself to ignore it. This is not easy at all. I admit I have not worked that hard at it yet. But I have yet to find a way to Hypno-Toad it away, but I have… sorta, kinda… pushed it to the backseat.
- Exercise more and keep busy... The only good words I got from a doctor so far. Use this problem as a motivator to do what you should be doing anyway. That attitude actually does help. Even if the extra activity does not improve the condition, convince yourself that it is keeping it from getting worse.
And here is the big one:
Go to 'gently noisy' places and get outdoors more. You want to kill the noise? Bury it under other noise. When I am in a brewpub, a coffee shop, or visiting someone's home for, say, a holiday event, for hours, I don't even think of my tinnitus for more than a moment or two. I was in Ireland for two weeks recently, and very active each day. ‘It’ hardly crossed my mind unless I was somewhere quite quiet, and even then, I could tell myself, "You are enjoying something new and important... Refocus. Don't let the devil on your left shoulder ruin it." With this strategy, you are allowed to lie to yourself and say, “It comes and goes.” (And thank you to the Irish spirit of conversation, always providing you with something stimulating to hear… Their whiskey didn’t hurt none, either).
And one habit I have added to those I have learned from others…
Keep it to yourself. I’ve learned to not talk about it with others. Because they will later say, "How is your ear?" They want to be nice, but all they are doing is reminding me of the tone generator in my head when I was likely in a moment of tuning it out.
Only a bit of my love and experience of music has so far been clouded, thank whatever-God-you-got. Sometimes the ear-ring will obstruct what I am listening to, especially in a surround sound field. But I can still mix voice and music confidently for work, and I can still do my web radio show. I have made a new rule, though, of listening only to podcasts on my earbuds while walking. No more music there. I just feel like that would be pushing my luck, even though I was told my condition is not a result of carelessness in loud places.
What we all wouldn't give to make this go away, right? But when I do still hear some remarkable music or walk my dog through the forest with open ears, and hear the trees sway and the animals scurry, I count myself as way, way fortunate.
I once heard of a guy who had a big dent in his car, put there in an accident that could have (some said, 'should have') killed him and his passengers: "I leave it there to remind myself how lucky I am." I’d like to see my dent pulled out, but I can also understand the point of view that says a little nuisance is better than lot of silence. The tinnitus reminds me to be even more careful with my ears. I keep a dB meter app on my phone all the time now. Anything over 90 dB with an expected long exposure, I just move farther back. 10 feet and a new angle to the sound can save you 10 decibels.
This is the first time I have ever written at length about my experiences with tinnitus, and apologies for the use of so much first-person page space. I hope something here does some good for others, and I hope to not write about it again. The more I think of it, the more it's... there.
But great thanks for your sharing, Tony, and with such terrific detail.
Glenn, thank you for such a thoughtful, detailed and very well written comment and shared experience. You are right to have frustrations with the medical profession and you are absolutely not the only one. Considering how many people suffer from some degree of tinnitus it's ridiculous that there is so little real help from the medical profession but that might also be because of their lack of potential cure. More to com e on that in my second post.
The only thing I would disagree with in your recommendations, which are otherwise spot on, is the "don't talk about it." I understand why, on a personal level doing so might just bring it to the fore, but it astonishes me that we don't talk about it, again considering how many people have it. I found that by asking my friends if they had it - and finding, not surprisingly, that maybe half of them in music most certainly do - I felt less alone, and also got good advice from those who have had a long time to gather it!
Once again, many thanks. I really hope other people will find their way to this comment.
Of course. I didn't mean to recommend that other tinnitus sufferers should necessarily make it a secret. And, no doubt, the more people yell about this, the better chance we will get more attention. For me, though, any reminder from concerned friends that I deal with this problem just compounds it.
Between years of going to shows without hearing protection and a career in aviation, my hearing is...not good. Thankfully, only very mild tinnitus, but not being able to hear my kids, and starting almost every sentence with "what?" is not fun.
Weighing in on this subject of tinnitus- I have subjected myself to decades of loud music with no earplugs (I was definitely @ The Limelight Tony during your tenure of dj-ing there btw) and really thought nothing of it. I would have acute bouts of ringing in my ears for a few days immediately after a loud binge but it was really of no concern. I also had near perfect pitch hearing- only knowing this because when I’m not involved with loud music I am a birder who realized I could hear birds that others in my presence could not. Well all that changed after a head injury 6 yrs ago. I now lost half my hearing in my right ear and have tinnitus 24/7. I’ve learned to live with it and sometimes don’t notice it. I must concur with others here that loud restaurants are no fun at all. And when people want to chat at shows I am rendered deaf dumb and well just deaf! It stinks I have to often just nod my head and smile hoping it’s the right response!
Hi Jane, thank you for sharing. First up, had no idea you would have been at Limelight back in the day. If you came to Communion on a Tuesday, yep, I was your DJ. Your story is extra interesting because your tinnitus comes from a head injury, which I alluded to in the story can be enough to cause lifelong tinnitus. I think all of us of a certain age dislike the loud restaurants. And I will remember not to talk you next time I see you... at a loud concert, that is. Always happy to talk when you can hear me! Thanks again. And good luck with it.
Lou Barlow's comments are interesting to me. When I interviewed him not long ago the first question I asked was about potential hearing loss from being in Dinosaur, Jr., and he said, surprisingly, that somehow he's fine.
I've mercilessly abused my ears (and those of many around me—sorry!) over the years and have dealt with my share of resultant tinnitus, etc., here and there. I, too, was given a "normal loss for a loud rock 'n' roll musician" diagnosis several years back and had some noise-filtering plugs made. Took a bit of getting used to, but having them in in rehearsals has really made the difference; my ears no longer ring at night, and any prior ringing feels like it's diminished/disappeared. Can't wear them while actually doing gigs, though. As a small-club audience member my ears are definitely more sensitive to/conscious of louder levels these days, so I use standard plugs (or at least ye olde wadded-up napkin/TP pieces) in those situations. That seems to be effective enough. (He says, fingers crossed and ears plugged.) Anyway, that's what's worked for me.
Thanks for joining the conversation. I had a look at your Chronogram piece and it's really surprising that Lou Barlow would have told you everything was fine, as he certainly fesses up to a lot of tinnitus issues on that podcast. I wonder if that falls into the whole camp of why musicians don't talk about it enough - that somehow we'll think less of them if they admit to having it? Or, if they admit that their own music caused it, that it will make us resistant to listening to that music in case our ears get damaged as well? Or maybe Lou was just having a good day when yo u talked to him and "didn't want to go there"?
Anyways, you would be a prime candidate for tinnitus based on what I know of you and your playing. The whole issue we've been discussing about loud bars and restaurants is most exemplified by Salt Box, where you DJ, and the incredibly bad acoustics and resultant harsh sounds are the main reason you've only seen me there a couple of times, and briefly at that. I suspect a whole new generation of cases is coming down the line. Thanks again for sharing, and here's to you and I persevering and succeeding, albeit with more consideration for volume than when we were younger.
Hey Tony. Can't speak to why Lou gave me that answer, but yeah I was surprised. Also made me hopeful. It was over a year ago that that interview took place, so maybe things took a turn for him after that.
Aw man, Sean and I have a lot of fun at our monthly Salt Box gig, playing old-school punk, glam, new wave, garage, etc., 45s and we don't actually get that loud — we can't, as we're not playing through a PA and the place just has mid-sized Blue Tooth speakers. Hopefully local folks will come along and not get the impression from this that we're playing Whitehouse or Metal Machine Music or something similar at Olympian levels. Although maybe I'll start looking for a brewpub to try that at. :)
Happy to clarify for anyone reading this that Peter and Sean play incredible music from their probably priceless boxes of 45s, ranging from punk's heyday back through to 60s garage and forward to the present day, full of one great surprise after another! Definitely no Metal Machine Music, it's all good fun stuff! But, that sound system - and the acoustics in general there - does leave a lot to be desired. That's not on the DJs, but it would be remiss of me not to mention it, as it truly is part of this prevalence amongst newer bars and restaurants that, by NOT focusing on acoustics, make it difficult for anyone whose hearing has become sensitive to enjoy their place. And I like Salt Box in every other regard - including the fact that they hire you and Sean. (PS: Please tell me you get paid!) Cheers!
Thx, Tony! Since SB is a historically protected building (originally known as the Tappen House, it dates back to pre-Revolutionary Was times), I think there may be some limitations in place as to what the owners can do, renovation-wise, which may preclude such acoustical redesigns. But I shall try to find out more. (PS: Not a tremendous amount, but, yes, we do. It's mainly for the fun and the love, though — and tips are always welcome!) :)
As we age, we lose our peripheral hearing. This is very noticeable in restaurants when we are unable to isolate the voices at our table. It’s not just that restaurants are more noisy. I’ve worn hearing aids for 23 years..my mother was deaf and suffered from Tinnitus which has been my inheritance ! I wear musician’s earplugs at concerts and always try and get front row seats for The Who. It’s actually less loud up front ! The PA systems focus the sound to hit a sweet spot 40 ft back . Strangely enough, Pete Townshend wears hearing aids on stage . They are not monitors. I think they might be set on bluetooth to isolate part of the sound …
Hi Max, yes I am aware of you wearing hearing aids but never knew it was hereditary. And you're right that, especially with bigger shows, front row seats are less damaging than tenth row. Would be interesting to ask Pete about his hearing aids, I would imagine he has the sets that can help mask tinnitus frequencies, which will be part of my next post on the subject. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
I got it just over a year ago in my right ear. On the way to a gig I realized I forgot my earplugs and, rather than turn around and go get them, decided to play the show without them, figuring the band wasn’t that loud and I’d be ok. Turns out my spot on stage positioned my right ear perfectly next to the most frequently used crash cymbal. When I woke up the next day the ringing was loud and clear. It’s most noticeable now first thing in the morning and subsides as the day goes on. I’ve since had custom earplugs made and don’t leave the house without them. I’m 51 and hope to keep it at bay for as long as I can.
Most of the musicians I know have it and, not surprisingly, most of the musicians I’ve known and know don’t protect their hearing.
Thanks Jeff, that's quite a fascinating example you have there. But much like David Watts Barton, I might ponder whether, even if this was the provocative incident and you normally did use earplugs, the tinnitus had not been building "quietly" (stealthily?) anyway, just waiting for something to tip it into your consciousness and cause you all that morning chaos? You/we will probably never know for certain; I appreciate your sharing.
I suppose we’ll never know. I have worked in loud spaces most of my adult life (woodworking and music being the main ones) and have been pretty diligent about protecting my ears. I suspect the long term exposure eventually takes its toll no matter what precautions are taken. With that being said, a drummer I play with is also a air force/commercial airline pilot of 30+ years and his hearing is clear as a bell. Go figure.
As I write, to some degree it appears to be a crap shoot. Woodworking is definitely another leading contender, not that I knew until researching for this article. Good luck.
I have had it for years now. I am in my mid-50’s and spent my youth going to many a metal show (first concert was Iron Maiden/Judas Priest at age 13) and then after getting my music degree I played countless gigs in rock clubs performing until age 30. So it has been present in my head for a long time now. I figure it is just something I’m cursed with at this point.
Thanks Tom, sounds like you were maybe one of the headbangers I went to school with! Wasn't space to put in the above feature that some of them came to school boasting of shaking their heads in the bass bins the previous night. Would be interesting to track them down... As for being "cursed with," yeah, in Part 2 we will talk about how we all come to cope with it, because that is essentially our only choice right now. And people on my Wordsmith list are surely not about to give up on their music.
It’s not a competition, but we (G4) were loud. Very loud....I had the equivalent of a small PA jus for my drum monitors; we were all trying to keep up with/hear ourselves over Gill. In younger days, stood in front of the PA for Hawkwind gigs. And others.
I’m lucky - so far, at almost 68 - I have it, but really quite mild, and not always “there” until I notice it. Been having my hearing checked annually for the past 20 or so...some upper register loss. Ooh, what a lucky man.
What most gets me these days though, is not being able to hear what people are talking about when there’s ambient noise - restaurants are tough.
Hey Hugo, thank you. I really appreciate your sharing your own professional musician perspective. Yeah, considering the amount that you must have exposed yourself, you are doing very well. (And mine is not too bad, all considered, but that's for Part 2.)
The restaurant scenario is largely down to the design of modern places as I note in the story, but what you are going through is unbelievably common, I would say almost universal among older people even with just a degree of natural age-related hearing loss. As you are a "lucky man" overall.
I am curious how many other drummers you know that do have tinnitus, given that both you and Buddy seem to have come away unscathed, which is not yet enough data points for a reliable random poll.
Thank you for writhing this, what an undertaking. Sorry that you are having to deal! Despite the thousands of gigs, I’ve been fortunate and have managed to not develop this. I started wearing those expanding foam construction worker earplugs very early on, maybe a year into gigging. Maybe that helped, who knows? Many friends of mine from over the years of gigging took similar precautions and haven’t been as lucky.
Thanks Peter. Yes, per the examples from my musician friends (and Hugo up above), there does appear to be a degree of luck involved. I am happy for you that you took the right steps all along and, touch wood because likelihood increases with age, you have not yet been afflicted.
I have very mild tinnitus, growing in strength as I age. I saw The Who at Charlton in 1974, and several times more over the years. I would put my tinnitus down to the cumulative effect of many loud gigs, and extensive listening to music on headphones.
Although I’m in a much better place with it than you, Tony, I have a lurking fear of the whistles and buzzes and other random noises worsening and getting in the way of enjoying music. Fingers crossed I guess.
All the best for your unwanted soundtrack being deleted.
Hi Ian. Sounds like you and I had similar experiences with The Who. "When I returned home from work (not the right work for me, so stressful) the only solution was to blast out The Who. In that state, it had to be The Who. " I did that for much of my life but especially as a kid from school. If my neighbours didn't know about The Who beforehand, I certainly helped educate them. Do you realize that it was normal back then - music drifted in across windows and through estates and it was considreed part of life? That life has gotten equal parts noisier due to traffic, appliances etc., and quieter, as we become more isolated and insulated and listen to the world privately. PS: Can you e-mail me? tonyfletcher64@gmail.com
Great article!!!
I’ve had this since my late teens; I worked at a great venue for bands in the early to mid 70’s and I was never further than 16 rows from the front of the stage. I still have tinnitus and it is a drudge but if I got rid of it I may feel I’ll-at-ease since I’ve had for so long. Nowadays, I read lips and that allows me to interact effectively except when masks were mandatory.
Again, excellent article!
Thank you, and I hope you got to see the Part 2 that was published this SUnday Jan 14. In the meantime, good luck with moving forwards, you are an example of Living With Tinnitus.
Holy. Cow. What. Timing.
Tony, I can't believe you are writing about this, and now. I have non-stop tinnitus in my left ear. I recall exactly the day and time it started - two years ago this month, Tuesday, January 18, 2022, about 7 PM.
I was not at a concert, by any means. I had just driven two hours from an art exhibition in Columbus... Hardly a loud environment. I got home, turned on the stereo at a moderate volume, and BANG, a ringing started in both ears... Not that loud, not all that high-pitched, but consistent. A just-loud-enough taste of white noise. There was no way it could be related to the auditory experience of that moment, I thought, and turns out, I was right. But first, I started making notes on the experience for my doctor (that's how I know the date and time).
I called my GP, and she said, "We'll flush your ears." I'd never had them rinsed with warm fluid before - Wowza, it's like brain sauna. I’m surprised it isn’t sold as a ‘cranium colonic’ to new age health-experience types, like those oxygen bars of the 1990s. My right ear stopped ringing immediately, but the left one did not. She asked me to wait a day to see what happened. Nothing changed, and I begged her to flush the left ear again. She politely refused, saying it wouldn’t do any good. Now, I was totally confused but made an appointment with an audiologist, prepared to hear that frequency loss had triggered tinnitus. After an intensive hearing test, where I concentrated like I was trying to pass my last college exam, I was told my hearing was just fine... In fact, the specialist told me, "You have the ears of a child." I remember my jaw dropping. For years and years, I have been trying to protect my hearing. When I see a band in a club, I am usually at the back wall. I don't like to wear earplugs at shows, but I’ve done it. John Entwistle toured with what seemed to be half of The Who's stadium sound rig. I saw him in a club in ’88, and left terrified that I’d damaged my hearing - my ears rang for four days. From then on, I never saw Entwistle without stuffing something in my ears. Ditto any show with Wayne Kramer on stage, Iron Maiden, and – this one was a surprise - Dave Edmunds. His show was among the loudest things I have ever heard.
Apparently, my precautions kept my hearing range intact, which is important for my work, and means a lot to an all-day music listener, of course. But still, I got hit with tinnitus like a lightning bolt.
I've seen three otolaryngologists (Geez-us, what a name for your job). Each visit was more maddening. The first guy just didn't give a damn. He literally shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Yeah, I don't know... Might have been the Covid vaccine." I asked if that was truly possible, and he replied "Maybe... That's what they are saying." Infuriating. It was the first time I wrote a formal complaint about a physician. At the top of the table, I waited months to see a Cleveland Clinic specialist, purported to be 'THE guy' for this malady. I got zero help from him after a battery of tests. "People smarter than me don't know how this happens, sorry." Gee, I wonder how many people are in THAT group, you dilettante? It's one thing to deal with a 24-hour-a-day annoyance and concern, but what makes it worse is professional indifference, and it’s an expensive insouciance, at that.
None of the people I saw could explain why one ear recovered after a bath and the other did not. Further, none of them seemed interested in that detail. That really took away some of my faith in modern medicine, I have to say. But I also pursued acupuncture and chiropractic care, too, with no appreciable results.
The best words of advice I have heard, or could offer, so far are these:
- Remember that people have it worse than you. Other people have stage four cancer, are starving at borders, and dying in basements in war zones. That seems platitudinous, but it's true. My old man was a POW in Japanese prison camp. He never complained about it. I've got a sister with Parkinson’s and another with Epstein-Barr. And I'm going to cry over a little noise? It's fine to vent a bit, now and then. But do not whine... It just makes it worse, and can make you think OF the worse, if you know what I mean.
- Try to train yourself to ignore it. This is not easy at all. I admit I have not worked that hard at it yet. But I have yet to find a way to Hypno-Toad it away, but I have… sorta, kinda… pushed it to the backseat.
- Exercise more and keep busy... The only good words I got from a doctor so far. Use this problem as a motivator to do what you should be doing anyway. That attitude actually does help. Even if the extra activity does not improve the condition, convince yourself that it is keeping it from getting worse.
And here is the big one:
Go to 'gently noisy' places and get outdoors more. You want to kill the noise? Bury it under other noise. When I am in a brewpub, a coffee shop, or visiting someone's home for, say, a holiday event, for hours, I don't even think of my tinnitus for more than a moment or two. I was in Ireland for two weeks recently, and very active each day. ‘It’ hardly crossed my mind unless I was somewhere quite quiet, and even then, I could tell myself, "You are enjoying something new and important... Refocus. Don't let the devil on your left shoulder ruin it." With this strategy, you are allowed to lie to yourself and say, “It comes and goes.” (And thank you to the Irish spirit of conversation, always providing you with something stimulating to hear… Their whiskey didn’t hurt none, either).
And one habit I have added to those I have learned from others…
Keep it to yourself. I’ve learned to not talk about it with others. Because they will later say, "How is your ear?" They want to be nice, but all they are doing is reminding me of the tone generator in my head when I was likely in a moment of tuning it out.
Only a bit of my love and experience of music has so far been clouded, thank whatever-God-you-got. Sometimes the ear-ring will obstruct what I am listening to, especially in a surround sound field. But I can still mix voice and music confidently for work, and I can still do my web radio show. I have made a new rule, though, of listening only to podcasts on my earbuds while walking. No more music there. I just feel like that would be pushing my luck, even though I was told my condition is not a result of carelessness in loud places.
What we all wouldn't give to make this go away, right? But when I do still hear some remarkable music or walk my dog through the forest with open ears, and hear the trees sway and the animals scurry, I count myself as way, way fortunate.
I once heard of a guy who had a big dent in his car, put there in an accident that could have (some said, 'should have') killed him and his passengers: "I leave it there to remind myself how lucky I am." I’d like to see my dent pulled out, but I can also understand the point of view that says a little nuisance is better than lot of silence. The tinnitus reminds me to be even more careful with my ears. I keep a dB meter app on my phone all the time now. Anything over 90 dB with an expected long exposure, I just move farther back. 10 feet and a new angle to the sound can save you 10 decibels.
This is the first time I have ever written at length about my experiences with tinnitus, and apologies for the use of so much first-person page space. I hope something here does some good for others, and I hope to not write about it again. The more I think of it, the more it's... there.
But great thanks for your sharing, Tony, and with such terrific detail.
Best to all.
Glenn, thank you for such a thoughtful, detailed and very well written comment and shared experience. You are right to have frustrations with the medical profession and you are absolutely not the only one. Considering how many people suffer from some degree of tinnitus it's ridiculous that there is so little real help from the medical profession but that might also be because of their lack of potential cure. More to com e on that in my second post.
The only thing I would disagree with in your recommendations, which are otherwise spot on, is the "don't talk about it." I understand why, on a personal level doing so might just bring it to the fore, but it astonishes me that we don't talk about it, again considering how many people have it. I found that by asking my friends if they had it - and finding, not surprisingly, that maybe half of them in music most certainly do - I felt less alone, and also got good advice from those who have had a long time to gather it!
Once again, many thanks. I really hope other people will find their way to this comment.
Cheers,
tony
Of course. I didn't mean to recommend that other tinnitus sufferers should necessarily make it a secret. And, no doubt, the more people yell about this, the better chance we will get more attention. For me, though, any reminder from concerned friends that I deal with this problem just compounds it.
Between years of going to shows without hearing protection and a career in aviation, my hearing is...not good. Thankfully, only very mild tinnitus, but not being able to hear my kids, and starting almost every sentence with "what?" is not fun.
Weighing in on this subject of tinnitus- I have subjected myself to decades of loud music with no earplugs (I was definitely @ The Limelight Tony during your tenure of dj-ing there btw) and really thought nothing of it. I would have acute bouts of ringing in my ears for a few days immediately after a loud binge but it was really of no concern. I also had near perfect pitch hearing- only knowing this because when I’m not involved with loud music I am a birder who realized I could hear birds that others in my presence could not. Well all that changed after a head injury 6 yrs ago. I now lost half my hearing in my right ear and have tinnitus 24/7. I’ve learned to live with it and sometimes don’t notice it. I must concur with others here that loud restaurants are no fun at all. And when people want to chat at shows I am rendered deaf dumb and well just deaf! It stinks I have to often just nod my head and smile hoping it’s the right response!
Hi Jane, thank you for sharing. First up, had no idea you would have been at Limelight back in the day. If you came to Communion on a Tuesday, yep, I was your DJ. Your story is extra interesting because your tinnitus comes from a head injury, which I alluded to in the story can be enough to cause lifelong tinnitus. I think all of us of a certain age dislike the loud restaurants. And I will remember not to talk you next time I see you... at a loud concert, that is. Always happy to talk when you can hear me! Thanks again. And good luck with it.
Lou Barlow's comments are interesting to me. When I interviewed him not long ago the first question I asked was about potential hearing loss from being in Dinosaur, Jr., and he said, surprisingly, that somehow he's fine.
https://www.chronogram.com/arts/we-deal-in-volume-2397520
I've mercilessly abused my ears (and those of many around me—sorry!) over the years and have dealt with my share of resultant tinnitus, etc., here and there. I, too, was given a "normal loss for a loud rock 'n' roll musician" diagnosis several years back and had some noise-filtering plugs made. Took a bit of getting used to, but having them in in rehearsals has really made the difference; my ears no longer ring at night, and any prior ringing feels like it's diminished/disappeared. Can't wear them while actually doing gigs, though. As a small-club audience member my ears are definitely more sensitive to/conscious of louder levels these days, so I use standard plugs (or at least ye olde wadded-up napkin/TP pieces) in those situations. That seems to be effective enough. (He says, fingers crossed and ears plugged.) Anyway, that's what's worked for me.
Hey Peter,
Thanks for joining the conversation. I had a look at your Chronogram piece and it's really surprising that Lou Barlow would have told you everything was fine, as he certainly fesses up to a lot of tinnitus issues on that podcast. I wonder if that falls into the whole camp of why musicians don't talk about it enough - that somehow we'll think less of them if they admit to having it? Or, if they admit that their own music caused it, that it will make us resistant to listening to that music in case our ears get damaged as well? Or maybe Lou was just having a good day when yo u talked to him and "didn't want to go there"?
Anyways, you would be a prime candidate for tinnitus based on what I know of you and your playing. The whole issue we've been discussing about loud bars and restaurants is most exemplified by Salt Box, where you DJ, and the incredibly bad acoustics and resultant harsh sounds are the main reason you've only seen me there a couple of times, and briefly at that. I suspect a whole new generation of cases is coming down the line. Thanks again for sharing, and here's to you and I persevering and succeeding, albeit with more consideration for volume than when we were younger.
Hey Tony. Can't speak to why Lou gave me that answer, but yeah I was surprised. Also made me hopeful. It was over a year ago that that interview took place, so maybe things took a turn for him after that.
Aw man, Sean and I have a lot of fun at our monthly Salt Box gig, playing old-school punk, glam, new wave, garage, etc., 45s and we don't actually get that loud — we can't, as we're not playing through a PA and the place just has mid-sized Blue Tooth speakers. Hopefully local folks will come along and not get the impression from this that we're playing Whitehouse or Metal Machine Music or something similar at Olympian levels. Although maybe I'll start looking for a brewpub to try that at. :)
Happy to clarify for anyone reading this that Peter and Sean play incredible music from their probably priceless boxes of 45s, ranging from punk's heyday back through to 60s garage and forward to the present day, full of one great surprise after another! Definitely no Metal Machine Music, it's all good fun stuff! But, that sound system - and the acoustics in general there - does leave a lot to be desired. That's not on the DJs, but it would be remiss of me not to mention it, as it truly is part of this prevalence amongst newer bars and restaurants that, by NOT focusing on acoustics, make it difficult for anyone whose hearing has become sensitive to enjoy their place. And I like Salt Box in every other regard - including the fact that they hire you and Sean. (PS: Please tell me you get paid!) Cheers!
Thx, Tony! Since SB is a historically protected building (originally known as the Tappen House, it dates back to pre-Revolutionary Was times), I think there may be some limitations in place as to what the owners can do, renovation-wise, which may preclude such acoustical redesigns. But I shall try to find out more. (PS: Not a tremendous amount, but, yes, we do. It's mainly for the fun and the love, though — and tips are always welcome!) :)
As we age, we lose our peripheral hearing. This is very noticeable in restaurants when we are unable to isolate the voices at our table. It’s not just that restaurants are more noisy. I’ve worn hearing aids for 23 years..my mother was deaf and suffered from Tinnitus which has been my inheritance ! I wear musician’s earplugs at concerts and always try and get front row seats for The Who. It’s actually less loud up front ! The PA systems focus the sound to hit a sweet spot 40 ft back . Strangely enough, Pete Townshend wears hearing aids on stage . They are not monitors. I think they might be set on bluetooth to isolate part of the sound …
Hi Max, yes I am aware of you wearing hearing aids but never knew it was hereditary. And you're right that, especially with bigger shows, front row seats are less damaging than tenth row. Would be interesting to ask Pete about his hearing aids, I would imagine he has the sets that can help mask tinnitus frequencies, which will be part of my next post on the subject. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
I got it just over a year ago in my right ear. On the way to a gig I realized I forgot my earplugs and, rather than turn around and go get them, decided to play the show without them, figuring the band wasn’t that loud and I’d be ok. Turns out my spot on stage positioned my right ear perfectly next to the most frequently used crash cymbal. When I woke up the next day the ringing was loud and clear. It’s most noticeable now first thing in the morning and subsides as the day goes on. I’ve since had custom earplugs made and don’t leave the house without them. I’m 51 and hope to keep it at bay for as long as I can.
Most of the musicians I know have it and, not surprisingly, most of the musicians I’ve known and know don’t protect their hearing.
Thanks Jeff, that's quite a fascinating example you have there. But much like David Watts Barton, I might ponder whether, even if this was the provocative incident and you normally did use earplugs, the tinnitus had not been building "quietly" (stealthily?) anyway, just waiting for something to tip it into your consciousness and cause you all that morning chaos? You/we will probably never know for certain; I appreciate your sharing.
I suppose we’ll never know. I have worked in loud spaces most of my adult life (woodworking and music being the main ones) and have been pretty diligent about protecting my ears. I suspect the long term exposure eventually takes its toll no matter what precautions are taken. With that being said, a drummer I play with is also a air force/commercial airline pilot of 30+ years and his hearing is clear as a bell. Go figure.
As I write, to some degree it appears to be a crap shoot. Woodworking is definitely another leading contender, not that I knew until researching for this article. Good luck.
I have had it for years now. I am in my mid-50’s and spent my youth going to many a metal show (first concert was Iron Maiden/Judas Priest at age 13) and then after getting my music degree I played countless gigs in rock clubs performing until age 30. So it has been present in my head for a long time now. I figure it is just something I’m cursed with at this point.
Thanks Tom, sounds like you were maybe one of the headbangers I went to school with! Wasn't space to put in the above feature that some of them came to school boasting of shaking their heads in the bass bins the previous night. Would be interesting to track them down... As for being "cursed with," yeah, in Part 2 we will talk about how we all come to cope with it, because that is essentially our only choice right now. And people on my Wordsmith list are surely not about to give up on their music.
It’s not a competition, but we (G4) were loud. Very loud....I had the equivalent of a small PA jus for my drum monitors; we were all trying to keep up with/hear ourselves over Gill. In younger days, stood in front of the PA for Hawkwind gigs. And others.
I’m lucky - so far, at almost 68 - I have it, but really quite mild, and not always “there” until I notice it. Been having my hearing checked annually for the past 20 or so...some upper register loss. Ooh, what a lucky man.
What most gets me these days though, is not being able to hear what people are talking about when there’s ambient noise - restaurants are tough.
But... very little to complain about really.
Hey Hugo, thank you. I really appreciate your sharing your own professional musician perspective. Yeah, considering the amount that you must have exposed yourself, you are doing very well. (And mine is not too bad, all considered, but that's for Part 2.)
The restaurant scenario is largely down to the design of modern places as I note in the story, but what you are going through is unbelievably common, I would say almost universal among older people even with just a degree of natural age-related hearing loss. As you are a "lucky man" overall.
I am curious how many other drummers you know that do have tinnitus, given that both you and Buddy seem to have come away unscathed, which is not yet enough data points for a reliable random poll.
Cheers, Tony
Thank you for writhing this, what an undertaking. Sorry that you are having to deal! Despite the thousands of gigs, I’ve been fortunate and have managed to not develop this. I started wearing those expanding foam construction worker earplugs very early on, maybe a year into gigging. Maybe that helped, who knows? Many friends of mine from over the years of gigging took similar precautions and haven’t been as lucky.
Thanks Peter. Yes, per the examples from my musician friends (and Hugo up above), there does appear to be a degree of luck involved. I am happy for you that you took the right steps all along and, touch wood because likelihood increases with age, you have not yet been afflicted.
I have very mild tinnitus, growing in strength as I age. I saw The Who at Charlton in 1974, and several times more over the years. I would put my tinnitus down to the cumulative effect of many loud gigs, and extensive listening to music on headphones.
Although I’m in a much better place with it than you, Tony, I have a lurking fear of the whistles and buzzes and other random noises worsening and getting in the way of enjoying music. Fingers crossed I guess.
All the best for your unwanted soundtrack being deleted.
Hi Ian. Sounds like you and I had similar experiences with The Who. "When I returned home from work (not the right work for me, so stressful) the only solution was to blast out The Who. In that state, it had to be The Who. " I did that for much of my life but especially as a kid from school. If my neighbours didn't know about The Who beforehand, I certainly helped educate them. Do you realize that it was normal back then - music drifted in across windows and through estates and it was considreed part of life? That life has gotten equal parts noisier due to traffic, appliances etc., and quieter, as we become more isolated and insulated and listen to the world privately. PS: Can you e-mail me? tonyfletcher64@gmail.com