Paul Simon has revealed that sudden hearing loss in one of his ears has prevented him from touring again.
The singer-songwriter claimed that doctors had been unable to diagnose the cause of the near-total hearing loss in one ear and admitted that his health issue has made a return to the stage “extremely” unlikely.
Simon, 81, told The Times: “Quite suddenly I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it.
“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.”
While his hearing is yet to improve, the performer said he’s not entirely disappointed to not be on the road again, admitting that he had grown tired of singing many of his famous tunes.
He continued: “The songs of mine that I don’t want to sing live, I don’t sing them. Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I’ll say, ‘’the f*** are you doing, Paul?’
“Quite often that would come during [1986 hit song] 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.”
The hitmaker was catapulted into the spotlight in the 1960s as part of folk duo, Simon & Garfunkel, alongside Art Garfunkel.
The pair split up in 1970, but have reunited on several occasions, most recently at the New Orleans jazz festival in 2010. Although relations between the pair have since strained, Simon has not ruled out a reunion in the future, previously stating, “Why not, while we’re still alive?”
Following their inital split over 50 years ago, Simon enjoyed a successful solo career and has just released a new studio album, Seven Psalms, his first in five years.
