Tuesday, March 8, 2016

AC/DC and hearing loss

I'M NOT A huge AC/DC fan. I don't have any of their CDs. I don't go into rapturous joy when their songs come on the radio or YouTube.

But I do like the band. I think Angus Young is one of the great guitar players of our time, a dirty blues guy with a unique style and unapologetic approach to writing songs and cranking out anthem rock. We love our own Angus, the cowboy corgi....

Some friends went to see them in St. Louis recently and said the band was in fine form. But it comes to no surprise that the last 10 shows of their tour have been postponed, because singer Brian Johnson is about to go deaf.

Really? It only took this long?

AC/DC is rescheduling the shows with "guest vocalists," which could either be really cool or a complete disaster. I'm curious to hear (try to hear) what hardcore fans think, and if they'd go.

The moral of this story is that you can rock and roll all night, but you gotta take care of yourself too.

I remember going to shows as a teen and being deaf for days after because of the massive volume. I laughed about it and thought it was no big deal. Then I started playing in bands about 17 years ago, and guess what? The ringing in my ears today ain't a lullaby.

The Cheeseburgers don't play at high volume, but it's still really loud on stage. I got some really nice earplugs a while back from Kevin at Quincy Audiology, but I forget to put them in sometimes and I can really hear and feel the difference when we are done.

It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. Your hearing is a precious thing. Take care of yourself along the long way.

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