The Foo Fighters frontman says that he has been relying on lip-reading for the past years but it's been hard to do since people wear masks during the pandemic.
- February 24, 2022
AceShowbiz - Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl shares the aftermath of rocking on stage for years. During an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show", the musician claims that he has been deaf for the past 20 years.
"I haven't had them tested in a long time -- I mean, I know what they're gonna say," Dave said of getting his ears looked at by a doctor, adding that he has relied on reading lips for two decades. " 'You have hearing damage tinnitus in your left ear, morso than your right ear.' "
He went on to say that he finds it extremely difficult to hear other people in public places. Additionally, as people wear masks during the pandemic, it has been hard for him to read their lips.
"If you were sitting next to me right here at dinner, I wouldn't understand a f**king word you were saying to me, the whole f**king time," the 53-year-old told the host. "There's no way."
He continued, "In a crowded restaurant, that's worse. That's the worst thing about this pandemic s**t, it's like, people wearing masks. I've been reading lips for like, 20 years, so when someone comes up to me and they're like [garbled noise], I'm like, 'I'm a rock musician. I'm f**king deaf, I can't hear what you're saying.' "
Despite that, Dave said that he's still able to hear "the slightest little things" when recording in the studio and mixing albums. "My ears are still tuned in to certain frequencies, and if I hear something that's slightly out of tune, or a cymbal that's not bright enough or something like that, in the mix, I can f**king hear the minutiae of everything that we have done to that song, I really can," he explained.
He also opted out in-ear monitors while performing because it "removes [him] from the natural atmosphere sound." He said, "I wanna hear the audience like, in front of me and I want to turn around be able to hear [Taylor Hawkins] right there and go over here and hear [Pat Smear], and go over here and hear [Chris Shiflett and stuff like that," he explained. "It just messes with your spatial understanding of where you are on stage."
