Slipknot Drummer Shares Support For The Hearing Health Foundation

17 November 2022 | 10:48 am | Mary Varvaris
Originally Appeared In

"I thought I honestly lost my hearing altogether, and I was really frightened because I didn't know how to deal with that."

(Pic by Anthony Scanga)

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Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg is lending his support to the Hearing Health Foundation, the largest non-profit funder that works to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through research and promotes hearing health.

In a video uploaded by the foundation and shared by Louder Sound, Weinberg shares some essential advice. 

Recalling a near-miss of almost losing his hearing as a teenager, he said: "I got a very quick lesson in how important hearing loss prevention and hearing protection really is. When I was 14, I got into a jam room with two buddies from school who started to teach themselves how to play the guitar. And we're in a room, and we're jamming, but I can't quite hear them because their amps are turned away from me."

Continuing, he noted his decision-making at the time wasn't the wisest. "So I have a bright idea and tell them, 'Well, I can't really hear your guitars. Why don't you turn it all the way up to 10 and turn both of your guitar amps towards me, and then I can hear your guitars?' 

"That was not the most astute decision. We had a great day jamming, but then the next morning, I had no high-end frequencies in my hearing. I thought I honestly lost my hearing altogether, and I was really frightened because I didn't know how to deal with that."

Weinberg has been wearing suitable ear protection ever since.

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"Ever since that day, I've never sat down at a kit and played the way I play without hearing protection, not even once. It's not an option. These are dangerous tools that we have, and we have to use them carefully and not shortchange ourselves for the experience of playing music and still play super hard and still play super loud, but it has to be done intelligently."

For anyone who thinks that it isn't metal to wear earplugs or headphones, you're mistaken. "I'd like you to head to HearingHealthFoundation.org and check out the 'Keep Listening' campaign because it is very important, and it's very important to start at a young age to start taking care of your hearing health.

"For me personally, I don't go to a single show without wearing earplugs. I don't go on stage without wearing earplugs or in-ear monitors where I can hear myself and my bandmates. It's incredibly important, and if I had not worn earplugs and in-ear monitors from a young age, I might have done a tremendous amount of damage to my hearing."

He closed the video by saying, "So I strongly encourage you, wear earplugs, do it the right way, do it intelligently. You can still rock out, you can still play the way you want to, and you'll be able to play for the rest of your life."

It's sage advice from one of the most successful metal drummers of our time. Learn more about the Hearing Health Foundation here.

Slipknot will return to Australia in March 2023 when they headline Knotfest along the East Coast. Tickets are available now. Please wear earplugs.

KNOTFEST AUSTRALIA

LINE-UP

Slipknot | Parkway Drive | Megadeth

Trivium | Northlane | Amon Amarth | In Flames 

Knocked Loose | Spiritbox | Story Of The Year

Alphawolf | Void Of Vision | Bad Omens | Malevolence

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Friday 24 March 2023 - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Saturday 25 March 2023 - Centennial Park, Sydney
Sunday 26 March 2023 - RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane