Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath has revealed that he is going deaf, and that it “absolutely” worries him.
The ’90s rocker shared the news during an interview with Daily Mail TV, saying, “I’m deaf now. I cannot hear anymore.”
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“It’s years and years of being on the road and being two feet in front of symbols and drums. So high frequencies I can’t hear anymore. I’ll be listening to people and they’ll tell me their names and I can’t hear anymore. It’s scary because my job is hearing,” he went to say.
“Even Huey Lewis and the News has recently had to stop touring because of the ears,” McGrath added, referring to how the ’80s rocker before recently suffered a similar fate.
The Sugar Ray frontman confessed that his doctors urged him to use in-ear monitors, to protect his ears from further damage, but he did not heed their warnings.
“Fortunately for the new generation, they have in ears. I’m dumb enough not to use them though. I still need the sight sounds and smells of a concert and that includes the auditory part, but unfortunately, mine’s going,” McGrath admitted.
“You can’t repair your hearing. Once it goes, it goes. You can hope to stop the damage. It’s absolutely a worry of mine,” he continued. “I mean no one’s ever coming to hear a high C like a Mariah Carey show from me, thank God. So I’m slowly adding one in ear at a time and taking efforts, but you’re right, it’s either pay me now, or pay me later.”
Even with all the warning signs and caution from doctors, though, McGrath says his rock and roll heart still guides his choices.
“It’s funny, I got into music and rock n’ roll not to worry about any of this: business, mindsets, health. I wanted to party, I’m in a band, that’s what you do. And then life catches up to you and reality happens and by the grace of God we became a band, also, I found myself running a multimillion dollar corporation,” he said.
“I got in music to get away from business. As I get older, my health’s going, I have knee problems, back problems. So I am working on the hearing now. It’s something that recently last year my doctor said you’ve got to step back a little bit, and the whole Huey Lewis thing has been a warning for all of this for sure,” McGrath added.
“There’s a lot in play there. It’s one of those things you don’t even want to admit. It’s like if you start losing your hair, you’re like, ”I’m not losing my hair.” But hearing is the same way, but it’s something I do have to get on it. My wife thanks you for reminding me and beating me up on,” he finally said.
Sugar Ray has some performances coming up this summer, and fans can always catch McGrath on his Sirius XM show, Mark McGrath’s 120, every Friday night.
