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Huey Lewis<\/a> confirmed that music was no longer part of his life, eight years after losing his hearing to Meniere\u2019s disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n He\u2019d lost the use of his right ear in the \u201890s, but when his left ear shut down in 2018<\/a>, it marked the end of the singer\u2019s career.<\/p>\n In a recent episode of Inside of You<\/a><\/em>, Lewis explained how much his life had changed since then, and agreed that there was always hope for medical and technological advances that might help him.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> When Huey Lewis Ensured \u2018Sports\u2019 Success with \u2018Heart and Soul\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Explaining\u00a0how he dealt with his first hearing failure, Lewis said: \u201cMy dad was a doctor and he sent me to this famous ENT guy\u2026 He looked at it and said, \u2018Well, get used to it!\u2019 I said, \u2018What do you mean, \u201cget used to it?\u201d I\u2019m a musician; I\u2019m a singer. I need my hearing!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cHe says, \u2018You only need one ear \u2026 Jimi Hendrix<\/a> had one ear, Brian Wilson<\/a>\u00a0had one ear. I have one ear and I\u2019m in a barbershop quartet!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis recalled being worried about his first stage show with 50 percent hearing, especially about how his in-ear monitors would affect him. \u201cI was very apprehensive \u2013 and it was fine, because your brain is so savvy that it moves everything to the middle.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I existed on one ear for, you know, 25 years. And then my left ear bailed; and now I\u2019m deaf, basically, without the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n He has a cochlear implant in his left ear and a regular hearing aid in the right, which are compatible with phones and computers. \u201cWhat has that done? Well, changed my life,\u201d he said. \u201cMusic is not part of my life anymore. It\u2019s a hard pill to swallow.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> How Huey Lewis Scored a Surprise Hit with \u2018Jacob\u2019s Ladder\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n He explained that the technology distorts human speech so \u201cpeople sound like they took a hit of helium,\u201d and music doesn\u2019t translate in a way he can enjoy. \u201cSometimes I play [an album] because I know it so well. I can hear the beat and I know what\u2019s going on, but I can\u2019t enjoy it.<\/p>\n \u201cMusic used to be fun. Now [it\u2019s like] \u2018I\u2019m gonna try so hard to get it,\u2019 and it just ends up frustrating for me\u2026 I can\u2019t feel the warmth, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis confirmed the situation had caused depressive episodes<\/a>, particularly in the first six months of diagnosis, and he lamented his inability to perform concerts. \u201cMy bass player, John Pierce, is playing with Toto<\/a> now, and they\u2019re just killing it out there\u2026 and I gotta say, God, I wish \u2013\u2013 I\u2019d like to do that!\u201d<\/p>\n He went on to explain how the discovery of fishing had helped, saying it felt like he\u2019s \u201cconducting nature\u201d in the wilderness. \u201cThe thing that\u2019s nice about [the situation] is, if I had hearing I\u2019d still be on the road, probably\u2026 and I don\u2019t miss that.<\/p>\n \u201cI miss [doing] a show once in a while; I miss the camaraderie of the fellas and the circus-like thing that it is. But, man, I\u2019ve fished so many great places and had so many great experiences and met all kinds of different people\u2026 So I gotta look at the positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what developments might be possible in the near future, Lewis said: \u201cThis Meniere\u2019s thing, they don\u2019t know anything about; but that would be nice to treat if they can figure that out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat they do have on the horizon is one of these cochlear implants that\u2019s all internal \u2026 It lives inside your skin and you put a thing on your each to charge it every once in a while. UCR takes a chronological look at the 100 best rock albums of the ’80s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso and Michael Gallucci<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHuey Lewis Misses Playing Shows \u2013 But He Doesn\u2019t Miss Touring<\/h3>\n
\u201cIt means you can swim, you can sleep at night \u2013 you see, I have to take all my stuff out to sleep at night. And so I\u2019m deaf at night. If there\u2019s a fire I\u2019m in trouble!\u201d<\/p>\nTop 100 ’80s Rock Albums<\/h2>\n