NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks to creator Matt Hay, who has struggled along with his listening to since he was a child, about his new e book Soundtrack of Silence.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
This yr will mark a decade since I spotted I used to be going deaf. Now, I’ve talked about this some publicly, however for individuals who do not know, I’ve extreme to profound listening to loss. I host this program sporting listening to aids in each ears. So it was with particular curiosity that I picked up the brand new memoir “Soundtrack Of Silence.” The creator, Matt Hay, has struggled along with his listening to since he was a child. As he grew up, his listening to received worse after which worse. In school, he came upon he had NF2, neurofibromatosis sort 2. It is a uncommon genetic situation that prompted tumors to develop on the nerves that transmit sound to his mind. As his listening to disappeared, Hay discovered that one of many issues he missed most was music, and music has additionally been his path again to partial listening to. Matt Hay, welcome.
MATT HAY: Thanks. I am excited to be right here.
KELLY: Describe the second once you realized you had been dropping your listening to and also you had been going to totally lose it and that it was irreversible.
HAY: It is a very sobering second once you come to, like, the acceptance of, like, hey; there’s this steamroller coming, and it is actually distant. But ultimately, it will get right here. It is nearly – it will be, like, a enjoyable bar sport to take a seat round with your mates and say, hey; in case you needed to create your biggest hits playlist for all times, what would it not be? It is loads much less enjoyable once you very actually should be considering, what songs do I need caught in my head for the remainder of my life?
KELLY: You do write fantastically in regards to the final track you heard with your personal ears, George Harrison’s “Right here Comes The Solar.” Are you able to inform me, like, the place you had been, what you keep in mind about listening to it?
HAY: I keep in mind loads about that day as a result of, you already know, my listening to was – you talked about your listening to loss being gradual, and thanks for sharing that. I feel it is great that you simply – how open you have been about sharing that. But that steamroller was coming, was coming. And someday, I awakened, and I may simply inform issues had been totally different. I went into work, and everyone gave the impression of Charlie Brown’s instructor. One thing was totally different. And I got here again dwelling, and my spouse knew one thing was flawed ‘trigger I got here again dwelling noon in a cab, and we did not have cash to be taking cabs. And so I received there, and she or he was ready on the door, and I mentioned, I feel it is taking place. And I did not have to supply any extra element. We had been at some extent in our lives the place, you already know, we hadn’t been married lengthy, however she knew precisely what I meant.
And we hugged. We cried. And he or she’s only a great, great particular person, and I feel anyone that learn this story will see she’s the hero of the story. And he or she mentioned, OK, what do you wish to do? And we knew sufficient signal language, and I can hear a bit and skim – lip learn a bit and that – I picked that up. What do you wish to do? And I considered it for a minute of the – what’s the very last thing you wish to hear? And perhaps chalk this as much as younger love, however I chalk it as much as she’s received a very nice giggle. The very last thing I needed to hear was the factor that made me happiest – was making her giggle. So we determined to exit to our favourite Mexican place. Trying again on that now, it is humorous to me to assume what the opposite patrons will need to have been considering of. Like, why is she yelling such candy issues to that child?
KELLY: (Laughter).
HAY: And we went dwelling that night time, and we awakened the subsequent day, and we had a bit CD participant. And each morning, we woke as much as “Right here Comes The Solar.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HERE COMES THE SUN”)
THE BEATLES: (Singing) Right here comes the solar, and I say, it is all proper.
HAY: And the subsequent day, I awakened, and there was no “Right here Comes The Solar.” And one of the best ways I can describe that’s I awakened that day, and sound grew to become a reminiscence.
KELLY: That was what number of years in the past?
HAY: This was 2004.
KELLY: I will clarify to folks. You are sitting about 5 ft away from me. We’re speaking. You’ll be able to hear me. How does it work?
HAY: So one plus of dropping your listening to slowly is you by accident turn into a very good lip-reader. I can inform you what most NFL coaches are saying on the sidelines.
KELLY: (Laughter).
HAY: And it is normally not very candy.
KELLY: So that you’re studying my lips.
HAY: B, I additionally am very lucky that I’ve what is known as an auditory brainstem implant. So shortly after dropping my listening to, we had already talked to lots of audiologists, lots of EMTs. And simply 4 years prior, the FDA had permitted an auditory brainstem implant, or an ABI. So that they put this little electrode of – 12 electrodes as a bit flyswatter that they sew on to your brainstem. And I had that executed on the Home Ear Institute in LA, which is the world’s main facility for this. So the expectation was that I might hear life noises, which is, like, oven timers and police sirens. But when you’ll be able to’t hear something aside from timers and police sirens, it is fairly romantic.
KELLY: Yeah. So I imply, lengthy story quick, you have had many surgical procedures. You have had implants. You are – there’s an exterior machine on the left aspect of your head, over your ear…
HAY: Yeah.
KELLY: …That is seen. You’ll be able to partially hear.
HAY: I’m, although this dialog now, to reply your query, is reflective of 18 years of audio rehabilitation and dealing day by day to – they mentioned oven timers and police sirens, and 4 years later, I heard oven timers and police sirens. But that is the place music got here again into play – is…
KELLY: Yeah. What was – how did music assist?
HAY: Nicely, the immediate was – at that time, we now had new child twins. And I keep in mind laying in mattress and all the work my spouse needed to do as a result of there’s a lot work for her basically in that circumstance but additionally with me not with the ability to hear them. One night time, one of many infants was crying, and I could not inform which one, and it terrified me. And I spent lots of time considering, what can I do to get higher? – ‘trigger what I am doing just isn’t working. And I simply had this notion of, effectively, I’ve these songs in my head, and I might exit working and have these songs in my head with no AirPods – simply mind reminiscence. And I assumed, I ponder if listening to that music may also help. What if music may turn into the Rosetta Stone in order that my mind can inform – now inform my ABI, no, no, you have received it flawed? The opening to “Let It Be” is (vocalizing).
(SOUNDBITE OF THE BEATLES SONG, “LET IT BE”)
HAY: After a yr of that, no change. After one other yr of that, no change. And someday, we received within the automotive, and Nora turned on the radio. My spouse, Nora, turned on the radio, after which she turned it down actually shortly so we are able to hear higher once we speak ‘trigger once I’m not there, she rocks out. And I grabbed her wrist, and I mentioned, is that this “Loopy Sport Of Poker” by O.A.R.?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THAT WAS A CRAZY GAME OF POKER”)
O A R: (Singing) Do not know what to do until I retire, and he simply mentioned…
HAY: ‘Trigger I very distinctly heard, I mentioned, Johnny, what you doing tonight?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THAT WAS A CRAZY GAME OF POKER”)
O A R: (Singing) So I mentioned, Johnny, what you doing tonight?
HAY: And for the primary time, we might – one thing occurred that we had been instructed would by no means occur, and that – and I get goosebumps telling you about this now – is that…
KELLY: Yeah.
HAY: …I heard music. I am deaf. I am deaf, and I heard music. And I am…
KELLY: God, I’ve goosebumps fascinated with what that will need to have been like after years of not listening to.
HAY: It’s – I do know. I attempted to do it in phrases, nevertheless it’s simply exhausting to convey that second.
KELLY: And the way do you clarify this? That is your mind relearning or discovering new pathways to do one thing…
HAY: It’s my mind…
KELLY: …It as soon as was in a position to do.
HAY: …Relearning to hear.
KELLY: And it needed to determine…
HAY: I want I had been a neurosurgeon…
KELLY: Yeah.
HAY: …Or neuroscientist so I may clarify the method. But what I came upon afterward in attending to know some actually great audiologists is music remedy was being examined on the College of Texas, at Vanderbilt, at a number of the main audiology applications within the nation, and so they had been all testing it in concept. So unexpectedly, I grew to become a – my mind grew to become a fairly fashionable check topic for lots of parents that had been – had considered this in concept. And I feel it was actually simply – our brains are fairly magical, and we do not perceive all that they do. But when your mind is aware of one thing, it does not neglect.
KELLY: Yeah. Matt Hay – his memoir is titled “Soundtrack Of Silence: Love, Loss, And A Playlist For Life.” This has been an actual pleasure. Thanks.
HAY: Thanks.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HERE COMES THE SUN”)
THE BEATLES: (Singing) Right here comes the solar. Right here comes the solar.
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