After a scare early in his career, Jay Weinberg has never played “without hearing protection.”
After beginning to play live with other musicians, the Slipknot drummer, who began teaching himself to play in his mid-teens, received a “very quick lesson” in the importance of protection and hearing loss prevention.
“We had a great day jamming, but then the next morning I had no high-end frequencies in my hearing,” he said in a video for the Hearing Health Foundation.
“I honestly thought I’d lost my hearing completely, and I was terrified because I didn’t know what to do about it.”
“And especially when you’re recovering from major hearing loss or a hearing loss event like that, the one thing you want to do to pass the time is listen to music, which you can’t do because it’s too painful.”
The ‘Chapeltown Rag’ singer, who joined Slipknot in 2014, stated that hearing protection is essential for anyone seeking “longevity and sustainability in music.”
He continued: “So I’ve never sat down at a kit and played the way I do without hearing protection since that day. It’s not a choice.”
Jay revealed that he takes numerous precautions on stage, and he explained the risks of not doing so.
“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,” he continued.
“It’s critical, and if I hadn’t worn earplugs and in-ear monitors from a young age, I could have done a lot of damage to my hearing.”
“So I strongly advise you to wear earplugs, do it correctly, and do it intelligently.” You can still rock out, play the way you want to play, and you’ll be able to do so for the rest of your life.”