The rocker is often
surprised by how
loud his own gigs are because his hearing has been damaged over the years.
The White Stripes musician never protects his ears because he can’t hear what he is doing on the guitar, which has affected his hearing over the years. ‘There was a White Stripes tour, which is probably one of the least loudest bands I would think because there are not too many people on stage. My monitor guy came over while we were playing at sound check and he held a decibel meter in front of my monitors and turned it around and showed me the number, which was 136 – and that day I thought it wasn’t that bad!’ he told BBC Radio 1. ‘I think I luckily got immune to it a few decades ago. I used to try and put ear protection in, but I couldn’t hear my guitar tone, I couldn’t hear what was going on and I would always pull them out three songs in. Even if it makes me go deaf, I have to know what it sounds like.’
Jack also revealed he pushes himself to perform when he is feeling unwell.
The Seven Nation Army star explained that a voice affected by illness can create a whole different sound, for the benefit of the listeners. ‘Say if you had a session booked early in the morning to play a song on the radio and your voice is gone, say ‘No, let’s go do it. It’ll be something different’.
I’ll lower my voice an octave and the version will be different. They’re circumstances that might unlock something new,’ he added. (Agencies)
