Daily Express - 02.09.2019

22 Daily Express Monday, September 2, 2019

DX1ST

H

E HAS spent four dec-

ades belting out The

Jam’s legendary hits

Going Underground, A

Town Called Malice

and Down In The Tube

Station At Midnight.

And now, rock star Bruce

Foxton has tinnitus and is forced

to wear a hearing aid.

The bass guitarist, 63, has

never spoken about the chronic

condition, which causes a con-

stant ringing in the ears and can

lead to irreversible hearing loss.

Other famous musicians who

suffer from tinnitus include Noel

Gallagher, Pete Townsend, Chris

Martin and Will.i.am and it is

estimated to affect one Briton in

every ten.

For Bruce, it has become

worse since 1982 when leader

Paul Weller disbanded The Jam

after five years of hits.

They were at the height of

their success, having released 18

singles and seven albums (all

made the top 40), making them

one of the biggest bands in

the UK.

But their incendiary live per-

formances have taken their toll

on Bruce, who co-wrote some of

their most famous songs.

Along with drummer Rick

Buckler, he was the driving

force behind singer,

guitarist and main song-

writer Paul Weller.

He admits: “I’ve had tinnitus

for years now and I have actu-

ally succumbed to wearing a

hearing aid occasionally.

“The Jam were a

three-piece and we

needed to play at full

volume to sound as

loud as we could. But

do that for 40 years and your

hearing is bound to deteriorate.

“I am not completely deaf but

I do suffer from high-frequency

hearing loss.

“This is a result of performing

at so many live concerts and

years of standing next to loud-

speakers on the stage.

“It means that I struggle to

hear the treble and higher-

pitched sounds.

“But wearing a hearing aid

has made a massive difference

and it’s been customised to pro-

vide amplification for only the

sounds that I am missing.

“I am wearing it more and

more.

“If I go to a pub or restaurant

and I don’t have it in everything

becomes a mush.

“It’s embarrassing because I’ll

be trying to have a conversation

and if it’s that loud there are

only so many times I can say,

‘Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What

did you say?’ After about the

fourth time of ask-

ing, I get too

embarrassed to

ask again so

I become

a bit of an introvert and I

don’t join in with the con-

versation because I might

not understand what the

person is saying back.

“But having the hear-

ing aid is great, although

it will never be as good

as my original hearing.

“I guess it’s just unfor-

tunate and it’s what hap-

pens to musicians like me

that play in loud bands

for 40 years.”

Bruce also recently under-

went a successful cataract

operation.

“I had my right eye done

a while ago and I had my

left eye done in June.

“It was painless

because I was knocked

out and I had a general

anaesthetic. I couldn’t

face a local.

“Before the op, I

couldn’t see the audi-

ence so I didn’t get so

nervous but now I can see

the whites of their eyes

and it’s totally different.”

After The Jam split up,

Bruce went on to play bass in

Stiff Little Fingers.

In 2006, he formed tribute

band From The Jam.

For the past decade, he has

continued to play the iconic

band’s hits.

But the break-up is etched

on his mind and it came as a

huge shock.

The group played their last gig

in Brighton on December 11,

1982, and Bruce says it felt like

his world had fallen apart.

He says: “When the band

broke up, it was worse than spli-

tting up with your girlfriend. It

MY HEARING

IS TOAST

AFTER YEARS

IN THE JAM

IVF and the baby is due

in March.

Ola, who quit Strictly

in 2015, said: “When we

had the [12-week] scan it

was funny because the

baby was dancing.

“I’m not sure if it was a

cha-cha or a jive, but it

was definitely dancing.”

James, who won

Dancing On Ice earlier

this year, added: “Finding

out that we are pregnant

is no doubt our biggest

achievement. When the

doctor explained the only

route for us would be

IVF, it was tough to

process. It’s not

something any couple

ever thinks will happen.

“I’m so glad I get to see

Ola become a mum

because it’s all she’s ever

really wanted.”

●The full interview is in

Hello! magazine.

My unborn

baby is a

fab dancer,

reveals Ola

FORMER Strictly Come
Dancing stars Ola Jordan
and husband James have
revealed they are
expecting their first
child – and it appears to
be dancing already.
Ola, 36, and 41-year-
old James, who married
in 2003, said the
pregnancy is the result
of IVF and their “biggest
achievement”.
She told Hello!
magazine: “I still can’t
quite believe it... I really
don’t think it’s properly
sunk in.”
She became pregnant
on the first round of

Delighted

Ola and

James say

their IVF

baby is due

in March

By Sherna Noah

By Olivia Buxton

Bass player Bruce Foxton on going deaf,

mending his rift with Paul Weller and

the joy of becoming ‘Grandad Rock’

BAD RAP:

Music

producer

Will.i.am

also has

tinnitus

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