by Ron Ruhle

Created on: February 25, 2010   Last Updated: February 26, 2010

One of the most surprising facts about Ludwig van Beethoven is that he was deaf.

Whether you are into classical music or not, you have to acknowledge the fact that Old Ludwig was a class act.  Now what has this got to do with being too old and being timeless when it comes to music, I shall try to explain.

Some time ago now about 1984 I was talking to the landlord of my local public house.  We were discussing the relative merits of retirement.  I commented on the fact that I had just had lunch with and old friend of mine that happened to be married to a Bee Gee.  He commented at the time “Is he still going?  If that was me, I would have retired on my millions by now”.  To do what? I thought to myself.  If one has a gift why should one stop giving to the people. As long as the people still want to buy or listen, there is absolutely no point in stopping.

How strange a world would be to only have “the latest sounds”, to be listening to.  Much as we all love to discover new talent, it surely would be folly to toss them to one side after a certain age.

The “early” Rolling Stones’ music was built on the blues and later country blues, what a loss to the world it would have been had we tossed away the music of  Muddy Waters or Leadbelly because they were “Too Old”.

I always find it a little odd that there are folks that want musicians to retire. Would you ask your fat plumber who is 63 years old to retire as your house is filling up with water.  No, you would not, as long as he can fix your water problem you would not care if he or she was 100 years old. 

For some reason we think that music is a young persons' game and anyone over say 30 is only doing it for the money.  Even if that were true, so what.  As I have said earlier as long as the people want to listen or buy what is wrong in that.

Dignity. I like Seasick Steve and he is very dignified so age does not mean you lose your dignity.  OK some may hate Jagger  strutting his stuff at 65, but can’t find any book anywhere that says 60s plus people cannot strut. . If Hendrix was still alive he may well have been playing to a packed Albert Hall with grannies knitting ear muffs, so what. Bring it on, so the youngsters can then take what he was doing and perhaps take things further, although since Jimi there has only ever been a couple of guitarists that have come close to ripping it.

Getting back to my man Ludwig here are some extracts from two letters, dated 1801, in which Beethoven revealed to his friends his increasing deafness he wrote "... Know that my noblest faculty, my hearing, has greatly deteriorated..." further he wrote "... Of course, I am resolved to rise above every obstacle, but how will it be possible? ..." and finally "... I beg of you to keep the matter of my deafness a profound secret to be confided to nobody, no matter whom.."

We all know love is blind, but did you know that love is also deaf.

I’m voting for the timeless..

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