brywool wrote:Yup, Paul's right about the stage. Perry alluded to this as well (paraphrasing) "While onstage, people and the show bring things out of you that you cannot reproduce without them". Totally true. And Paul says you end up doing things you shouldn't, again, right on the money, especially if you have a show the next day.
It IS very strange that SO many singers this year alone have gone under the vocal knife. It could be that because these operations are more successful these days, people feel more free to talk about it. Used to be that if you had the operation, you were probably done. No performer wants to send the signal "hey, I'm done now". Singing is not nearly as easy as people try and make you think. LOTS of discipline. Lots of saying NO to things. Lots of patience from your band members and friends is needed.
I remember when Rod Stewart was married to that model a few years ago. Much younger than him. Rod was always concerned about his voice, so he'd stay out of smokey places and basically take care of himself healthwise. The chick he was with, I remember when they separated, she whined about that. It can be hard on people around you.
Speaking of this, how's Jeremey doin????
Thanks for asking Bry!
My theory on why more singers are undergoing vocal surgery these days is that it's true, the surgery has become much more advanced and routine in the past 5 years or so. The success rate is extremely high, and it's not a very major operation...It takes about 20 minutes. In the past if singers had been developing problems, it's very possible that they would have looked to other alternatives or foregone surgery altogether. Now it's pretty routine and there's a very low risk versus reward ratio to just having it done and being able to sing better.
Another reason, I feel, is that there's a lot more pressure on singers to perform and more demanding media outlets these days than in the past. Tours seem to be shorter and with more dates packed together, leaving less recovery time. This is why there's been a rash of people getting surgery in the mid fall, as they are coming off of tours and needing to get repair done. Also, with Twitter and internet media being what it is, there's just more reporting of this sort of surgery these days. Lots of big name performers have had this surgery, but I don't necessarily remember press reports and Twitter statements being made about it when they have. Now it's a major news story and with fans so plugged into everything, it's much more in the public eye.
Incidentally, Rod Stewart has had this surgery done as well, despite his concerns about his voice. In fact, he was sued for millions of dollars over a deposit that wasn't refunded when he wasn't able to perform because his recovery took longer than expected.
As for me, I've just postponed my return date on Feb 11th due to a complication I've had from a persistent, dry cough. The cough is a side effect of an unrelated prescription that I just started taking in the past 3 weeks. As a result, my vocal cords are still inflamed and as of yesterday I've been advised to continue voice rest for another week or two, save my daily therapy routine. It's a real kick in the nuts, actually. My recovery team felt that there was still a chance to recuperate by the 2/11 date, but from a stress standpoint, I couldn't continue freaking out about it and we all thought it was best to reschedule the date. Our first date back is now 2/24, a single show at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach, FL. Aside from the complications caused by this cough, my recovery is going great, and I'm making daily progress with all of my therapy. It's just tough to have to lay low for another couple weeks when things were going so well.