68 Comments

Brilliant! Spot on. Keep it up-I think you have a future!

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Silence is a treasure, a misunderstood gem in this sound-crazed world.

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"Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence"

Sound of Silance, Simon and Garfunkel

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Sung to the tune of the other Oscar Meyer jingle:

My fav writer has a first name

It Ga-rri-son,

My fav writer has a second name

It’s Kei-ll-or,

I read or listen everyday

And if you ask my why I’ll say,

‘Cause Garrison Keillor has a way with b-o-l-o-g-n-a.

Affectionately yours, JJ

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when I read the article I came across Krameczuk's and googled, it, still there. When I saw the guy playin the piano photo I clicked and expected to hear Chopin. Nope.

I liked your column. Next time I read it Ill google Chopin. At least give me the (Kerkel?) of your fav if you dont link it

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I have my classical music station on 24/7 and wake up with a song in my head every morning...this morning it was "Born to Be Blue" !

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Yes. I, too, have noticed I prefer silence. When doing jigsaw puzzles in these January blizzardy days, I used to have music playing but now have found silence is best. I discovered it’s another form of meditation and being in the moment. So true, Garrison.

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Autumn, 1996:

My housemate arrived home, and saw me joyfully painting our interior walls in heavenly silence.

He was bewildered that I wasn't playing music. I recall telling him what I think about, and that it's the same zen-like feeling when I walk my dog.

He proceeded to fill the 5-cd player with my favorites; when he left, I turned it off.

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founding

With all due respect to your significant other and Kramarczuk's brats - I mean they are all that, but nothing is better than a Chopin etude.

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Just lovely. I have a practice of silence, too.

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Awesome. "..her laughter is priceless to me, better than a Chopin étude."

We are blessed to read you sir, you are a wonder.

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Sausage and etudes are not comparable, bless your heart. The etude stays with you longer. The "Tristesse" of Chopin's is always in my head.

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founding

This column makes me understand why people like to be left alone first thing in the morning -- while their dreams evaporate and inspiration, or at least plans for the day, come in.

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So that explains it! We used to have the radio on pretty often, but when my father-in-law moved in, he made it pretty clear that background music drives him nuts, so now we live in a silent house. I've learned to appreciate the peace and quiet, but I listen to the radio when I'm by myself in the car because rock music is very good at covering up my tinnitus. I'm pretty much used to the constant ringing by now, but it's nice to get a break from it once in a while. The tinnitus apparently causes earworms (the phenomenon of music playing in one's head) - my doctor's explained that it's my brain's attempt to make sense of the tinnitus. It's pretty constant, too, but I can usually convince my brain to at least change the sound track by thinking about a song that I *do* like. Actually listening to a different song doesn't seem to help, it has to be all in my head, so to speak.

Wow. I never thought of the old Oscar Meyer jingle as an ode to cannibalism before, but now that you've mentioned it....

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I used to associate waking up with music playing in my mind with a form of happiness. Now I realize it's standing in from of amps in my teens.

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It can still be a form of happiness - make lemonade! 😊

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I wake up at 6:00 AM Sunday Mornings to "WithHeart and Voice", sacred choral and organ music. If I have to use an alarm (not very often), the clock radio is tuned to Maine Classical.

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Jeannine, I have to thank you again. When I stay up too late reading in bed I sometimes start hearing random voices, and thanks to you I now know that it's because of my tinnitus. A quick Google search revealed that "auditory verbal hallucinations are more common than musical ones" in people who have tinnitus. I have questioned my sanity only briefly, preferring to interpret the voices as my body's way of telling me to get some sleep. It's nice to know for sure, though, now that I've seen it on the Internet. :-)

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You are very welcome! I wrote a Substack post on tinnitus and earworms back in 2022 that explains the phenomena (https://jeannine85f.substack.com/p/my-own-private-radio-station). I think it's pretty neat how our brains work to understand unusual input.

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I love that post! Are your earworms sounds that you hear, or just "in your head"? The voices I mentioned that I hear when my tinnitus is louder than usual and I should be sleeping sound real. They are random voices saying brief things that don't relate to anything, almost like catching a second here and there of a radio talk show. I also get earworms, but those are just songs that get stuck in my head, not my ears. Lately my tinnitus has been pretty quiet, with no voices!

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As above, I usually have classical music on, guess it does help cover up my tinnitus. Intereatingly, I reasonably got pitch discrimination (not perfect) and my tinnitus doesn't affect my singing.

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Luckily for me, I'm not a musician, or I think the tinnitus and earworms would become a major detriment. As it is, they are usually just a minor annoyance. In the Substack post I mentioned to Dana, I quoted one poor man who was so upset by his own tinnitus that he spent $70,000 trying to get rid of it. As far as I know, there is no cure. I do love when the cicadas come out in the summer, they synchronize perfectly to mask the ringing in my head.

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My tinnitus also resembles the sound of the 17- year cicadas.

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Silence is wonderful to me, too, Garrison. I love your ode to it.

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The creative silence of morning is sacred, as was the joyous song of GK’s show last night at the Ryman. We’re so impressed by the stamina of an 81-year-old who can keep us up past our bedtime with a nearly 3-hour show. And he led us in song right through the intermission. The meanderingly silly Lake Wobegon monolog concluded with a heartfelt thanks to “friends, not fans”… a joyful night out, “miserable” wooden pews notwithstanding. Thank you, GK.

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I loved the whole show, especially the audience singing "It Is Well With My Soul," which I thought appropriate for an old gospel tabernacle. That crowd knew all the words. And the wooden pews makes the place so reverberant. It was odd that I forgot to put in my hearing aids and did the show without them and for some reason Heather and I sounded even better singing together. I hit some high notes I didn't know I had.

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The music of the spheres come together in harmonies disparate and beautiful; accept that as a gift and don't ask from where it comes. The correct response can only be appreciation. Thank you for this dish, Garrison.

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Beware the Madelines, they are nowhere near our just desserts for all you have done.

Homemade is the question and my sweetest's sweet rolls are the most heavenly answer on this earth; If joy is to come, it won't be from a bratwurst.

Ever wonder why the brat has double meaning? One in the brat holder and one that can't br held at all.

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