Brian Johnson Gives The Word On His Hearing Loss

AC/DC front man Brian Johnson said he is optimistic that current treatment for his crippling hearing loss will allow him to return to music. Johnson recently met with in-ear technology specialist Stephen Ambrose in an attempt to stem further hearing loss. Ambrose invited Johnson to meet through YouTube after the singer revealed further involvement with live music could leave him with “total hearing loss”.

“It works,” Johnson said of Ambrose’s in-ear technology via authorized statement. “It just totally works and you can’t argue with that. I was really moved and amazed to be able to hear music again like I haven’t heard for several years now. I can’t wait for it to be miniaturized so I can use it in every situation from normal communication, going out to noisy restaurants, [and] performing live music onstage.”

Stephen Ambrose, Johnson’s potential savior, developed the world’s first wireless in-ear hearing technology in 1965. In the years since, he has developed and refined this technology into what is now known as the Ambrose Diaphonic Ear Lens, which functions as a second eardrum. ADEL is the specific technology Johnson is employing to stave off further hearing loss.

Hearing issues compelled Johnson to leave AC/DC’s Rock or Bust tour in April, with Guns n’ Roses singer Axl Rose stepping in as his replacement. Johnson’s departure forced his band to postpone 10 tour dates. Following this action, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member seemed resigned to a future without music.

“Our fans deserve my performance to be at the highest level, and if for any reason I can’t deliver that level of performance I will not disappoint our fans or embarrass the other members of AC/DC,” he said in a statement made in April. “I am not a quitter and I like to finish what I start, nevertheless, the doctors made it clear to me and my bandmates that I had no choice but to stop performing on stage for the remaining shows and possibly beyond.”

Johnson joined AC/DC in 1980, and had continuously led the band until his April departure. He has released 12 studio albums with AC/DC, most recently releasing the LP Rock or Bust through Columbia Records in 2014.