HERE'S A LETTER JASON'S MOM WROTE INTO A MAGAZINE
CALLED HiP ABOUT HEARING, AND JASON

Dear HiP,
My name is Jo Newsted. My son Jason Newsted plays bass guitar and sings with the rock band Metallica. I'd like to tell you about him.
Jason is 35 years old and lives in the San Francisco, California area. He has been with Metallica for 12 years. All the band members get along very well. When the band performs during a tour, they exchange instruments on stage during the last show. It's fun to watch, and the crowd loves it.
Jason does not have a hearing loss like Lars Ulrich. Jason gets his hearing tested Each year. He wears special musicians' earplugs to protect his hearing. Your hearing can be damaged by being around loud sounds over a long period of time. All of the Metallic band members and many of the Metallica crew wear earplug protection. (There are over 70 crew members.)
Music has always been in our home. We listened to music on the radio, on records and tapes and from the player piano. As a family, we didn't attend rock concerts. We did see many musicals that were playing in our local theater. Jason started to attend rock concerts in middle school. He played the saxophone in the middle school band. He got his first guitar at 13 and had one guitar lesson when he was 16.
As a little guy, Jason was a charmer. He was good with adults. We always said he would be a diplomat. Perhaps being so close to his grandparents taught him to respect his elders. He is definitely a "people person." He always greets fans backstage or signs autographs after performances. "The fans are here for me, and I am here for them," he says.
Besides playing guitar and singing, Jason writes songs. His home studio is called the Chophouse. He will always be in the music field in some way.
I attend Metallica concerts when they are nearby. From time to time, I travel to there places for special events. One time we attended the Freddie Mercury AIDS benefit concert at Wimbledon in London. Metallica was the first act to perform. where were over 70,000 people in the audience. We sat in a special place for the entertainers. We were with Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Lisa Minelli, Annie Lennox and George Michael to name a few!
If you attend concerts or any event where the sound levels are high, be sensible. Take along earplugs and make sure you wear them!
Sincerely,
Jo Newsted

A note from HiP : Jo Newsted is the assistant vice president at the Hearing Aid Center (HAC) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. When Jo says people should protect their hearing from loud sounds, she should know!