Japan's 'Beethoven': I'm Still Kinda Deaf

Samuragochi says he'll never appear on TV again
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 7, 2014 8:23 AM CST
Japan's 'Beethoven': I'm Still Kinda Deaf
Mamoru Samuragochi speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, March 7, 2014.   (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Mamoru Samuragochi, the acclaimed deaf Japanese composer who was outed by his ghostwriter as neither deaf nor a composer, held a contrite press conference today that he promised would be his last. "I will speak the truth. I will make this my last appearance on TV," the 50-year-old said. He was shorn of his usual beard and long hair, in what the AP sees as a possible sign of remorse. "I have caused a great deal of trouble with my lies for everyone."

But Samuragochi said it wasn't precisely true that he'd pretended to be deaf. Yes, tests have shown he isn't legally deaf, and he has turned in his disability certificate, NBC News and Reuters report. But he said that his hearing had just begun to return over the past three years, and that he still had trouble. "I can hear sounds, but the sounds are twisted. Hearing conversations is extremely difficult." The scandal has not been all bad for Samuragochi—sales of the CDs credited to him have shot up since the news broke. (More Mamoru Samuragochi stories.)

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