11/01/2026
This is an open letter to John Mellencamp in response to his recent People interview:
John, I grew up with your music. “Jack & Diane” captures that rush of young love and the ache of growing up; “Small Town” makes belonging somewhere feel like something to sing at the top of your lungs. I love the way you put ordinary people at the center of a rock anthem. You’re one of my rock heroes, which is why reading about the sounds and conversations you’re missing hit me so hard.
You’ve built a career creating extraordinary music and taking it around the world. I’ve built mine caring for the ears of the musicians we all love. Artists travel from around the world to see me in Atlanta at Peachtree Hearing for tinnitus and hearing care. We’ve had great success helping musicians find relief and reconnect with the sounds that matter to them. This is my life’s work.
That’s why your grandmother’s advice struck such a nerve. For those of us who grew up with your music, she belongs roughly to our great-grandparents’ generation. I respect your love for her, but hearing technology has advanced enormously since then. Her experience with hearing aids decades ago should not decide what is possible for you today.
And if hearing aids help so much that you don’t want to live without them, why should that frighten you away? Being able to hear the people you love is something worth holding on to.
John, your words carry enormous weight. When someone with your influence reinforces sweeping stigmas about hearing aids, a fan may decide to abandon care. That is dangerous. Untreated hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline. Decisions affecting someone’s hearing, brain health, and future deserve more than an outdated warning, even one passed down with love.
Tinnitus can be treated. Options include treatments like sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, hearing aids, tinnitus retraining therapy, and FDA-authorized Lenire Tinnitus Treatment Device (bimodal neuromodulation) for suitable patients. Being told to “just live with it” should not end the conversation. Telling someone nothing can or should be done can deepen their isolation and hopelessness. That is why I take the emotional toll seriously alongside the sound itself. People need care, support, and a reason to believe things can improve.
Helping a musical artist requires specialized expertise and a clinician who will truly listen. I want to understand what you’re missing, what frustrates you, and what you need from sound both on stage and at home. Understanding the needs of a musical artist matters when fitting technology and building a treatment plan. Whether you need hearing protection, tinnitus relief, or carefully fitted amplification, my job is to build care around you.
Your description of checking out from restaurant conversations stayed with me. You still have so much sound to enjoy in this life: a quiet joke over dinner, a loved one’s voice, the little details in a familiar song. Helping an artist reconnect with those moments is why I do this.
We have treated many of your friends at Peachtree Hearing. HIPAA and their trust mean their names stay private. But this invitation is personal and public: John, come see me. Let me customize a plan and show you what may be possible.
You’ve given me a lifetime of music I love. I’d love the opportunity to help you hear more of the beautiful life around you. Give me the chance to earn your trust and show you what specialized care can do. You sang it yourself: “Your life is now.”
Sincerely,
Melissa Wikoff, Au.D., CH-TM, DFAAA
John, I grew up with your music. “Jack & Diane” captures that rush of young love and the ache of growing up; “Small Town” makes belonging somewhere feel like something to sing at the top of your lungs. I love the way you put ordinary people at the center of a rock anthem. You’re one of my ...
