Blogs and Stories
How I Found My Voice
Nick told me that not only was it something he didn’t love me in spite of, but, matter of fact, because of.
Long pause, I straightened up. Composure? Almost. Still crying, he reached for me and held me. He told me he thought it was “charming.”
Charming?????? That was completely alien a thought to me. But acceptance was the key. I had spent 10 years trying urgently to hide it. Now, it was sexy. How do you like that? He loved away my stutter. Most of it anyway, the part that was most awful. All of a sudden, I was exotic, different in a positive way. I was eccentric, artistic.
As an adult, I have heard people affecting a stammer or a stutter. The Brits consider it a “class thing.” I guess if you wait long enough your handicap might come into vogue.
Now, when I’m tired, or certainly when I’m nervous, or sometime for no apparent reason, “it” resumes its old force. I forget then the time when it was so “charming.”
I still can’t read aloud. Having to read something verbatim, such as lines in a script, would still likely jeopardize the scene and cause me to flush. But mostly my stutter can be worked around. I made up stories for my children in the dark. They loved them. They were made of words I could say at that particular time. In my own time and the words I could make a decision about substituting or not. My reading was still, and as I said, is still halting and unconvincing. Also, I learned that singing was a big, big, big relief. So, after many years, it was becoming more and more clear:
I would be a singer.
The American Institute for Stuttering gala will be held on Monday, June 8. For more information, visit their website.
Carly Simon is a Grammy- and Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter, whose most recently CD is This Kind of Love. She will be featured on the CD Listen: Songs Written by Children Who Stutter to be released on June 23.
Edwards Sex Tape Details
Investigative journalist and syndicated columnist Diane Dimond has covered the Michael Jackson story since 1993 when she first broke the news that the King of Pop was under investigation for child molestation. She is author of the book, Be Careful Who You Love—Inside the Michael Jackson Case. She lives in New York with her husband, broadcast journalist Michael Schoen.
The 800 Dangerous Airbus Planes in the Sky
Clive Irving is senior consulting editor at Conde Nast Traveler, specializing in aviation—find his blog, Clive Alive, at CliveAlive.Truth.Travel.
queensplate
what a delightful lyrical anecdote......more.....please
jeffzekas
Hi Carly, disabilities... interesting... although I always thought that your "disability" was coming from a wealthy family, and never knowing true hardship.
shelobster
Thank you for sharing your story in such a beautiful way and thank goodness for Nick.
UNITANNEWS
Great story and am glad she found her voice so that the whole world could hear her.
raptor
Yes, and a wonderful singer you are. You're not a too bad a writer either.
keepakeeper43
Carly Simon.
So many wonderful songs.
Thank You!
(Who WAS so vain?! - James Taylor, Warren Beatty, or Mick Jagger?)
alloypony
What a delightful education , youth , exuberance for life ! Thanks to you many good and warm memories have new days to live! COOL BEANS to be alive at this time . Love You !
gerald532009
Lovely, Carly! I love your writing. This very important stuff. Thank you for caring enough to share with us!
AliceJ
Beautifully written, and one of the things I've always loved about your singing is that I can understand all of the words. Your enunication is excellent!
aquatwin
what she said
rbotik
Wonderful story and reminder we are all a little broken but still have a song to sing. Love your work.
sailmd
Just an incredible story. Particularly when you consider that she's one of the few who has weathered the music industry for 30 years and her songs are still timeless favorites. Really a "WOW" person, who was already a WOW anyway!
b4insf
What a gift for us fans! You paint pictures with your words.
Ever thought about writing a book?--novel? autobiography?
navintos
Carly Simon, you truly come a long way. Your songs are of true comfort and it makes you feel at ease. Beautiful essay of words that speak about something so real. Your words are true and special, but your encouragement is even stronger and fullfilling. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful essay. I pray to God that you become stronger each day and that you soon feel better. God bless you Carly Simon. GBY and your family. ;) Liz Aviles
aquatwin
love you Carly, please write more.
xoxo
aquatwin
n
Genni2002
You seem to have triumphed over your handicap, in spades!!! Thank you, so much, for sharing your story with everyone and in such a fun and exciting way.
aquatwin
I think you are amazing ,beautiful and talented .
I can't go a day without listening to your music.
I really hope you write an autobiography someday Carly.
xoxo,
Nick
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.