Legendary Chiptune composer cites crippling tinnitus as inspiration

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Famed chiptune composer Joel Grady has revealed that all of his award-winning soundtracks were directly inspired by his debilitating tinnitus, which causes him to hear a constant, high-pitched ringing in his ears.

“I don’t know how much longer I can live like this,” Grady said. “I never wanted to do music. I wasn’t a gamer growing up. Hell, I didn’t even know “chiptune” existed until I was thirty and the ringing started. I was complaining about it to my friend who was working on an indie game, and he told me that the obnoxious sounds I was hearing were exactly what they were looking for. I honestly don’t know why anyone would choose to listen to this. I have a stable job now, I suppose, but I prefer to have peace.

Grady’s wife, Melissa, said his condition and resulting career ruined their relationship.

“He’s just not the man I married anymore,” Melissa said. “We talked and laughed all day. Now he can barely hold a conversation. Not only does he not hear what I say, but half the time “inspiration” hits him mid-sentence. He will run away to write a new song. I felt bad for him when the tinnitus started because he couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. Now it affects both of us because he wakes me up when he gets out of bed in the middle of the night to compose. It doesn’t help that he’s audibly crying through it all.

Birdfeeder, an independent studio specializing in roguelikes and 2D platform games, reported on a meeting they had with the famous composer.

“We almost recruited him for a project we’re working on,” said Neil McMillan, lead developer at Birdfeeder. “He actually met us at our office, which seemed really cool at the time. We couldn’t believe we had a chance to hire him, but it fell apart pretty quickly. Once we told him that the game’s protagonist was an ordinary guy who fell under a terrible curse that is also the source of his powers, he started crying uncontrollably. We had a mic in the room and got a few decent samples out of it, but it didn’t stay and won’t answer our calls anymore. It is shameful.”

At press time, Grady reportedly spoke at a video game convention, begging his fans to explain why they found his music appealing.