Safely Grazing Again

You make it sound like having dystonia was a positive thing.

This may sound Pollyannaish, but if I were to live my life over again, I'm not so sure I would change anything. That says a hell of a lot. But what I discovered about music and about musicians and feelings has been such an eye-opener. When you're on a blinded course as a two-handed piano player, just going in the one direction: you play your concerts; you play with orchestras; you make your records. That's it until you have a heart attack on stage and die. This has been such a growth experience for me.

What remedies did you try over the course of your 35 years?

I tried L-dopa [a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease], I tried aromatherapy, I tried acupuncture. I had help from a physical therapy called Rolfing. That helped deal with a contracted state of muscles. They can stretch out, over a period of time, fibers of tissue in your muscle that have been contracted for years. That's very useful.

Is dystonia very painful?

No, it wasn't. That's what's so damnable about it. For some people it is painful, but for many people it is not painful.