BleedGopher
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per City Pages:
You might expect the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Utecht to have a voice to match his meaty stature. He looks like he could conjure a baritone deep enough to rumble the plates in the china cabinet. But his voice comes out in big, earnest peals. It’s churchy but instantly engrossing — powerful, though not strong enough to protect it from the damage of a lifetime of helmet-to-helmet contact.
In 2011, Utecht was invited on a 32-show tour with adult contemporary pianist Jim Brickman. At the time, he was having difficulty retaining new information. During the shows, he played with a lyric sheet taped to the floor.
“Remembering songs that I’d sing over and over again was difficult,” Utecht says. “That’s where my fear comes from. The reality that we’re seeing in NFL veterans is where my fear comes from.”
As Utecht’s anxieties about his memory mounted, he penned a somber ballad apologizing for the grim day he foresaw: when he could no longer remember the names of his wife and four daughters. The first line of “You’ll Always Be My Girls” became the title of his memoir, Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away, released in August.
http://www.citypages.com/music/how-...-ben-utechts-football-ravaged-brain/407646765
Go Gophers!!
You might expect the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Utecht to have a voice to match his meaty stature. He looks like he could conjure a baritone deep enough to rumble the plates in the china cabinet. But his voice comes out in big, earnest peals. It’s churchy but instantly engrossing — powerful, though not strong enough to protect it from the damage of a lifetime of helmet-to-helmet contact.
In 2011, Utecht was invited on a 32-show tour with adult contemporary pianist Jim Brickman. At the time, he was having difficulty retaining new information. During the shows, he played with a lyric sheet taped to the floor.
“Remembering songs that I’d sing over and over again was difficult,” Utecht says. “That’s where my fear comes from. The reality that we’re seeing in NFL veterans is where my fear comes from.”
As Utecht’s anxieties about his memory mounted, he penned a somber ballad apologizing for the grim day he foresaw: when he could no longer remember the names of his wife and four daughters. The first line of “You’ll Always Be My Girls” became the title of his memoir, Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away, released in August.
http://www.citypages.com/music/how-...-ben-utechts-football-ravaged-brain/407646765
Go Gophers!!