Feature

The voices in Mike Oldfield’s head

Mike Oldfield, whose album <em>Tubular Bells </em>became a hit when it was featured in <em>The Exorcist, </em>is convinced he inherited a touch of madness from his mother.

Mike Oldfield is a painfully sensitive man, says Ben Mitchell in Q. Best known for the hit 1973 album Tubular Bells, the English musician says he’s so attuned to the pain in the world that he can sense impending disasters. “It’s not like a premonition. I just feel physically ill and very uncomfortable. I’ll feel like that, turn on CNN, and think, okay, what went wrong?” Oldfield is convinced he inherited a touch of madness from his mother, who spent time in a mental ward. A bad 1970 acid trip didn’t help. “It freaked me out, all the things I saw.” He was still suffering flashbacks when he wrote Tubular Bells, which became a megahit when it was featured, appropriately enough, in The Exorcist. “I felt possessed by some sort of evil spirit when I was writing it. As if something had invaded me spiritually and made me afraid and uncomfortable. I was at the verge of insanity.” Then, in 1978, Oldfield underwent a form of est-like therapy in which he relived the agony of emerging from the womb. “It’s like having a heart transplant, all your teeth taken out, and both legs amputated. It was tough, but it needed to be. It stopped me being afraid of life.” Today, at 56, Oldfield has become a virtual recluse, ignoring even his own children—nine, from three different women. “I’ve always been very mistrustful of people. I don’t have any friends. Complete and utter silence is my favorite music.”

Recommended

U.S. strikes Iranian targets in Syria after drone attack kills U.S. contractor
U.S. forces in Hasaka, Syria
Flare Up

U.S. strikes Iranian targets in Syria after drone attack kills U.S. contractor

Why are U.S. troops still in Somalia?
An illustrated collage of U.S. troops, Somalia&#039;s outline, and palm trees
In depth

Why are U.S. troops still in Somalia?

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sentenced to 2 years over Modi quip
Rahul Gandhi
Modi operandi

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sentenced to 2 years over Modi quip

In rural Madagascar, a clean water tap empowers woman to follow her dream
Honorine at her restaurant.
life changing

In rural Madagascar, a clean water tap empowers woman to follow her dream

Most Popular

DeSantis' no good, very bad week
Ron DeSantis at a podium
Behind the scenes

DeSantis' no good, very bad week

Essential molecules for life may have been 'delivered' to Earth from space
Asteroid Ryugu.
alien invasion

Essential molecules for life may have been 'delivered' to Earth from space

U.S. housing prices fall for 1st time in 11 years
Home prices fall as sales rise
Mixed Messages

U.S. housing prices fall for 1st time in 11 years