6
THE BACK OF THE GREAT SONGWRITER
– 2000 to 2002 –
2000
Mar 6 2000
US Award- ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel New York City NY
Paul Simon inducted The Moonglows, saying: "It was a time when music could be heard as a divine gift. And in a world where nothing is perfect, The Moonglows' Sincerely was perfect." Paul did not participate in the traditional closing jam session
May 1 2000
Europe CD - Paul Simon
GREATEST HITS - SHINING LIKE A NATIONAL
GUITAR
Warner Brothers 9362 47721-2
1. Graceland
2. You Can Call Me Al
3. Mother And Child Reunion
4. The Cool Cool River
5. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
6. The Obvious Child
7. The Boy In The Bubble
8. Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War
9. Late In The Evening
10. Bernadette
11. Slip Slidin' Away
12. Take Me To The Mardi Gras
13. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
14. Still Crazy After All These Years
15. Kodachrome
16. Loves Me Like A Rock
17. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
18. Hearts And Bones
19. Trailways Bus
Remastered versions of all songs.This album has not been released in US
May 6 2000
US APPEARANCE – Paul Simon
The New Yorker Festival
Perfomance: Darling Lorraine
Paul Simon interview at the Festival, including a performance of a new song. Paul sings with a pre-recorded musical track
July 2000
R.I.I.A. in US gives Diamond Certified to Simon&Garfunkel Greatest Hits record after reaching 10.000.000 copies sold
Sep 4 to 9 2000
ENGLAND THEATRE - THE CAPEMAN
Contact Theatre, Oxford Road Manchester
Staged by The Manchester Youth Theatre
Sep 14 2000
US CONCERT - DEMOCRATIC PARTY FUNDRAISER
Radio City Music Hall, New York City NY
Paul Simon:
· Graceland
· Late In The Evening
· Bridge Over Troubled Water
·
Teach Your Children
(with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Darlene Love, kd lang, Lenny Kravitz, Eagles,
Sheryl Crow, Jon Bon Jovi)
Backed by Paul Shaffer and the Late Show Band.
Sep 20 2000
US CONCERT - Jose Feliciano, Carnegie Hall, New York City NY
· +Homeward Bound (Jose Feliciano with Paul Simon)
· +The Boxer (Jose Feliciano with Paul Simon)
· +Late In The Evening (Jose Feliciano with Paul Simon)
· +Happy Birthday (Paul Simon)
Paul Simon joins Jose Feliciano for three songs and then comes out at the end of the show to celebrate Jose's September 10th birthday
Sept 22 2000
WEB SITE – www.paulsimon.com
The official Paul Simon web site is launched
Oct 1 2000
US NEWSPAPER - Showtime interview, New York City NY
Cover photo captioned "Simon Says - Interview with a pop legend" and inside article "And here's to you Mr. Simon"
Oct 3 2000
US CD – Paul Simon
YOU´RE THE ONE
Warner Bros 9362 – 47844-2
1. That’s Where I Belong
Paul Simon: Electric Guitar;Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Alain Mallet: Wurlitzer Piano; Evan Ziporyn: Bass Clarinet; Steve Gorn: Bamboo Flute; Jay Elfenbein: Vielle & Vihuela
2. Darling Lorraine
Paul Simon: Electric Guitar; Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar; Mark Stewart: Cello and Electric Guitar; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Jay Elfenbein: Vihuela; Clifford Carter: Celeste
3. Old
Paul Simon: Electric Guitar; Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion
4. You’re The One
Paul Simon: Electric Guitar; Vincent Nguini: Electric
Guitar; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion;
Steve Shehan: Percussion; Alain Mallet: Pump Reed Organ; Peter Herbert: Upright
Bass
5. The Teacher
Larry Campbell: Pedal Steel Guitar; Abraham Laboriel: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Evan Ziporyn: Bass Clarinet; Steve Gorn: Bamboo Flute; Howard Levy: Harmonica
6. Look At That
Paul Simon: Electric Guitar; Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar; Abraham Laboriel: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Larry Campbell: Pedal Steel Guitar; Steve Gorn: Bamboo Flute; Clifford Carter: Celeste
7. Señorita With A Necklace Of Tears
Paul Simon: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar; Mark Stewart: Dobro, Sitar Guitar; Alain Mallet: Pump; Reed Organ; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Skip La Plante: 96-Tone Harp
8. Love
Paul Simon: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Sitar Guitar; Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Steve Gorn: Bamboo Flute
9. Pigs, Sheep & Wolves
Mark Stewart: Pedal Steel Gong; Steve Gadd: Drums;
Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Vincent Nguini: Electric
Guitar; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass
10. Hurricane Eye
Paul Simon: Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar; Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar; Mark Stewart: Banjo; Abraham Laboriel: Bass; Steve Gadd: Drums; Jamey Haddad: Percussion; Steve Shehan: Percussion; Dan Duggan: Hammer Dulcimer; Clifford Carter: Celeste and Keyboard Glockenspiel
11. Quiet
Alain Mallet: Pump Reed Organ; Jay Elfenbein: Vihuela; Skip La Plante: 96-Tone Harp, Whirly Pipe and Rubbed Steel Bowl; Peter Herbert: Upright Bass
All songs written by Paul Simon.
Produced by Paul Simon
Recorded and Mixed by Andy Smith
Recorded and Mixed at The Hit Factory, NYC
Second Engineers: Steve Schweidel, Claudius Mittendorfer, Rob Murphy
Mastered at Gateway Mastering by Bob Ludwig
Music Technician and Logistics: Jim Corona
Technical Support: Brent Spear, Nika Aldrich, Flip Scipio
Martech, Earthworks, Monster Cable
French Horns on ‘Darling Lorraine’ and ‘The Teacher’ arranged by Stanley
Silverman
Evan Ziporyn and Andy Snitzer played Tenor Saxophone on ‘Darling Lorraine’
and ‘You’re The One’ and Soprano Saxophone on ‘Old’
Steve Shehan appears courtesy of Safar Music Productions
Photography and Art Direction: Lynn Goldsmith
Design: Greg Foley
Oct 3 2000
US CD Single- Paul Simon
WBR PR 02201
OLD
1.Old
2. You´re The One
Oct 2000
US CD Single- Paul Simon
WBR
YUOU´RE THE ONE
Promo Sampler
Oct 2000
US CD-EP- Paul Simon
YOU'RE THE ONE EP
WB 100349
1. That's Where I Belong
2. Darling Lorraine
3. Old
4. You're the One
5. Pigs Sheeps and Wolves
6. Hurricane Eyeabe
Oct 2000
US CD- Paul Simon
YOU´RE THE ONE REMIX
Special remix to be aired by music radio stations
Oct 5 2000
US TV - Today Show (NBC Network)
1. Old
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water
3. Kodachrome
4. Graceland
Paul Simon was scheduled to play live two mornings in the NBC studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City NY. The first three songs were broadcast while the fourth was played for the people that came to watch the performance. In addtion to the songs, he was interviewed by Katie Couric. Kodachrome was played in a new arrangement
Oct 6 2000
US TV - Today Show (NBC Network)
1. +You're The One
2. +Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Paul Simon played live for the second of two mornings
Oct 8 2000
US CONCERT - ROCK AND RACE CANCER RESEARCH CHARITY SHOW- Paul Simon
The Mall, Washington DC
1. Graceland
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water
3. Old
4. Boy In The Bubble
5. The Boxer
6. Kodachrome
7. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
8. You're The One
9. Hurricane Eye
10. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
11. You Can Call Me Al
12. Late In The Evening
Paul Simon played for about an hour for a crowd of about 100,000
Oct 14 2000
US CD- Danny Paradise
RIVER OF THE SOUL
Mesa/Blue Moon BMG-91102
· Now that the Shamans Have Planes: harmony voices of both Paul Simon and Edie Brickell and Chris Botti on trumpet
Danny Paradise is an "Ashtanga Yoga" teacher and has Paul Simon, Sting and Madonna among his friends and students. This summer he has released a new album called "River of the Soul". This album features artists like Paul Simon, Sting, Edie Brickell, Chris Botti and Bakithi Kumalo. The style of the album sounds a bit like "Singer-Songwriter" inspired by Eastern / Himalayan /Indian cultural influences
Oct 2000
US TV- CNN TV and CNN.com- Paul Simon
Paul´s interview and perfomance of Old
Oct 2000
UK CD- Bootleg- Tom&Jerry-Jerry Landis-Artie Garr
TWO CAN DREAM ALONE
Burning Airlines 5038894001297 PILOT 60
1. Dream Alone,
2. Beat Love,
3. Beat Love (With Harmony),
4. I Love You (Oh Yes I Do),
5. Just A Boy,
6. Play Me A Sad Song,
7. It Means A Lot To Them,
8. Flame,
9. Shy,
10. A Soldier & A Song (Light Your Way),
11. The Lone Teen Ranger,
12. Hey Schoolgirl,
13. Our Song,
14. That's My Story,
15. Teenage Fool,
16. Tia-Juana Blues,
17. Dancin' Wild,
18. Don't Say Goodbye,
19. Two Teenagers,
20. True Or False, Simon Says
Oct 16 to Dec 9 2000
YOU'RE THE ONE WORLD TOUR- Paul Simon
16/10/00
Stockolm, Switzerland / Annex
17/10/00 Stockolm, Switzerland / Annex
19/10/00 Hambourg, Germany / Musikhalle Saal 1
20/10/00 Hambourg, Germany / Musikhalle Saal 1
23/10/00 London, UK / Apollo Hammersmith
24/10/00 London, UK / Apollo Hammersmith
25/10/00 London, UK / Apollo Hammersmith
28/10/00 Milan, Italy / Palavobis
30/10/00 Paris, France / Olympia
31/10/00 Paris, Franea / Olympia
10/11/00 Seattle, USA / Paramount
11/11/00 Seattle, USA / Paramount
13/11/00 Oakland, Calif. , USA / Paramount
14/11/00 Oakland, Calif. , USA / Paramount
20/11/00 Los Angeles , USA / Wiltern Theater
20/11/00 Denver , USA / Fillmore Theater
24/11/00 Chicago , USA / Auditorium Theater
25/11/00 Chicago , USA / Auditorium Theater
28/11/00
Toronto Canada/ Massey Hall
29/11/00 Toronto , Canada / Massey Hall
01/12/00 Boston , USA / Orpheum Theater
02/12/00 Boston , USA / Orpheum Theater
03/12/00 Boston , USA / Orpheum Theater
07/12/00 New York , USA / Beacon Theater
08/12/00 New York , USA / Beacon Theater
09/12/00 New York , USA / Beacon Theater
The Band: Mark Stewart - Guitar, Cello, Mandolin, Banjo, Others (Pedal Steel Guitar?); Vincent Nguini – Guitar; Bakhithi Khumalo - Bass Guitar; Tony Cedras - Keyboards, Accordion; Alain Mallet – Keyboards; Jay Ashby - Horns, Percussion; Andy Snitzer – Horns; Evan Ziproyn - Horns, Flute; Steve Gadd – Drums; Steve Shehan – Percussion; Jamey Haddad – Percussion
Oct 23 in London duet with Martin Carthy: Scarborough Fair
Setlist Patterns:
Hamburg, Germany- October 20, 2000
1. That's Where I Belong
2. Graceland
3. One Man' s Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor
4. You're The One
5. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
6 Look At That
7. That Was Your Mother
8. Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard
9. The Teacher
10. Spirit Voices
11. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
12. You Can Call Me Al
13. Old Friends/Bookends
14. Homeward Bound
15. I am a Rock
16. Darling Lorraine
17. Old
18. The Boy in the Bubble
19. Pledging My Love
20. The Late, Great Johnny Ace
21. The Coast
22. Late in the Evening
23. American Tune
24. Hurricane Eye
25. Kodachrome
26. Proof
27. Bridge over Troubled Water
28. The Boxer
Nov 16 2000. US CONCERT - The Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA
1. That's Where I Belong
2. Graceland
3. One Man's Ceiling
4. You're The One
5. Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover
6. That Was Your Mother
7. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
8. The Teacher
9. Spirit Voices
10. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
11. You Can Call Me Al
12. Old Friends
13. Homeward Bound
14. I Am A Rock
15. Old
16. Darling Lorraine
17. Boy In The Bubble
18. Pledging My Love
19. The Late Great Johnny Ace
20. The Coast
21. Late In The Evening
22. American Tune
23. Hurricane Eye
24. Kodachrome
25. Proof
26. Bridge Over Troubled Water
27. Still Crazy After All These Years
28. The Boxer
29. Love
30. Mrs. Robinson
Los Angeles, California - November 17, 2000
Setlist
1. That's Where I Belong
2. Graceland
3. One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor
4. You're The One
5. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
6. That Was Your Mother
7. Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard
8. The Teacher
9. Spirit Voices
10. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
11. You Can Call Me Al
12. Old Friends/Bookends >>>
13. Homeward Bound >>>
14. I Am A Rock
15. Darling Lorraine
16. Old
17. The Boy In The Bubble
18. Pledging My Love >>>
19. The Late, Great Johnny Ace
20. The Coast
21. Late In The Evening
22. American Tune
23. Hurricane Eye
24. Kodachrome
25. Proof
26. Bridge Over Troubled Water
27. Still Crazy After All These Years
28. The Boxer
29. Pigs, Sheep & Wolves (LIVE DEBUT!)
30. Mrs. Robinson
Nov 4 2000
UK TV - Parkinson (BBC1 TV)- Paul Simon
1. Graceland
2. Old
Paul and his touring band performed 5 to 10 songs (a list?) in the studio in London on October 23 or 24. These two were shown on the broadcast
Nov 4 2000
US TV - Saturday Night Live (NBC TV)- Paul Simon
1. Hurricane Eye
2. Old
Paul also appeared in a sketch with the "Demarco Brothers," who were auditioning for spots as dancers on his tour - the skit was hit & miss, but the performances were dead on!
Nov 8 2000
US CONCERT – Paul Simon
CHILDREN´S HEALTH FUND BENEFIT
New York City
1. That's Where I Belong
2. Graceland
3. That Was Your Mother
4. Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover
5. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
6. Darling Lorraine
7. Old
8. Boy In The Bubble
9. American Tune
10. Hurricane Eye
11. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
12. You Can Call Me Al
13. Bridge Over Troubled Water
Paul Simon raises $1 million at a Children's Health Fund charity show for 600 people.
Nov-Dec 2000
US TV - PBS Network- Paul Simon
Great Perfomances: Paul Simon. You´re The One In Concert From Paris
A broadcast of Paris concerts oct 30-31 and nov 1
Dec 2000
US Magazine- Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone Magazine, in its year-end issue, featured Paul Simon as one of its people of the year, with the caption "The return of the singer-songwriter."
PAUL SIMON. Return of the great songwriter
By ANTHONY DECURTIS
"Talk about my year?" says Paul Simon, his heart obviously sinking as he speaks on the phone from London, where he is on tour. "Say what were my personal high points for the year? Oh, boy, you know me -- I don’t feel like talking about any of that. You don’t want to make up something, do you?" I suggest that he talk about completing You’re the One, his first studio album of new songs since The Rhythm of the Saints in 1990. The sound of his silence in response damns me. I mentally review my arsenal of interview strategies and choose one: persistence. It works.
So can you name a high point of the year?
The time I spent in Morocco in June. It was a festival of musicians from Morocco and Mali, two cultures that don’t normally mix, with a scattering of American jazz players. What struck me about it was the incredible power of music, that phenomenon of musicians becoming inspired by contact with other cultures. It confirms what I’ve felt for many years, which is: Everybody likes to play with everybody else. So that was extraordinary -- more extraordinary than finishing an album, which is, in its own tiny way, a bit of a disappointment.
Because you’re too aware of things you might have done differently?
No, not that -- the fun is doing it. When I’m finished, that’s the end of the fun.
What music did you listen to this year?
I enjoyed this album that George Harrison produced called Chants of India, with Ravi Shankar. I listened to that when I was working on "Quiet" [on You’re the One]. I wanted to hear how they worked with drones. I also really liked that Sacred Steel series that Arhoolie put out, particularly the Sonny Treadway album -- it’s called Jesus Will Fix It! I loved Ruben Blades’ most recent album [Tiempos] -- that was masterpiece-level.
Anything you’re looking forward to?
Getting home and seeing my wife and kids. I miss them tremendously. And I’m looking forward to playing -- last night I did a concert that I enjoyed immensely.
In London?
Yeah. I really couldn’t have been happier. It came off the emotion of the day, actually. I saw a bunch of my old friends from when I lived in England before Simon and Garfunkel hit. To be sitting with the same tight group that once existed was very emotional. That, and the news that the woman who kind of housed us in East London when we were kids is terminally ill. I was unusually cognizant of the songs about my life at different ages. All that carried over into the show. The whole life story, whenever you really feel it, it’s awesome
Dec 2000
US CD- Bootleg- Paul Simon
THAT´S WHERE I BELONG
Song Co. PSCD-0949/0950
Audio version from PBS show recorded in Paris
Re-issued in 2001. See 2001 year section
Disc 1:
1. That's Where I Belong 3:35
2. Graceland 4:56
3. You're The One 5:01
4. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover 4:33
5. Late In The Evening 4:18
6. Old Friends/Bookends 2:55
7. Homeward Bound 2:59
8. I Am A Rock 3:29
9. The Teacher 3:58
10. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes 5:56
11. You Can Call Me Al 4:50
Disc 2:
1. Darling Lorraine 6:57
2. Old 2:35
3. Pledging My Love 2:09
4. The Late Great Johnny Ace 4:15
5. The Boy In The Bubble 5:10
6. Hurricane Eye 5:47
7. Bridge Over Troubled Water 5:10
8. Still Crazy After All These Years 4:03
Bonus Tracks from "Today":
9. Old 2:36
10. Hurricane Eye 5:52
2000
US CD- Dion
KING OF THE NEW YORK STREETS
Capitol B00005228H
· Paul Simon writes about Dion in booklet of this CD
2000
US CD- Bootleg-Paul Simon
HAVE A GOOD TIME
Show Co. PS -LA800901
Recorded LA 1980 and Queen Elizabeth Teatre, Vancouver, Can. 1984
2000
Europe? CD- Bootleg- Simon & Garfunkel
NEWYORKER IN NETHERLANDS
The Pole Bear Records PB 018/019
A new released under different tittle of the bootleg Welcome In Holland
See 1970 year section for setlist
2000
US movie and US CD Soundtrack
ALMOST FAMOUS
·Simon & Garfunkel: America
2000
US CD – Compilation
JOURNEYS
·Paul Simon: Graceland
2001
Jan 2001
The Recording Industry Association of America announced this week that it has certified its gold record award to "You're The One" in its fifteenth week of sales. The album reached top 19. Only in US over 700.00 copies sold.
Jan 30 2001
US Video- Paul Simon
YOU´RE THE ONE (IN CONCERT FROM PARIS)
Warner Reprise Video 38529-3
Recorded in Olympia Theatre, Paris. Oct 30-31
That's Where I Belong
Graceland
You're The One
One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor
50 Ways To Leave Your LoverThat Was Your Mother
Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
The Teacher
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
You Can Call Me Al
Old Friends
Homeward Bound
I Am A Rock
Darling Lorraine
Old
The Boy In The Bubble
Pledging My Love
The Late, Great Johnny Ace
The Coast
Late In The Evening
American Tune
Hurricane Eye
Kodachrome®
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Still Crazy After All These Years
The Boxer
Feb 13 2001
US DVD- Paul Simon
YOU´RE THE ONE (IN CONCERT FROM PARIS)
Warner Reprise Video 38529-2
Feb 20 2001
US Concert and Gala. Paul Simon
MUSICARES
Paul Simon honoured as People of the Year
Chevy Chase came out as the first emcee and with his usual antics said, "I have the amiable task of reading cards, and the first one says: Hugh, zip your fly up." After the audience groaned, he introduced the first person to take the stage, Macy Gray. Famous for her Grammy-award winning song, "I Try," she floated upstage in a mess of curls that hid her eyes, dressed in a hot pink patchwork quilt dress. She started off the benefit concert with an explosion, and her sultry voice filled the air as she began to sing "You Can Call Me Al." Her three back up singers chimed in with the chorus, and this amazing rendition of the classic song was taken to a new height. Bringing us back to the video, Chevy Chase grabbed a sax and made himself comfortable onstage, recreating his dance moves and sax playing. The audience, laughing in sheer delight, joyfully watched, clapping along with the music, and Macy Gray, feeding on the beat of the music, exploded with energy. A truly magnificent way to start honoring Paul Simon.
Chevy Chase made his way back on stage, and began joking in the "classic Chevy" manner and began speaking about Paul as, "another power hungry little guy who writes sissy music, who worked hard, because Artie had a good voice, with a thesaurus in one hand and a joint in the other." The audience screamed with laughter, and, with all joking aside, Chevy seriously explained that "Paul Simon is one of the sweetest guys and greatest dads" and finally introduced the next performers, Ruben Blades and Danny Rivera.
Ruben Blades, who played Sal in "The Capeman," walked out with Danny Rivera and Danny sang the first line of lyrics in one of the most amazing duets and enchanting tributes - the song "I Was Born In Puerto Rico." Ruben and Danny each traded lyrics in Spanish and English - Ruben dressed in all black singing in English and Danny, his antithesis in white, answering in Spanish. They both sang the chorus in the two languages, and the unity that had intertwined Puerto Rican and American heritage was once again brought back. Backed by a full Latin band, they both exuded a dynamic sense of passion that can only be revealed through the true feeling of the words expressed.
Gloria Estefan took the stage next, bringing her nylon string classical guitar along. With an emotional outpour, Gloria told the audience that she had got her guitar when she was ten years old from her mother and father, and said "this song to me was my bridge" and quietly began to play "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with a single spotlight, a stool, and a darkened stage which set the mood and tone of the song. Her voice filled the ballroom, and she touched the heart of everyone who watched. The band quietly joined Gloria at the chorus, adding in percussion, guitars, and keyboard. Her gorgeous voice carried the melody of the classic Simon and Garfunkel song, and her four backup singers sang along with every bit of passion as Gloria.
Ziggy Marley strolled on stage and everyone knew what they were in store for. An original reggae beat began, and Ziggy dipped his head, wrapped in a classic knitted hat, back and began to sing the all-time favorite from the first track of Paul Simon's first solo album, "Mother and Child Reunion." The atmosphere of the band couldn't have been more in step with the song, and the performance couldn't have been a better match for the Ziggy Marley band, especially with the fashion in which Ziggy sang. He remained in the middle of the stage, his whole body swaying from side to side in a wave-like manner. He continuously closed his eyes, and his thick Jamaican accent was a perfect addition to the morbid, yet upbeat song.
Shawn Colvin, with her folky-style, wisped upstage. In her hand, an acoustic guitar, and with a warm, almost country twist, she began singing the patriotic American Tune. She mesmerized the audience with her vocal ability-holding out the notes, yet still managing to capture the essence of the style in which the song was originally intended. The spotlight shone upon her face, and the glow of her tiny frame illuminated the entire stage.
The Dixie Hummingbirds, decked out in matching lime-green suits, along with Stevie Wonder, graced the stage and the entire room burst into immediate applause, for this was noticeably a historic appearance. Stevie laughed and said to Paul Simon, "God bless you and thank you for putting out an album this year." Everyone chuckled and clapped, and as the first note was played it was obvious to all that the gospel favorite "Loves Me Like a Rock" would be the absolute highlight of the night. There are some songs in which it feels as if it may have been written for a particular musician, and one can say that this molded for Stevie. Stevie started the song off with an amazing solo intro, moving up and down the piano effortlessly, as only Stevie Wonder can do. Binding together traditional gospel with an electric spin, "Loves Me Like a Rock" morphed into a truly inspiring new version of what was once an "old" favorite. The crowd began to kick in as both the bass and the Dixie Hummingbirds slipped into sync with Stevie. The Dixie Hummingbirds were in pristine form. Their expressions matched Stevie's delight, and their voices blended together and displayed as much freshness as they first did back on Paul's "There Goes Rhymin' Simon" album. Stevie and The Hummingbirds went back and forth with the lead, and each time Stevie sang he grabbed the melody and made it his own.
Michael McKean took over Chevy Chase's job of emceeing and honestly said, "I am not a close friend of Paul Simon. What am I doing here? Like Paul Simon I grew up on Long Island…Thank you for putting Long Island on the map, where it remains today." He introduced the next female performer, newcomer Shelby Lynne.
Recent Grammy winner Shelby Lynne, dressed in a plunging v-neck sequined shirt, also chose from Paul Simon's popular album, "There Goes Rhymin' Simon." True to the title of the song's namesake, Shelby sang "Tenderness" softly and smoothly. Her honeyed voice filled the air, and her southern accent added a new dimension to the song's already pure harmony. She sang it with a classy feminine style, gracefully savoring every line, every note, and as she reached the last line, she smiled sexily and said, "Thank you Paul Simon."
Michael McKean introduced Brian Wilson as someone who had "single-handedly created a genre of music, " the room darkened and, sitting on a stool, clad in all black, Wilson said, "Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters ever and this is one of his greatest songs." True to the former Beach Boys fashion, Brian Wilson sang "The Sound of Silence" with a male counterpart in a traditional Beach Boys harmony. Once again, the audience, hearing the classic single, clapped along with the beat. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the poignant lyrics, the beautiful melody, and with a warm and loving tribute to both the folk movement and the surf-rock genre, he pleasantly ended his performance with a last identifiable Beach Boy twinge.
The last performers to tribute Paul Simon were Joan Osborne and the Chieftains. On a night filled with reggae, gospel, folk, surf rock and country, there was only one thing left; to play "Homeward Bound" in a never-been-done Celtic style. Joan Osborne took center-stage as the Chieftains lined up behind her in a row with their instruments. Joan, with her light curly tendrils trilled away at the lonely lyrics. She swayed with the traditional Irish music, with a delightful smile on her face.
As the music died down, a familiar face walked onstage. Steve Martin, a longtime friend, began his hilarious monologue to introduce Paul Simon:
"The day after I graduated high school, I woke up and knew I had to honor Paul-I did not know who Paul was…and all through college there was something missing, and I knew it was because I had not honored Paul yet…Tonight I have been given the chance to honor Paul…Paul Newman is a great, great actor, but I am here to honor Paul Simon. Who is Paul Simon? Paul Simon is a guy. A guy who flew here to be honored, and isn't it our duty to honor those who fly? Paul Newman did not fly…However, I do believe that Paul Newman is here, hiding. Paul Simon is not hiding. Singer, songwriter, a spokesperson for a generation-this is not Paul Newman." As the audience roared with laughter, Steve Martin presented Paul Simon and previous MusiCares honoree, Elton John entered the stage to give the illustrious award. Elton turned to Paul Simon and with deep recognition in typical "Elton fashion" said, "I admire you for everything, except that shirt." On a night filled with wonderful musical talent combined with humor, the atmosphere continued to be upbeat as Elton introduced Paul as "one of the best artists and singer-songwriters."
Paul strapped on his familiar black Yamaha guitar and played the title track from 1986's favorite album, "Graceland." Mark Stewart, onstage with him, played guitar, and danced along. Paul was in excellent spirits, he moved along with music, gestured, and his shoulders bounced to the beat of the music. While many of the band members were from the recent "You're the One" tour, most were missing, yet Paul's set sounded full and fresh. His voice was strong and resonant, and the audience, who had waited all night for Paul to play their favorites, helped in energizing the performers by getting up and dancing. Most people moved from their round tables and headed towards the middle to get a better view. The next song Paul performed was perfect in the fact that the benefit was coming to a close. With his cherry red electric guitar, Paul burst right into "Late in the Evening." Enjoying himself immensely, he moved around, lifting his leg in the air and rocking out, adding some extra "da da da" lyrics, in which one simply can't help but join in. As "Late in the Evening" ended, Paul thanked and waved to the crowd in acknowledgement. Michael Greene came out one last time and cajoled him into playing one last tune. "The Boxer," an all-time favorite, and a song we can all say is part of "the soundtrack of our lives," was the final song played. A new, exciting addition to "The Boxer," something that Paul has incorporated since his "You're the One" tour is letting the audience sing the "lie la lie" part of the chorus. All joined in, united by a wonderful artist, a spectacular cause, and a night to be remembered
Feb 21 2001
US- Grammy Awards Gala. Paul Simon
Unfortunately, Paul came up empty at the Grammys (he was nominated for Album Of The Year), but he did perform an edited version of "You're The One", omitting the bridge ("You are the air inside my chest"), and was backed by his current all-star band
March 13 2001
US DVD. Paul Simon
The Rutles
Studio: Rhino Video
Theatrical Release Date: March 22, 1978
Run Time: 72 minutes
Production Company: Rhino Video
Package Type: Keep Case
Aspect Ratio(s):
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1
Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Edition Details:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Black & White, Dolby
• Commentary by Eric Idle
• Photo gallery
• Introduction and selected memoirs by Eric Idle
• Play Songs Only feature
• New transfer from original 16mm print
• Deleted scenes: Blue Suede Schubert, Poet (for American Viewers), Mick
Jagger, Paul Simon
March 19 2001
Paul Simon is inducted into theRock & Roll Hall of Fame
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York.
·Paul Simon, Marc Anthony & Dion: Me And Julio Down By Schoolyard
·Paul Simon: Graceland
The Text Of Paul Simon's Speech At The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who inspired, influenced and shaped me over the course of what turns out to be a surprisingly long career. A few of these names may be unfamiliar to you and more than a few have passed away, so I ask your indulgence in reading this list.
I'll begin by thanking "The Crows" whose song "Oh Gee" was the first record I really liked when I heard it on the radio.
After that, I started listening to Alan Freed's "Moondog show". I loved "The Penguins", "The Moonglows", "The Jacks", "The Paragons", Johnny Ace whose song "Pledging My Love" was the first record I ever bought. I loved the colors and the names of the early record labels: "Doo-tone", "Savoy", "Duke & Peacock", "Specialty", "Apollo", Chess and the magnificent Red & Black label of Atlantic records. I'd like to thank Ray Charles, Ruth Brown and Dinah Washington. I was a great fan of Fats Domino and all those Louisiana musicians who knew how to put the "roll" in rock and roll.
I thank Sam Phillips of Sun Records for rock-a-billy's Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, whose recording of "Mystery Train" remains my all-time favorite. I spent a career trying to get that sound.
I want to express my gratitude to the New York groups that we imitated on "Satin Summer Nights" when we really did stand under streetlights and sing Doo Wop. So here's to Frankie Lymon from Washington Heights, The Clef-Tones from Queens and Dion and the Belmonts from the Bronx.
I thank Sid Prosen who owned a tiny little label called Big Records who signed Art Garfunkel and me to our first recording contract. He called us Tom & Jerry and our record was "Hey Schoolgirl". We were 16 years old.
I thank Alan Freed, who for a reasonable sum of money and the publishing on the "b" side played our record until it was a hit. I wish radio was like that today.
I thank Dick Clark who put us on American Bandstand on Thanksgiving Day 1958. I thank all the DJs who played our record and brought us down to lip-synch it at their record hops. They taught me the meaning of the phrase: "it's a freebie". I'd like to thank those two girls in Covington, Kentucky.
I am indebted to the publishers in 1619 and 1650 Broadway and all the little studios like Associated and Dick Charles where I learned my craft making demos for songwriters who wanted me to sing their songs and sound like Frankie Avalon.
In the early 60's I hung around the folk scene at Bleecker and MacDougal. I thank the owners of Gerde's folk city. I was influenced by Dave van Ronk, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan whose producer Tom Wilson signed us to Columbia Records. I thank Goddard Lieberson, the president of Columbia who wouldn't let them change our name and insisted that we be called Simon & Garfunkel -- the first time, to my knowledge, that ethnic names were used in pop music. I thank our manager and my friend Mort Lewis.
The happiest times of my youth were spent in England. I played with several of the great players of the English folk scene. Martin Carthy, who taught me "Scarborough Fair"; Davey Graham who wrote "Anji", Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Dave Swarbrick and the Ian Campbell folk group. I started singing in pubs for £3 a night (although, as my brother once asked me, 3 pounds of what?) Just before I returned to the U.S., my price had shot Up to £25 a night and I thought I was just about worth that.
"The Sound of Silence" became a #1 record after Tom Wilson over-dubbed electric guitars and drums on the original acoustic version. He changed my life with that one move. My appreciation to Roy Halee who engineered every Simon & Garfunkel record from our audition tape to "Bridge Over Troubled Water". I'd like to thank the Rev. Claude Jeter whose group the Swan Silvertones inspired "Bridge Over Troubled Water". I thank Art Garfunkel for sharing the amazing days of our early success. The sound of his voice with mine was how I imagined the songs I wrote. I regret the ending of our friendship and hope one day before we die that we can make peace with each other.
I want to thank a man named Leslie Kong who took me to Kingston, Jamaica to record "Mother and Child Reunion" at Byron Lee's studio where the spliffs were as big as a baseball bat and cows and goats grazed outside the studio door. The band that backed me was Toots & the Maytals.
I am grateful to the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section for their work on "Kodachrome" and "Loves Me Like a Rock". I thank the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Oak Ridge Boys and all the gospel groups I worked with from Jesse Dixon to "The Mighty Clouds of Joy". I thank Phil Ramone who was at my side for much of that work and who introduced me to Richard Tee and Steve Gadd who were like brothers to me.
I'd like to acknowledge Philip Glass whose friendship helped shape my musical thinking. Similarly, Chuck Israels who taught me harmony and theory.
My love and admiration to Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, to Ray Phiri and Bakhiti Kumalo who helped me make Graceland and who played at my side in Central Park.
I thank Mo Ostin who signed me to Warner Brothers. And remains my dear friend. My gratitude and love to Lorne Michaels, my neighbor and friend who let me dress up in a turkey outfit and sing "Still Crazy After All These Years" on SNL.
I want to mention Quincy Jones who wrote the beautiful arrangement for "Something So Right" and years later introduced me to Milton Nascimento who took me to Brazil for my work on "The Rhythm of the Saints".
I am indebted to Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente for their guidance and support when I began to write a Latin musical for Broadway. Oscar Hernandez, Ruben Blades, Ednita Nazario and Marc Anthony shared the exhilaration and disappointment of "The Capeman".
I thank Steve Shehan, Jamey Haddad, Mark Stewart and my friend Vincent Nguini, the great guitarist from Cameroon. They made "You're The One" one of the most rewarding creative experiences of my career.
I thank my father six years gone now, who was a musician and a bandleader. He was my greatest teacher. He taught me to love and respect musicians. He made me a bandleader. He gave me my first guitar and showed me the changes to all those old songs.
I thank god for the gifts I was given and for Letting me live the dream I dreamed when I was 12 years old and first heard the mystical, mind-expanding, magic that was rock 'n roll”.
March 21 2001
US TV- VH-1 TV. Paul Simon
Gala of R&R Hall Of Fame Induction, including Paul Simon induction
March 21 2001
US TV- CBS TV. Paul Simon
Late Night With David Letterman
·Paul Simon: You´re The One
March 29 2001
US Concert. Paul Simon
"An All-Star Tribute To Brian Wilson,"
New York's Radio City Music Hall
The concert was aired on TNT on July 4th
·Paul Simon: "Surfer Girl" (with acoustic guitar)
·Paul Simon,Brian Wilson, Elton John & Billy Joel: “Barbara Ann", "Surfin USA" and "Fun, Fun,Fun”
April 27- May 2 2001
US Concerts. Paul Simon
TEXAS MINI TOUR
Friday April 27, Dallas, Texas, Smirnoff Music Centre
Sunday April 29, Spring, Texas, C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
Tuesday May 1, San Antonio, Texas, Municipal Auditorium
Wednesday May 2, Austin, Texas, The Brickyard
May 4- 5 2001
US Concerts. Paul Simon
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Paul and the band performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Coming off a swing through Texas, Paul performed several times throughout the weekend at the jazz fest, adding "Loves Me Like A Rock" to the setlist. On Saturday, he joined the Dave Matthews Band at the end of their set to sing on "Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard". During his set on Sunday, Aaron Neville joined Paul to perform "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
There is a bootleg from May 5 concert released on CD by RAMA! B&K 4022.
Here's the setlist for Paul's concert Sunday at the Jazz Fest:
That's Where I Belong
Graceland
One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor
You're the One
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
That Was Your Mother
Me & Julio Down By The School Yard
The Teacher
Spirit Voices
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
You Can Call Me Al
Old Friends
Homeward Bound
I am A Rock
Darling Lorraine
Old
The Boy in The Bubble
American Tune
The Coast
Late in the Evening
Hurricane Eye
Proof
Still Crazy After All These Years
Mrs. Robinson
The Boxer
Loves Me Like A Rock
Bridge Over Troubled Water with Aaron Neville
June 9 – July 24
US Summer Tour. THE PET SOUNDS OF SILENCE TOUR- Paul Simon & Brian Wilson
PAUL SIMON INVITES BRIAN WILSON TO JOIN HIM ON HIS
2001 SUMMER TOUR OF THE UNITED STATES
In what promises to be one of the most exciting
concert events of the summer season 200l, singer/songwriter Paul Simon and his
11-piece band will kick-off a 28-city tour of the United States Saturday, June
9th, at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Seattle, Washington. Simon will be joined on
the tour by one of rock's most deeply revered figures, the legendary Brian
Wilson, co-founder of The Beach Boys. Wilson will be accompanied by his
10-piece band, which includes the four-member group,The Wondermints.
. The tour included material that spans Simon's entire career.
June
9 Seattle, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre *
June 12 and 13 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
June 17 San Francisco, CA (Mountain View) Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 19 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre *
June 20 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion *
June 22 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center
June 24 Denver, CO Fiddler?s Green Amphitheatre
June 26 Kansas City, KS Sandstone Aphitheatre *
June 27 Minneapolis, MN Excel Energy Center
June 29 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
June 30 Chicago, IL Tweeter Center *
July 1 St. Louis, MO Riverport Amphitheatre
July 3 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 8 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake
July 10 Toronto, ONT Molsen Amphitheatre
July 11 Buffalo, NY (Darien Center) Darien Lakes PAC
July 13 Boston, MA Tweeter Center
July 14 Hartford, CT The ctnow.com Meadows Music Centre
July 15 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga PAC
July 17 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Stadium
July 18 Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center at the Waterfront *
July 20 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 24 New York, NY (Wantaugh NY) Jones
Beach Amphitheatre *
* Denotes shows sponsored by Acura
The Band: Just the same of YTO 2000 Tour except: Graham Hawthorne on drums instead of Steve Gadd and Jimie Heinz on trumpet.
The tour raised 7 millions of dollars
June? 2001
US DVD. Paul Simon
THE PAUL SIMON SPECIAL
Studio: Wea/Rhino
Theatrical Release Date: January 1, 1977
Run Time: 50 minutes
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Dolby
June 13 2001
US Concert. Paul Simon
Greek Thetre in L.A.
In what Sir Paul McCartney dubbed not a double-bill, but a "double-Paul", Paul Simon and Paul McCartney performed on stage together in Los Angeles earlier this month, dueting on the Beatles' classic "I've Just Seen A Face". McCartney was in attendance for Paul's concert with Brian Wilson at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and joined Simon during his second encore.
There is an official bootleg of this concert on CD.
Here's the full setlist for Paul's recent Los Angeles
concert:
That's Where I Belong
Graceland
You're the One
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
That Was Your Mother
Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard
The Teacher
Spirit Voices
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
You Can Call Me Al
Old Friends
Homeward Bound
I am A Rock
The Boy in The Bubble
The Coast
Late in the Evening
(First Encore)
Hurricane Eye
Proof
Still Crazy After All These Years
(Second Encore)
I've Just Seen A Face (with Paul McCartney)
Mrs. Robinson
The Boxer
Loves Me Like A Rock
June 14 2001
US Benefit Concert. Paul Simon
ADOPT-A-MINEFIELD . Beverley Wilshire Hotel. Los Angeles
Paul Simon performed at a benefit concert for Adopt-a-Minefield www.landmines.org, a charity aimed at eradicating land mines from the world. Simon performed "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Graceland", "The Boy In The Bubble" and "Mrs. Robinson" at the benefit show. At the end of the evening, Paul returned to sing "I've Just Seen A Face", from the Beatles' "Help!" album, with Sir Paul.
July 4 2001
US TV. TNT TV. Paul Simon
"An All-Star Tribute To Brian Wilson"
"An All-Star Tribute To Brian Wilson", featuring Paul's performance of "Surfer Girl" was aired on TNT over the course of the next few weeks. Recorded this March at Radio City Music Hall, the tribute concert was premiered on July 4th.
Aug 21 2001
US CDs and Boxset. Simon & Garfunkel
S&G Remastered Discography – THE COLUMBIA STUDIO RECORDINGS 1964-1970 BOXSET
The long-awaited Simon & Garfunkel remasters were
released on August 21, 2001. All five of their studio albums were re-issued
with improved sound (from the 1997 Old Friends remasters, overseen by
Bob Irwin), expanded liner notes, and - most importantly for many collectors -
bonus tracks. Each CD features up to four bonus tracks, most early demos or
alternate takes. There is also a box set - The Columbia Studio Recordings
1964-1970 that collects all five CDs in one package. Unlike the
individual CDs, the box set discs come in mini-LP cover replicas, rather than
plastic jewel cases, and the set also includes a 72-page book with complete
lyrics, photos, original LP liner notes, and new notes and commentary from Bud
Scoppa.
The bonus tracks for each CD are as follows, and are previously unreleased
unless otherwise stated:
WEDNESDAY MORNING 3 A.M. "Bleecker Street" (demo, previously released on Old
Friends), "He Was My Brother" (alternate take), "The Sun Is
Burning" (alternate take).
SOUNDS OF SILENCE - "Blues Run The Game" (previously released
on Old Friends), "Barbriallen" (a.k.a. "Barbara
Allen," 1970 demo version), "Rose Of Aberdeen" (1970 demo
version), The Roving Gambler" (1970 demo version).
PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME- "Patterns" (demo), "A
Poem On The Underground Wall" (demo).
BOOKENDS - "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" (B-side
to "Fakin' It," previously released on Old Friends and spinoff
hits CDs), "Old Friends" (demo).
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - "Feuilles-O" (demo,
previously released on Old Friends), "Bridge Over Troubled
Water" (demo/early take)
Sept 2001
US Audio DVD. Paul Simon
You´re The One
WBR 47844-9
This album is released as DVD audio with new remixes and enriched sound for DVD digital sound. A biography is added.
Sept 16 2001
US Benefit Concert. Paul Simon
HEALING AMERICA
Riverside Church. Manhattan, N.Y.
Paul sang on this tribute to the victims from towers attack. Pantinkin also sang (duet with Simon??).
· American Tune???
Sept 21 2001
US TV. Paul Simon
AMERICA: A TRIBUTE TO HEROES
Paul Simon performed an intimate, touching rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on the multi-network fundraiser for fallen NYC public servants, America: A Tribute To Heroes. This two-hour event took place on Friday, September 21, airing on all major TV networks in the U.S., as well as myriad radio stations and non-U.S. TV outlets. Proceeds from the event will go toward the relief effort in NYC and Virginia. “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” a two hour fundraising television program that was aired on most networks at 9pm. The commercial-free special will raise money to aid those impacted by the recent terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Paul performed alongside many musicians and celebrities including Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. The program wasl originated from both Los Angeles and New York
Sept 23 2001
US press article. New York Times. Paul Simon
LOOK BEYOND COMMERCE
By Paul Simon.
THE events of last week, as unbearable as they were to
witness, were ameliorated by the almost total absence of popular culture from
the nation's airwaves. Award ceremonies and concerts were canceled. No
blockbuster movies opened. No new television shows premiered. It was a
temporary respite from the cultural din. Hyperbolic and aggressive selling was
not only muted but also seemed, when one stumbled upon it, to belong to an
already distant past made irrelevant by the tragedy of Sept. 11. Within this
chaos, there was a deep if momentary silence that encouraged us to re-examine
ourselves as a people and a culture.
What changes could and should occur? The nihilism and violence that are often found in our music and film should be recognized as the cynical entertainment that they are when contrasted with the reality of Sept. 11. The firefighters and police who worked 24-hour shifts were real-life heroes, completely alien to the popular culture's idea of heroism. Artists should feel comfortable with this non-show-biz reality, and let it be reflected in their work. The marketplace can accommodate these truths without losing money. Our notions of profit and value could be adjusted to allow for a greater degree of artistic questioning without an implication that such actions would automatically have adverse economic consequences. Artists could hold themselves to a higher standard of honesty. Corporate America should allow more voices to reach our ears. We are saturated with music and videos that have no relationship to anything but the bottom line. We should encourage the compassion and generosity that flowed reflexively to victims' families and communities in the last week to permeate our everyday lives.
It's too soon to predict the ways that the arts will
change, but change is inevitable, catastrophe or not. We
should recognize that seismic events impact on the creative process and that
artistic and spiritual rebirth can follow a shattering experience.
Sept 29 2001
US TV. NBC TV. Paul Simon
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Paul Simon visited NBC’s Saturday Night as SNL kicks off its twenty-sixth season. He joined host Reese Witherspoon and musical guest Alicia Keys for the season premiere
· The Boxer
Oct 5 2001
US Concert. Paul Simon
YALE UNIVERSITY TERCENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Yale Bowl
Paul Simon, an honorary degree holder, performed at Yale University's Tercentennial Celebration at Yale Bowl on Friday, October 5. Simon was one of many performers at the celebration, the opening event of a weekend-long observance of Yale's 300th anniversary.
Over 29.000 sold seats.
· Bridge Over Troubled Waters
· Graceland
Oct 9 2001
US BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH FUND. NEW YORK. Paul Simon
Celebration of the release of the book Good Life, Good Death by Rimpoche Nawang Gehlek
On Tuesday, October 9th, Paul Simon and Edie Brickell, Patti Smith and Oliver Ray, and Philip Glass performed in celebration of the release of a new book Good Life, Good Death by Rimpoche Nawang Gehlek. Prayers lead by Gehlek Rimpoche with chanting by Tibetan monks opened the evening. The event took place at 630 Second Avenue at 35th St. at 9:00 PM. Tickets $75. All proceeds will go to The Children's Health Fund.
The Children's Health Fund, founded in 1987 by pediatrician/child advocate Irwin Redlener, MD, and Paul Simon, works to provide medical care to the nation's most medically undeserved populations through pediatric programs while advocating for appropriate health care for all children. A message from Gehlek Rimpoche, “We at Jewel Heart meet weekly just blocks from Ground Zero. As a Tibetan Buddhist organization, our mission is to put the principles of love and compassion into action. Therefore, we want to do our part to serve the community.”
Oct 12 2001
UK Press. The Times.
Article celebrating Paul Simon´s 60th birthday
DIAMONDS ON THE SOUL
BY RICHARD HOLLEDGE
Heartfelt 60th birthday good wishes to Paul Simon - poet, one-man band and songwriter who, on his day, rivals Dylan
How appropriate that Paul Simon’s song Bridge over Troubled Water was taken off air after the attack on the World Trade Centre. Too emotional, said the programmers. Well, it is the most mawkish, mushy song he ever wrote — made worse by the sweeping strings and tremulous tenor of Art Garfunkel.
Thankfully it’s utterly atypical of the man. A songwriter less given to the hyperbole of pop is hard to imagine.
When you think of Simon it’s more along the lines of Still Crazy After All These Years: “Four in the morning/Crapped out, yawning/Longing my life away.” No, high emotion is not what you associate with the king of rock and wry.
It’s always been that way. When he started out, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles were crashing around the charts — “I’ve been Rolling Stoned and Beatled ’til I’m blind,” he lamented (wryly) in A Simple Desultory Philippic — and he has stayed quietly strumming, slightly off centre-stage, ever since.
While the storm of pop has rocked around him, he has laconically recorded the neuroses of young love, foibles, fancies, incidents and accidents, hints and allegations to generations of admirers. Certainly anyone under 60 — the age rhymin’ Simon turns tomorrow — has negotiated a way through their lives to the counterpoint of his tuneful psyche.
How the first tremulous little chords of I Am a Rock contrasted with the great hits of 1965. It was one of the vintage years of pop with the Animals’ We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place, Martha and the Vandellas’ Nowhere to Run, Satisfaction and Help!, and Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone. Nonetheless, there are four or five songs on the first album, The Paul Simon Songbook, which stand the test of time more than 40 years on. I Am a Rock spoke to a generation who were turning up the collars of their donkey jackets against the angst of the age. A Most Peculiar Man, Homeward Bound and The Sound of Silence still work.
The music hasn’t really changed that much, despite the influences of calypso and reggae and his noisy, brassy ventures into Brazilian and black South African music. What he brings and has always brought, to his musical misanthropy is humour, wit, elliptic, often surreal, observation.
Take Mother and Child Reunion. What are we to make of the fact that the title was taken from a chicken and egg dish Simon saw in a Chinese restaurant? Asked by Rolling Stone magazine what the Mama Pajama saw in Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard, he said: “I have no idea.”
He has always hidden behind tricks and treats like that. Maybe because he has been unable to shake off his 20-year-old insecurities. On the cover of his first album in 1965 he wrote: “I start with the knowledge that everything I write will turn and laugh at me.”
Paul Frederic Simon was born on October 13, 1941, in Newark, New Jersey. Born short and bald, he stayed short (5ft 3in) and bald (he wore a toupee), hardly the material for the rock king he wanted to be.
He started with the singer who journeyed in and out of his life: Art Garfunkel — also 60 next month. They formed the duo Tom and Jerry and in 1957 had a never-to-be-remembered hit with Hey, Schoolgirl. After one album, they split up, a recurring theme in their relationship, in order to return to college. Simon flitted around working with songwriter Carole King, performing as Tico and the Triumphs, busking in Paris and appearing in London folk clubs.
In 1964 he returned to New York, was signed up to CBS records and reunited with Garfunkel to make the album, Wednesday Morning 3am. It didn’t sell. Simon returned to London and recorded The Paul Simon Songbook, a solo work, using one microphone and a budget of £60.
The album was ignored until a producer added electric guitar and Garfunkel’s voice to The Sound of Silence. It was their first No 1. The duo stayed together for five years. “The break up was casual,” he told Larry King in 1993. “It wasn’t a big thing.”
Given how upset Garfunkel was, that was a very Paul Simon dismissal.
The Garfunkel years were undoubtedly successful, but for many the real article was the solo article. And so it proved, particularly as his musicality and the purity of his guitar playing developed. The eponymous Paul Simon was adventurous, with Latin influences, reggae and jazz and included Mother and Child Reunion and Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard.
One year later, Simon came out with There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, which included Kodachrome and Take Me to the Mardi Gras. Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, from the 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years, remains a standard guide for all disaffected couples. Then it all goes quiet until 1983 and Hearts and Bones. An underrated effort, it didn’t sell despite the evocative The Late Great Johnny Ace, which was dedicated to the R&B singer who killed himself playing Russian roulette and to the assassinated John Lennon. Critics felt that Simon was in a rut, but 18 years later the album can be seen as one of his best.
Things got racier after that with his multicultural South African-based Graceland. And even though much of the album was serious and controversial, dealing with racism, poverty and violence in the ghettos, he couldn’t help slipping into trade mark asides with You can Call Me Al, a throwaway reference to a New York party and a case of mistaken identity. You probably had to be there.
So he has been rhymin’, slidin’, slipping out the back (Jack) for more than 40 years, and after all that time he seems just as crazy — in a controlled sort of way — as he always was.
You’re The One, his most recent release, has chords reminiscent of Hearts and Bones, hints of Graceland, bits from Rhythm of the Saints and still has that same self-deprecating delivery that disguises seared emotions and hurt feelings.
Take two songs from the album. Darling Lorraine is simple Simon at his most complex. Having proposed to her “with the part of me that talks”, he recalls that: “All my life I’ve been a wanderer/Not really, I mostly lived near my parents’ home.” She ends the marriage. “What, you don’t love me any more? What, you’re walking out the door?” And just in case we were taking it all a tad seriously: “What, you don’t like the way I chew?” What starts as an amused look at a marriage dysfunction turns into a tragedy, a tearful tale of marital indifference, longing and ultimately death. Wry or what?
Similarly, Pigs, Sheep and Wolves is a catchy little number which sounds like a nursery rhyme but turns out to be a bitter indictment of a society that turns a blind eye to murder, racism, corruption and wrongful execution.
So what is the point of Paul Simon? You don’t find many performers who claim to have been influenced by him. No one talks about the “new” Paul Simon in the same way that any young female singer with a guitar is immediately labelled the “new” Joni Mitchell. No one plays with words and strums at the emotions with quite his insouciance, quite his neurotic sensibility or unsentimentality. There is a verse left out of the The Boxer: “We are more or less the same/After changes/We are more or less the same.”
Typical Paul Simon. And more or less true of him and his music. After all, the first time Bridge Over Troubled Water was banned was in 1969 when the sponsors of a television special objected to its juxtaposition with the recent assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Too political, said the sponsors.
Oct 13 2001
US Radio. WFUV. Paul Simon
Public Radio from Fordham Univ. New York
Homage for Paul Simon 60th birthday. Included an interview with Simon himself and retrospective of his career airing many songs for 3 hours. Paul simon declared as complete the following albums: Bridge Over Troubled Waters; There Goes Rhymin´ Simon; Still Crazy and Graceland.
Oct 16 2001
US CD. Simon&Garfunkel
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Sony-Columbia 86300
For the benefit of The Twin Towers Fund
. Track 6: Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
Simon&Garfunkel
Oct 22 2001
Europe DVD. Paul Simon
Region 2 encoding
CLASSIC ALBUMS: GRACELAND
EREDV010
Nov 5 2001
US DVD
AN ALL STAR TRIBUTE TO BRIAN WILSON
Radio City Entertaintment. Direct Video.IX1232CUKD
· Track 4: Paul Simon: Surfer Girl
· Track 18. All Star Ensemble: Barbara Ann
· Track 19. All Star Ensemble: Fun, Fun, Fun
Dec 2001
US CD and DVD
AMERICA: A TRIBUTE TO HEROES
CD: Columbia 505394 2
DVD: Warner Reprise Video 7599 38562-2
·Paul Simon: Bridge Over Troubled Waters
2001
US CD. Paul Simon & Paul McCartney
I´VE JUST SEEN HER FACE
Official Bootleg
Watch Tower. WT 2001033/4/5
CD1&CD2: Paul Simon´s concert at Greek Theatre 13th June 2001
CD3: Simon&McCartney Rehearsals of ADOPT-A-MINEFIELD
CD1
1. That's Where I Belong
2. Graceland
3. You're the One
4. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
5. That Was Your Mother
6. Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard
7. The Teacher
8. Spirit Voices
9. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
10. You Can Call Me Al
11. Old Friends
12. Homeward Bound
13. I am A Rock
CD2
1. The Boy in The Bubble
2. The Coast
3. Late in the Evening
4. Hurricane Eye
5. Proof
6. Still Crazy After All These Years
7. I've Just Seen A Face (with Paul McCartney)
8. Mrs. Robinson
9. The Boxer
10. Loves Me Like A Rock
CD3
1. Yesterday Part 1
2. Yesterday Part 2
3. The Long And Winding Road Part 1
4. The Long And Winding Road Part 2
5. The Long And Winding Road Part 3
6. Let It Be Part 1
7. Let It Be Part 2
8. Driving Rain Part 1
9. I´ve Just Seen A Face Part 1
10. Yesterday Part 3
11. The Long And Winding Road Part 4
12. Let It Be Part 3
13. Driving Rain Part 4
14. I´ve Just Seen A Face Part 2
15. The Sound Of Silence Part 1
16. The Sound Of Silence Part 2
17. The Sound Of Silence Part 3
2001
US CD. Paul Simon & Paul McCartney
TOGETHER ON SATAGE. ADOPT A MINEFIELD
Official Bootleg
Watch Tower
Recorded Live at Beverly Wilsire Hotel Ballroom. Beverly Hilss, CA
June 14 2001. Different covers from above
Setlist as above
CD1:
1. Bridge over Troubled Water (Paul Simon)
2. Graceland (Paul Simon)
3. The Boy In The Bubble (Paul Simon)
4. Mrs. Robinson (Paul Simon)
5. Yesterday (Paul McCartney)
6. Long And Winding Road (Paul McCartney)
7. Driving Rain (Paul McCartney)
8. Jerk Of All Jerks (Paul McCartney)
9. Let It Be (Paul McCartney)
10. I Just Saw A Face (Paul McCartney & Paul Simon)
CD2:
REHEARSAL
1. Driving Rain part 1
2. Driving Rain part 2
3. Driving Rain part 3
4. Driving Rain part 4
5. Driving Rain part 5
6. Driving Rain part 6
7. Yesterday part 1
8. Yesterday part 2
9. Yesterday part 3
10. Yesterday part 4
BONUS1: from MIT Radio Network "Wingspan Memorial
Day Special"
11. Intro/Wings Medley
12. The Lovely Linds (solo Acoustic)
13. That Would Be Something (solo Acoustic)
14. Three Legs (solo Acoustic)
15. Let Me Roll It (solo Acoustic)
16. Mrs. Vanderbilt (solo Acoustic)
17. Picasso's Last Words #1
18. Picasso's Last Words #2 (solo Acoustic)
19. Outro/60 minutes Produced Promo
BONUS2:
20. Silly Love Song (Wings VS Loop DA Loop Main Mix)
21. Silly Love Song (Artful Dodger Mix)
22. Silly Love Song (Wings VS Loop DA Loop Main Mix)
23. Coming Up (Linus Loves Mix)
2001
US CD. Paul Simon & Brian Wilson
MUTUAL ADMIRATION
Official Bootleg
Greek Theatre, L.A. June 13 2001
Brian Wilson Show:
The Little Girl Once Knew
Dance, Dance, Dance
In My Room
Brian Wilson 'Til I Die
Sail On Sailor
California Girl
I Get Around
Please Let Me Wonder
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Add Some Music To Your Day
God Only Knows
Don't Worry Baby
Heroes and Villains
Surf's Up
Do It Again
Help Me Rhonda
Good Vibration
Surfer Girl
Barbara Ann
Surfin' USA
Fun, Fun, Fun
Paul Simon Show:
That's Where I Belong
Graceland
You're The One
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
That Was Your Mother
Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard
The Teacher
Spirit Voices
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
You Can Call Me Al
Old Friends
Bookends Theme
Homeward Bound
I Am A Rock
Darling Loraine
Old
Late In The Evening
Hurricane Eye
Proof
Still Crazy After All These Years
I've Just Seen A Face with Paul McCartney
Mrs. Robinson
The Boxer
Loves Me Like A Rock
2001
US CD. Paul Simon
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL. May 4 2001
RAMA! B&K 4022
Official Bootleg
1.That's Where I Belong
2.Graceland
3.One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor
4.You're the One
5.50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
6.That Was Your Mother
7.Me & Julio Down By The School Yard
8.The Teacher
9.Spirit Voices
10.Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
11.You Can Call Me Al
12.Old Friends
13.Homeward Bound
14.I am A Rock
15.Darling Lorraine
16.Old
17.The Boy in The Bubble
18.American Tune
19.The Coast
20.Late in the Evening
21.Hurricane Eye
22.Proof
23.Still Crazy After All These Years
24.Mrs. Robinson
25.The Boxer
26.Loves Me Like A Rock
27.Bridge Over Troubled Water with Aaron Neville
2001
US CD. Paul Simon
THE BOXER AND THE BEACON
Night Hawk NH-01001/2
Official Bootleg
Recorded at Beacon Theater, New York. December 8 2000
That's Where I Belong
Graceland
One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor
You're The One
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
That Was Your Mother
Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard
The Teacher
Spirit Voices
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
You Can Call Me Al
Old Friends/Bookends
Homeward Bound
I Am A Rock
Darling Lorraine
Old
The Boy In The Bubble
American Tune
The Coast
Late In The Evening
The Late, Great Johnny Ace
Hurricane Eye
Proof
Still Crazy After All These Years
Pigs, Sheep and Wolves
Mrs Robinson
The Boxer
Kodachrome
2001
¿?CD- Paul Simon
PARIS, FRANCE 2000 PLUS...
Official Bootleg
Purple Chick PC-51/52
New release of Concert In Paris 2000 previously released in year 2000 under title of That´s Where I Belong.
See year 2000 section
2001
¿?CD. Paul Simon
TOWER CENTER
Official Bootleg
Neily Tone
Tracks 1-11: new release of Live At The Tower bootleg from 1980 concert
From Track 12: Audio version of Paul Simon Special 1978
See years 1978 and 1980 sections
2001
Europe CD. Simon & Garfunkel
BROADCAST
StoneAge Music SAM 002
Official Bootleg
1. I Wish You Could Be Here (BBC 1965 Paul)
2. Blessed (BBC 1965 Paul)
3. Bad News Feelin´ (BBC 1965 Paul)
4. Cloudy (BBC 1965 S&G)
5. Can´t Help But Wonder Where I´m Bound (BBC 1965 S&G)
6. Sparrow (BBC 1965 S&G)
7. The Side Of A Hill (BBC 1965 Artie)
8. I Am A Rock (BBC 1965 Paul)
9. A Church Is Burning (BBC 1965 S&G)
10. Anji (BBC 1965 Paul)
11. Carlos Dominguez (Jerry Landis)
12. Richard Cory (Sing Out TV 1966)
13. Sounds Of Silence (Sing Out TV 1966)
14. Homeward Bound (Sing Out TV 1966)
15. A Most Peculiar Man (Sing Out TV 1966)
16. He Was My Brother (Sing Out TV 1966)
17. I Am A Rock (Sing Out TV 1966)
18. Feelin´ Groovy (Smothers Brothers Show 1967)
19. Homeward Bound (Smothers Brothers Show 1968)
20. Overs (Smothers Brothers Show 1968)
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Rehearsal Simon&Garfunkel Story)
22. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Vocals by Paul Simon&Garfunkel Story)
23. The Only Living Boy On NY (Rehearsal Simon&Garfunkel Story)
2001
Europe CD. Simon & Garfunkel
UNSURPASSED MASTERS
StoneAge Music SAM 005
Official Bootleg
New release of Studio Outtakes Bootleg
2001
Canada CD- Simon &Garfunkel
59TH STREET BRIDGE SONG-
Black Rose Entertainment BRCD 2001-044
Oficial Bootleg
Tracks 1-16: Simon&Garfunkel concert in Paris 1970 (new release)
Tracks 17-20: Studio Outtakes 1966-1970
See years 1966 and 1970 sections
2001
US TV Documentary. Ladysmith Black Mambazo
ON TIP TOE: GENTLE STEPS TO FREEDOM
Paul Simon guest appearance on interview and studio takes from Graceland recording
This film got a nomination for Oscar Awards on 2001
2001
Europe CDs. Tom & Jerry
TOM & JERRY COMPLETE RECORDINGS VOL. I AND VOL. II
Purple Chick PC 53 and PC 54
Official Bootleg
2002
Jan 2002
US Magazine – Rolling Stone
Paul Simon´s article
PAUL
SIMON REMEMBERS GEORGE
"He wasn't particularly quiet. He just didn't demand to be
heard."
The rain had lifted and the October sun was warm enough for us to pull on pairs
of galoshes and stroll across the meadow at Friar Park. An afternoon with
George Harrison and his wife, Olivia, was a treat Jeff Kramer (our mutual
friend and manager) and I had promised ourselves to relieve the monotony of
airplanes, hotel rooms and sound checks; the everyday humdrum of musicians on
the road.
I hadn't seen George for several years and was anxious to know, in person, how he was faring after the harrowing attack he'd endured just ten months earlier, on New Year's Eve 1999. "I'm really happy to see you," he said as we shook hands and embraced, "and these days, when I say I'm really happy to see someone, I mean I'm really happy."
He looked healthy and his mood was up as we approached a wooden bridge over a pond of waterlilies. I'd never been to Friar Park before, but the rhythm of the wind in the leaves and the cluster chords of autumn's orange, gold and evergreen made it easy to understand why he'd chosen to spend the last thirty years gradually planting, pruning, editing and reshaping the land while at the time recasting himself from pop-culture icon to master gardener.
The three of us paused for a minute at the crest of a hill to let George catch his breath. Gazing down at the black pond, he told us that there were interconnected caves beneath the water's surface, caves that he'd explored before his lung capacity had been diminished by his battle with cancer and a madman's deranged obsession with celebrity. Every gardener knows nature's random cruelty - frost, drought and predators - but most of us are shocked when jagged violence lunges from the shadows and reveals our own vulnerability.
We walked toward the sun and slipped through a copse of weeping willow. There in the middle of a field of wildflowers were two huge boulders weighing several tons and standing one atop the other like a pair of giant granite acrobats. "Are those the work of a sculptor?" I asked. "No," he said, "they came from opposite ends of the property, but we moved them here and stacked them in this field. Everyone wants to know about them. In fact, when Ringo came round for a visit last summer, he asked about them as well. I told him that Paul's record company had sent them as a promo for his new album, Standing Stone. Ringo was really miffed that he hadn't gotten his standing stones, but I said they'd probably only posted them to A-list people." Liverpool accents always sound to me like a joke is coming, but Harrison's wit was deadpan and dead-on.
The roots of my friendship with George Harrison go back to 1976, when we performed together on Saturday Night Live. Sitting on stools side by side with acoustic guitars, we sang "Here Comes the Sun" and "Homeward Bound." Though we're in the same generation and weaned on Buddy Holly, Elvis and the Everly Brothers, it must have seemed as strange to him to be harmonizing with someone other than Lennon or McCartney as it was for me to blend with someone other than Art Garfunkel. Nevertheless, it was an effortless collaboration. The mesh of his guitar and voice with my playing and singing gave our duet an ease and musicality that made me realize how intrinsic and subtle his contribution was to the Beatles' brilliant creative weave. He made musicians sound good without calling attention to himself.
His songwriting, too, which I always thought to be stylistically close to mine, was gentle and sad with country and skiffle influences rippling beneath his often sardonic lyrics. It all seemed deceptively simple until masterpieces like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something" made people realize that the Beatles had three major writers competing for the limited space of the vinyl LP. They called him "the quiet Beatle," but he wasn't particularly quiet; he simply didn't demand to be heard. He knew who he was, where he'd come from, what he'd accomplished. He wasn't humble, but he projected a humility that implied a vision of his fame seen in a larger context. God gives us color and fragrance, the gardener waters and weeds.
At Friar Park, the rain was threatening an encore, and the English sun sets early at that time of year, so we headed back to the house and the warmth of a fire. Nature's vibrant fall colors are misleading. They imply life and vitality, but they camouflage the muted browns and grays of winter. Soon the leaves will float to the ground and turn to dust, a blanket for a long winter's sleep.
Sitting by the fire, we drank tea and ate chocolate biscuits while George, to my astonishment, played a miniconcert of Hawaiian music on several ukuleles he'd collected on trips to the islands. His playing was clean and bouncy, his voice sounding like an exact duplicate of George Harrison. I could envision him sitting on a stool side by side with Don Ho, making us wonder how we'd missed the whole Don Ho experience that first time around.
Before we left, George showed us a copy of the new Beatles Anthology book and wrote an inscription to Jeff, deftly adding three perfect forgeries of the other Beatles' signatures.
"Why don't you come down and see the show tonight?" We invited him, knowing there was little chance he'd stir from his chair by the fire. "Maybe we will," he said. "If not, thanks for coming by. I'll see you soon, I hope."
On the drive back to London, Kramer told me that George had felt awkward about not offering a copy of the book to me, but he was afraid I might not have great interest in owning one. I said I'd never asked for anyone's autograph, but I was actually a little disappointed that he hadn't made the offer. Two months later, the tour ended, I came home to find a copy of The Beatles Anthology sitting on my desk. "To Paul and Edie," the inscription read, "with lots of love from your pal, George Harrison."
Jan 16 2002
US TV - CBS
MUHAMMAD ALI'S 60TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
· Paul Simon with Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Diamonds On The Sole Of His Shoes with new lyrics:
He's the greatest
He never denied it
He got diamonds on the soles of his shoes.
It's his birthday,
There's no need to hide it
Everybody knows it,
It's all over the news
Sing Ta na na
Ta na na na
He got diamonds on the soles of his shoes
Ta na na
Ta na na na
He got diamonds on the soles of his shoes
Diamonds on the soles of his shoes
Diamonds on the soles of his shoes.
People say he's crazy
He got diamonds on the soles of his shoes
Well, that's one way to lose these
walking blues,
Diamonds on the soles of his shoes.
They used to call him Cassius Clay
Everybody knows who is Muhammed Ali
He's 60 years old
But he's still pretty,
He's wearing diamonds on the soles of his shoes.
And I could say Oo oo oo
As if everybody knows
What I'm talking about
As if everybody here would know
Exactly what I was talking about
Talking about diamonds on the soles of his shoes.
He fought the Thriller in Manilla
And the Rumble in the jungle of Zaire
But he's a man of Peace
That's why I came here
To sing Diamonds on the Soles of His Shoes.
Jan 21 2002
Europe DVD. Paul Simon
THE RUTLES.ALL YOU NEED IS CASH
Studio: Int. Licensing and Copyright Ltd.
DVD Release Date: 29 October, 2001
Run Time: 75 minutes
Jan 31 2002
US concert.
GALA FOR WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel. New York
Paul Simon alongside Bono, Peter Gabriel and Ravir Shankar
Feb 5 2002
US concert. Paul Simon
CHILDREN´S HEALTH FUND BENEFIT CONCERT
Marriott Marquis. New York
· Homeward Bound
· I am a rock
· Love
· Mrs Robinson
· Me and Julio
· The Boxer (encore)
· American Tune (on soundcheck)
CHF raised one million dollars. He only had Vincent, and Mark Stewart and one other guitarist with him, and steve Gadd was there on drums. Emcees are Michael Keaton and "Dateline NBC" anchor Jane Pauley. The event celebrates the15 years since Simon founded the organization with pediatrician/child advocateIrwin Redlener.
Feb 26 2002
US DVD. Simon & Garfunkel
HULLABALOO, VOLS. 9-12 (1965)
MPI Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1965
Run Time: 270 minutes
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Available subtitles: English
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Box set
• Includes six television episodes plus 17 bonus performances
• Full-screen format
May 2002
US Concert. The Jessy Dixon Singers & Paul Simon
Carnegie Hall. New York.
Paul Simon guest vocal perfomance on:
. Bridge Over Troubled Waters
. Gone At Last
July 2002
EUROPEAN TOUR. Paul Simon
July 2 Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
July 3 Brescia, Italy - Piazza Duomo. Summer Festival
July 5 Rome, Italy – Galloppatoio at Villa Borghese. Over 50.000 audience
July 6 Lucca, Italy - Piazza Napoleone. Summer Festival
July 8 Montreux, Switzerland – Stravinsky Auditorium. Jazz Festival
July 10 Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle
July 11 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Ahoy'
July 12 Berlin, Germany - Waldbühne
July 14 Stockholm, Sweden - Skansen Museum
July 16 Pori, Finland - Pori Jazz Festival- Kirjurinluoto concert park
July 18 Molde, Norway - Molde Jazz Festival - Romsdalsmuseet
July 20 Randers, Denmark - Rander's Stadion
July 21 Hamburg, Germany - Stadtpark
July 22 Brusseles, Belgium - Forest National
July 24 Liverpool, England - Kings Dock
July 25 Edinburgh, Scotland - Edinburgh Castle
July 27 Kilkenny, Ireland - Kilkenny Festival
The
Band:
Jay Ashby ‚ trombone, percussion
Jamey Haddad ‚ percussion
Steve Gadd ‚ drums
Jim Heinz ‚ horns
Bakhithi Khumalo ‚ bass
Vincent Nguini ‚ acoustic and electric guitar
Steve Shehan ‚ percussion
Andy Snitzer ‚ horns
Mark Stewart ‚ acoustic and electric guitar, dobro, cello, mandolin, banjo
Setlist Pattern 1:
1) Bridge Over Troubled Water
2) Graceland
3) You're The One
4) 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
5) That Was Your Mother
6) Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard
7) The Teacher
8) Spirit Voices
9)
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
10) You Can Call Me Al
11) The Sound Of Silence
12) Homeward Bound
13) I Am A Rock
14) The Boy In The Bubble
15) The Coast
16) Late In The Evening
17) Hurricane Eye
18) Still Crazy After All These Years
19) Mrs. Robinson
20) The Boxer
21) Loves Me Like A Rock
22) Proof
Setlist Pattern 2:
1) Bridge Over Troubled Water
2) Graceland
3)
You're the One
4) Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover
5) That Was Your Mother
6) Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
7) The Teacher
8) Spirit Voices
9) Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes
10) You Can Call me Al
11) The Sound of Silence
12) Homeward Bound
13) I am a Rock
14) The Boy in the Bubble
15) The Coast
16) Late in the Evening
17) Hurricane Eye
18) Proof
19) Slip Slidin' Away
20) Mrs. Robinson
21) Loves me Like a Rock
22) The Boxer
23) Kodachrome
24) The Cool Cool River
25) Still Crazy After All These Years
July 16 2002
US CD. Simon & Garfunkel
Live From New York City 1967
Sony-Legacy
Official Press Release:
A missing chapter in Simon & Garfunkel's rich musical history will be revealed when Columbia/Legacy releases Live From New York City 1967 in July. The 19-track disc was recorded at Lincoln Center in Manhattan on January 22, 1967, and has never before been officially released as a concert album. Its debut will mark the only official Simon & Garfunkel live album recorded in the '60s, the decade in which the duo rose to worldwide prominence.
The concert features Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in an acoustic setting, performing songs from the three albums they had released up to that date: "Wednesday Morning 3 AM," "The Sounds Of Silence," and "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme." A number of rarities feature on the disc, including "A Church Is Burning," from "The Paul Simon Songbook," the solo album he recorded in early 1965 that has never been issued in the U.S. Also included is "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies" which later appeared as the b-side to their summer 1967 single "Fakin' It."
In 1966, the duo had landed three albums and four singles on the Billboard Top 30 charts, and had toured North America and Europe extensively, including appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show," "Hullabaloo," and "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour."
Every stage of the development of Live From New York City 1967 has been completed under the supervision of Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, and their long-time co-producer and engineer Roy Halee. The complete track listing for the disc:
1. He Was My Brother
2. Leaves That Are Green
3. Sparrow
4. Homeward Bound
5. You Don't Know Where You're Interest Lies
6. A Most Peculiar Man
7. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
8. The Dangling Conversation
9. Richard Cory
10. A Hazy Shade Of Winter
11. Benedictus
12. Blessed
13. A Poem On The Underground Wall
14. Anji
15. I Am A Rock
16. The Sound Of Silence
17. For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her
18. A Church Is Burning
19. Wednesday Morning 3 AM
20.
July 2002
Germany Newspaper- Paul Simon´s interview
When you fall apart, then it gets
hard
Paul Simon talks about his love of the old hits, his partner Art Garfunkel
and America after September 11th.
Paul Simon learnt his first German phrase in Munich: “A room for two people”
was what people told the then 22-year old to say at a hotel, if he wanted to
take a girl back. He never became a sex symbol. Groupies would rather read
their own poetry to him. In the 60’s, America’s young intellectuals chose him
and his partner Art Garfunkel as the central figures of their innocent
gentleness. After the folk-rock duo split up, Simon soon began to put his
weight behind music from South Africa and Brazil – and the exotic musicians for
themselves. In 1993 the winner of 13 Grammies gave the biggest open-air concert
in rock history to an audience of 750,000 in New York Central Park. Eleven
years later, Paul Simon is back in Munich once again. This Tuesday in the
Olympiahalle he will be giving the first of 17 concerts on his European tour
(21 hours).
SZ: Isn’t it unusual
for you to go on tour with no new album?
Simon: I don’t need to sell albums, I play for the pleasure of playing.
It’s time I was back on the scene. If I stay away from the stage for too long,
I get rusty. And this is perhaps the last time that I will tour with these
musicians, who I’ve been working with for a very long time and consider to be
my friends. My next record will be quite different.
SZ: Would like to
give us an idea of what it will be like?
Simon: I’ve only just
begun and the sounds which appeal to me in the end have yet to be created.
SZ: Are you
experimenting again with “world” music?
Simon: No, I don’t
have that in mind. In the main, I compose something on the guitar and then make
songs out of that. There are no cultural references, as in “The Capeman” and
“Graceland”.
SZ: It has been
announced that you will play all your hits on your European tour, but it has
often been said that you can’t stand hearing songs like “Bridge over Troubled
Waters” played in lifts and hotel bars as “muzak”.
Simon: No, quite the
opposite. I enjoy these songs. Besides, I haven’t made any announcements at
all. The promoters do that and of course they promise people the things which
will sell the most tickets. I’m keeping my choice of material open. It may well
be that I sing “Bridge over Troubled Waters”, but differently. For years we
have been looking for the musical heart of these songs and trying to do it
justice.
SZ: Your songs are
not so rebellious as those of Bob Dylan with whom you were on tour recently.
Yet you do generate strong political reactions: after the South Africa project
“Graceland”, you were accused of supporting Apartheid. After “The Capeman”,
Puerto Ricans complained that you were characterising them as criminals,
disparaging them. Why are you so often misunderstood?
Simon: I don’t know
whether these people are being honest or are badly informed or whether they are
just seeking attention. If an outsider criticises Paul Simon, then that’s what
the press publishes and I am asked to state what my position is. I don’t take
such agitations very seriously.
SZ: Have the attacks
of September 11th changed the life and work of the American songwriter?
Simon: Yes, but it is
difficult to say just how. Awareness of reality changed on September 11th. Even
if I don’t refer to the subject directly in my songs, it has an influence on
everything.
SZ: When you sing the
Simon and Garfunkel song “America” now, do you want to convey a different
message to the people of America about your country than you did before?
Simon: Time changes
the messages which songs convey. Some songs become more important, some say
more about the time from which they come. “America” is a song of the sixties, a
much more innocent period, an idealised, mythical decade.
SZ: Neil Young
released a contradictory song, which many people disapproved of, about 11
September, called “Lets’ roll for justice, let’s roll for freedom”.
Simon: Who criticised
him?
SZ: To many European
newspapers, the tone of the song was too reactionary, nationalistic, vengeful.
Simon: Well, in
Europe, yes. It looks to us, as if the Europeans have failed to assess the
situation properly. That isn’t true in our case. At the end of the day, the two
continents, allies though they may be, are also in competition, especially in
business. America is coming in for a lot of criticism lately – understandable
from the perspective of other people. I’d say, from an American perspective,
that the country is quite united in its feelings and its sense of right and
wrong. On the other hand, our opinion is based on information from the media
and you form your opinion from information provided by the media. And who do
the media belong to? A handful of people, normally the same ones.
SZ: When you were
accepted into the rock music Hall of Fame as a solo performer, you said in your
speech that you would like to make amends with Art Garfunkel (with whom you
once shared this honour). How far have you progressed?
Simon: I said I
thought it was a shame that our friendship had ended. I don’t want to have any
bad feelings towards anyone with whom I have shared some of the finest moments
of my life. We last worked together over nine years ago and it was extremely
unpleasant. It’s not an experience I want to repeat. He is an important part of
my life, I wish him all the best, what we created together will carry on. But
there are too many obstacles and we do not get along well together.
SZ: In the song “Old”
on your most recent album, “You’re the One”, you sing: “I am not old, God is
old”. You still look very well at 60. Do you feel apprehensive about what life
will be like in 20 years time?
Simon: I suppose that
I am in better health now than I will be 20 years’ time. I don’t really feel
apprehensive. I don’t know what my life will be like in 20 years’ time, or even
if I’ll be around in 20 years. Growing old is a good thing as long as you are
robust in body and mind. You know more and have the chance to become wise. But
when you fall apart, then it gets hard. Everyone knows that we don’t live
forever. We can try to suppress things or we can accept them. The older I get,
the more I experiment with suppressing and accepting, so that I can find out
who I am and what life is all about. I have 4 children and 2 of them are young.
I only hope that I can be there for my family for a long time yet. It all
depends on the will of God.
SZ: The good thing
about the song is that you don’t take yourself seriously in it.
Simon: That’s right,
I like it very much and it also happens to be the song which I will open the
show with.
Aug 2002
Italy CD- Paul Simon
PAUL SIMON IN PIAZZA NAPOLEONE- Bootleg
Audience recording of July 6 2002 concert at Piazza Napoleone. Summer Festival. Lucca, Italy
Aug 2002
¿?CD- Paul Simon
EDIMBURGH CASTLE 2002- Bootleg
Audience recording of July 25 concert at Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh, Scotland
Aug 2002
Also available unofficial bootlegs of audience recording from the concerts at Hambourg, Brescia, Rome, Montreux, Berlin, Rotterdam, Brussels and Liverpool from 2002 Tour
August 21 2002
US Concert. Paul Simon
BENEFIT CONCERT FOR DENIS CRAINE
East Hampton University. New York
Denis Craine is an activist very friend of Paul Simon who is suffering of a strange desease, the concert is managed to pay his medical cares.
1. America
2. Boy in the Bubble
3. 50 ways me and Julio
4. Graceland
5. Slip Slidin Away
6. Mrs Robinson
7. The Boxer with extra verse
Paul´s Band: Vincent Nguini, Bakhiti Khumalo, Tony Cedras and Steve Gadd.
The other performers in this show: The Bridgehampton Gospel Choir; Phoebe Snow; Suzanne Vega and Garland Jeffries Band
Sep 2002
US CD- Various
THE VERY BEST OF MTV UNPLUGGED
· Track 8: Paul Simon : Mrs. Robinson
Oct 10 2002
UK Book
PAUL SIMON: DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY
By Laura Jackson
Nov 5 2002
US CD- Paul Simon
THE PAUL SIMON COLLECTION. On My Way. Don´t Know Where I´m Goin´
WBR R2 73774
DISC 1:
1. Mother And Child Reunion
2. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
3. Kodachrome
4. Something So Right
5. Loves Me Like A Rock
6. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
7. Still Crazy After All These Years
8. Late In The Evening
9. Slip Slidin' Away
10. Hearts And Bones
11. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
(single version)
12. Boy In The Bubble, The
(single version)
13. Graceland
14. You Can Call Me Al
15. Spirit Voices
16. Cool, Cool River, The
17. Adios Hermanos
18. Love
19. Hurricane Eye
DISC 2: LIVE BONUS DISC
1. American Tune
2. Duncan - (previously unreleased)
3. Coast, The - (previously unreleased)
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water
(previously unreleased, featuring Aaron Neville)
5. Mrs. Robinson - (previously unreleased)
Nov 11 2002
US Concert. Paul Simon
Benefit Concert and Awards Ceremony: MANHATTAN RHAPSODY
Avery Fisher Hall. Lincoln Centre. NYC
Paul Simon, Woody Allen, Wynton Marsalis, Patti LuPone and Bernadette Peters
A star-studded salute to the indomitable spirit of New York. Jazz at Lincoln Center's annual benefit concert and awards ceremony is the highlight of the New York City social calendar. A special evening dedicated to the Big Apple.
· American Tune
· I'll take Manhatten ( cover of Rodgers and Hart)
Paul did both songs with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - led by Wynton Marsalis. On American Tune he played his acoustic guitar. On the cover song, he was just hanging out snapping his fingers and singing like he was in a 40's big band
Nov 2002
US Promo Single CD- Paul Simon
FATHER AND DAUGHTER
Nick Jive CDs
The New song writen by Paul Simon for The Wild Thornberrys movie soundtrack
Nov 26 2002
US CD- Paul Simon & Others
THE WILD THORNBERRIES SOUNDTRACK
Nick Jive CDs 01241-48503-2
· Track 1: FATHER AND DAUGHTER (new song writen by Paul Simon for this movie )
Paul Simon: Vocals, Electric Nylon and Acoustic Hi String Guitars. Vincent Nguini: Acoustic Guitar. Steve Gadd: Drums. Abe Laboriel: Bass. Adrian Simon: Background Vocals. Recorded and Mixed by Andy Smith at Hit Factory, NYC. Produced by Paul Simon
Dec 2002
US Videoclip- Paul Simon
FATHER AND DAUGHTER
Dec 7 2002
US Award. Paul Simon
KENNEDY CENTER HONORS
White House, Washington
Founded in 1978, the honors pay tribute to those who have made "a lifetime contribution to American culture through the performing arts" and are chosen by a committee of fellow artists. Previous recipients include Bob Dylan, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
This year's Kennedy Center Honors was bestowed December 7 at a dinner bash hosted by Secretary of State Colin Powell who hosted a Saturday evening State Department dinner where the honorees were officially given their awards. The Secretary of State called Paul Simon "kind of a street guy from New York like me”.
Dec 8 2002
US Award. Paul Simon
KENNEDY CENTER HONORS
White House, Washington DC
The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts
Per tradition, President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush did a White House meet-and-greet on December 8, followed by a gala performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (CBS taped the performance and broadcast it later in the month.) . Bush hailed Simon for writing "some of the most memorable songs of our times"
Later this same Sunday 8 in the Gala at JF Kennedy Center Alice Keys performed Bridge Over Troubled and Water Alison Krauss performed 'The Boxer' with James Taylor in honor of Paul Simon at the Kennedy Center Honors 25th Anniversary show in Washington DC.
The other honorees in 2002 along Paul Simon are actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Chita Rivera, actor James Earl Jones and James Levine, the artistic director of New York's Metropolitan Opera House.
Dec 8 2002
US Interview. Paul Simon
The Washington Post
Old Friends: Paul Simon And His Songwriting Muse
By David Segal
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 8, 2002; Page G01
NEW YORK
Afew Wednesdays ago late in the afternoon, a group of teenage girls came bounding out of Colony, a fluorescently lit music and record store at 48th Street and Broadway. They formed an impromptu little circle and began to sing at a volume that was hard to ignore, even during a rush hour that had turned the blocks around Times Square into a honking jumble.
Paul Simon stood about 10 feet away. Wearing a baseball cap and a weathered leather jacket, he went unnoticed by everyone except a guy selling cigarette lighters from a tray ("You smoke, Paul?"). He had just spent a ruminative hour in an interview, sifting through his life and music, and now he was heading to a screening of the new Harry Potter film, which he would see with one of his young sons. He was running late, but when the spontaneous concert began, he paused, then tilted his head slightly and listened to a couple of sloppy verses.
"That's cool," he said quietly. He was beaming.
The song was kiddie R&B stuff, helium compared with the heft of just about anything Simon has ever written. But he didn't care about the song. What captivated Simon was the unglued spirit that had moved these sidewalk Supremes to their full-throated warble.
"That's the power of music," he added, nodding.
He took in another verse, grinned some more and then got a little wistful.
"My music used to have that power," he said, matter-of-factly. "Now it has a different kind of power."
Another pause. Simon is a deliberate thinker who would rather get the sentiment right than express it in haste.
"When you're young and your music has that power, you think you'll have that power forever." He shrugged a little. "But the truth is, you don't."
For any singer-songwriter, an award that honors a career, rather than merely a hit or an album, is sure to dredge up some big fat unnerving questions about the past and present. But Paul Simon probably didn't need a plaque from the Kennedy Center to kick-start the deep thoughts. The guy was born to contemplate, and since the mid-'60s, when he and Art Garfunkel had fans in turtlenecks pondering the sound of silence, he has turned those cogitations into reams of melodious poetry.
Early on, he penned songs of such lyrical richness and ethereal harmony that they still resonate like prayers on wax. He told stories ("The Boxer"), inspired ("Bridge Over Troubled Water") and sent the country in search of a campfire to sing around ("Homeward Bound"). His solo career, which began in 1970, produced some high-profile duds, like 1983's "Hearts and Bones," and his catastrophic Broadway musical, "The Capeman," which closed soon after it opened in 1998. But Simon's creative wanderings paid off in hits ("Kodachrome" and "Loves Me Like a Rock," to name a couple) and critically acclaimed global adventures (most notably "Graceland"). Along the way came original hybrids of jazz, zydeco and reggae. His last album, "You're the One," sold about half a million copies -- well short of his bestsellers -- but received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
It's a canon that places him among the great American songwriters in the 20th century. So why oh why is Paul Simon sweating the 21st?
"When you get an award and it's a significant national award, it places you in a perspective," he says, sitting on a sofa in his office in midtown Manhattan. "I think it's interesting to stop and actually look at that perspective." But he noted, a little solemnly, "It's not necessarily my perspective." He stirred himself a little to focus on the upside. "I think it's fun to take a minute and say, 'Thank you very much. I appreciate the affection.' "
He may have to get used to it. The people who run the Grammy Awards just announced that Simon and Garfunkel would receive a lifetime achievement award at the next ceremony, in February. (So will Etta James, Tito Puente, Johnny Mathis and Glenn Miller.)
Simon is still writing, though at what he describes as a painstaking pace, and the frisson of crafting songs that matter to the masses is alive and well, roughly 45 years after he first entered a studio. (He is now 61.) He realizes it's time for a bow, and he'll take one with gratitude. But he hopes the theater of his creative life has more acts to come.
"I'm as patient as I can be with it," he says of recent songwriting efforts. "My instinct is to hurry, but it won't do me too much good to hurry up."
Simon has a suite of offices in the Brill Building, the legendary working address of the hit songwriting teams in the pre-Beatles days, like Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Near the receptionist's desk in the front room is a round glass case filled with Grammys. A dozen or so platinum records, each representing sales of 1 million albums, are tacked up on an adjacent wall.
Simon's office, which is behind some double doors, feels like a living room decorated by a frequent flier. There's a deep sofa, a couple of comfy chairs, and walls lined with souvenirs: a signed photo of Joe DiMaggio, trinkets from Africa and South America, a shot of the railway station in England where he wrote "Homeward Bound." In one corner is a piano, in another the stand-up bass that belonged to his father, now deceased, who was a professional musician.
"My dad thought it was a good field to get yourself through college," Simon says, recalling his father's attempts to dissuade him from a musical career. "But what I was heading out to be was really more than a musician, because I was writing. I was training to be a recording artist, and that's another career."
Simon is shy and guarded. He politely deflects questions about his third wife, Edie Brickell, who had a singing career in the '80s and '90s, as well as questions about their three young kids and how he spends a typical day. He is slight and his speaking voice is thin, making him seem both fragile and weighted down. He speaks in paragraphs that unspool in something close to slow motion. When the subject of songwriting comes up, he slows down even further.
"A lot of it is just gathered thoughts or phrases that coalesce into something, and some of it is just the sound of the words with the melodies," he says. "A lot of it doesn't make any sense for a long time and then starts to make sense, and the ones that do make sense I refine."
Simon is an inveterate polisher and retooler, known for honing new songs for weeks or months before recording them. But his great creative jumps have taken him a little by surprise, he says, as though they arrived in a brown package from another Zip code.
" 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' Where'd that come from?" Simon wondered in a way that suggested he didn't have a clue. "There was a qualitative leap when I wrote 'Bridge.' I thought it was better, the same way I thought 'Sounds of Silence' was better."
"When I wrote, 'Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio,' " he continued, reciting the line from "Mrs. Robinson," "I wondered, 'What does that have to do with 'The Graduate'?" -- the 1967 film for which Simon and Garfunkel provided one of the great movie soundtracks -- " 'Can I say that? I'll just say it. It sounds right.' "
Much of the raw material comes from phrases that he stumbles into. "Mother and Child Reunion," for instance, sprang not from anything heartwarmingly familial; it was the name of a dish in a Chinese restaurant that included both chicken and egg.
"Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" was inspired by a playground that he used to pass by. Thinking about it one day, Simon started to sing the words "Me and Julio," and for some reason, it just tickled him.
"That was 30 years ago," he recalls, "and Julio was not a name you'd hear in a popular song. It might have been a name you knew about in East Los Angeles or New York, but not anywhere else. It was unusual to give a character that name." Simon kept strumming and kept grinning.
Eventually, his tickle became a Top 40 hit.
Simon was born in Newark and raised in Queens along with his younger brother, Eddie. As a kid he listened to his dad's band and the Latin group that alternated with it at Roseland, as well as endless hours of New York radio in the mid- and late '50s. The germination of all his stylistic crossbreeding, he says, started then.
"I have a perfect aural memory. It turns out that I remember sounds in more striking detail than I would have thought given the amount of attention that I thought I was paying."
Years after the fact, he vividly recalled the pleasure of hearing a tenor sax and a baritone sax played together. "I heard it on a record called 'Eddie My Love.' It was an early sound that went away. Many of those sounds went away, like acoustic piano and vibraphone. They disappeared, but they were good sounds, and at a certain point I became more curious about sounds and why they mixed."
He met Art Garfunkel in grade school and, with the Everly Brothers on their minds, the two formed Tom & Jerry and recorded a teen trifle called "Hey, School Girl." It rose to No. 49 on the Cash Box charts and landed the two on "American Bandstand." Simon was 16 years old. But follow-ups flopped, and Simon headed to Queens College, where he majored in English and then had an academically disappointing, and brief, experience at law school.
He and Garfunkel crossed paths again and eventually recorded an album called "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.," released in 1964, which sold miserably.
So Simon flew to England, where he performed throughout the country. He recalls it as one of the happiest periods of his life.
"There was a good place for me, and I had great friends. I was living a kind of youth life, a no-responsibility youth life, and playing music probably four or five nights a week. It was a very free period, the last period of my life when I was not famous."
Unbeknown to Simon, a producer took "The Sound of Silence," an acoustic cut from "Wednesday," and added a rhythm section. It caught on, and by 1966, Simon and Garfunkel were the literate New York voice of the '60s folk-rock boom. Four studio albums as a duo would follow.
"That was a great period, too," he says. "Except towards the end."
When Simon went solo there were skeptics, including super-producer Clive Davis, who is usually clairvoyant on these matters but who firmly told Simon he would fail on his own. He didn't. His self-titled debut, released in '72, won raves and was a modest commercial success. The follow-up, "There Goes Rhymin' Simon," fared even better. By then, Paul Simon's credibility as a solo artist was no longer in doubt.
Not until the soundtrack to "One Trick Pony," a 1980 movie he wrote and starred in, did Simon stumble. By 1986, when he began to make "Graceland," a collaboration with the South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, he had, as he puts it, fallen out of fashion. Which, artistically speaking, helped.
"I didn't think 'Graceland' was particularly risky, because I don't think I had a whole lot to risk. The album before it was 'Hearts and Bones,' and it was my least successful album in terms of sales. . . . I was already out. Given the fact that nobody was paying any attention and nobody was looking over my shoulder and asking to listen to a couple tracks, it allowed for a certain freedom that was very beneficial to the record."
It's a freedom, for better or worse, he feels now. There was the "Capeman" disaster, and though Simon is proud of his last album, "You're the One," it yielded little feedback, something he still craves. What the Rolling Stones are doing now -- selling out stadiums by reliving the "Jumpin' Jack Flash" years -- holds no appeal, he says. "Creatively," he says in a tone that apologizes for such bluntness, "they're dead."
"My writing still has a purpose and a meaning. It's very hard to keep a perspective about it. I don't really know if I'm going to succeed, and I don't know how you measure that success. Success can be measured in so many ways."
After a Muse-less spell, inspiration is returning in what he calls a trickle, and he's spending long hours trying to coax more magic from his guitar, playing scales and arpeggios so repetitiously that he says it would drive any listener mad. Four songs have been written, and he thinks a theme will emerge eventually. It's a start. If Simon's innermost wish is granted, the fruits of this struggle will echo someday on a street corner near you.
2002
US Soundtrack movie CD- Paul Simon
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (COLLECTOR´S EDITION) CD
Hollywood Records
· Track 4 - Paul Simon: Me&Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Dec 10 2002
US CD- Soundtrack
MAID IN MANHATTAN
·Track 9: Kathy´s song performed by Eva Cassidy
.Track 10: Me&Julio Down By The Schoolyard performed by Paul Simon
© Jose Maria Escudero 2003