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Klausi
Apr-09-2009, 16:43 GMT
Germany

Thank you Ian, for this comment. I saw that my point came from a time about three months before the release of Surprise when everybody was eagerly expecting something new from Simon and a new thread was somehow more appreciated than in recent years.

I´m glad you have the chance to see S&G after all these years and not said about this at all, because the people in East Asia will enjoy it after more than 25 years.

When times get more quiet, I would like to discuss Simon`s relationship to other musicians. Not only with whom he worked, also whose guys he mentioned in his songs, apart from the movie One-trick pony. More than I first thought.

And it was only in the late seventies when he began to sing with other pop-stars.

mog
Apr-09-2009, 17:18 GMT
Canada

This has already been discussed I presume many times.

For the time being, I refer to an interview Simon gave to a late TV program in the US following Surprise, where he said he was believing in God, but he was not very keen on organized religions, saying that he did not like being told what to read or what to think. He added that he would certainly not kill anyone in the name of this God (which is quite a good attitude btw!).

Religion and Simon songs...interesting topic for a master thesis.

The Obvious Child is penetrated by religion themes. "Some people say the sky is just the sky..., but why deny the obvious child?"

As for Old, I think it is a mystake to say that Coran and Bible are the greatest stories ever told, although it made a good rhyme at the time. As I have often mentionned, I have always implied the link between the disappearance of this song in PS répertoire and the aftermath of Sept. 11 attacks.

Scaaty
Apr-09-2009, 19:32 GMT
Ireland

The Koran, Bible and Thorah are fundemently the same book as befits the the origin of these three monothesitic religions (excuse spellings). I would like to think that Paul Simon would be at one with the US president in not blaming 9/11 on Islam.

Its one characteristic of Paul which I am not sure I like - his tendancy to sit on the fence. He says he is not religious yet there is such religious imagery in his songs. he also maintains he is not a Democrat, yet I can´t imagine him ever voting for Bush, Nixon, or Reagan and any politician he has supported has been Democrat!

mog
Apr-09-2009, 21:14 GMT
Canada

I Love the line in "I don´t Believe"...something like we are not born to be a sheep in a flock, to pantomime prayers with the hands of a clock". Great lyricist at work...

In Love as well...the chosen people, the burning cathedrals...

Klausi
Apr-10-2009, 09:56 GMT
Germany

My feeling is that we are living in a time where single persons - excepting Dictators like Mr. Kim, Mugabe, Castro, Gadafi and soon Hugo Chavez - have not the power they always seem to have.

In a system where every 4 or 5 years elections are hold, you cannot expect the responsible persons are aware of what is right. They do what makes them reelected.

This is very human, not humanity.

Reagan was great, together with Gorbatchov he achieved the end of the cold war, and Simon would never deny this, as he would never deny that Bush junior was a flop.

Nikki
Apr-10-2009, 12:17 GMT
Australia

They´re great lines Mog, some of my favourites too.

Did Paul really say he´s not a Democrat? Didn´t he host that fundraising party for Kerry?

Mimi
Apr-10-2009, 13:35 GMT
Austria

As far as I remeber he said, that he is no member of the Democratic Party.

I can relate to that. I have my preferences when it comes to politics but I don´t want to be a member of a certain party.

mog
Apr-10-2009, 15:21 GMT
Canada

In a UK radio interview during Surprise time, Simon insisted that he was *not* a Democrat, and that he was rather anti-politics.

Strange words for someone who we see with the Pelosi of this world, but I guess the causes (e.g. health care for children) and the people (Todd) overide the said words.

PAul
Apr-10-2009, 19:24 GMT
Unknown

Dear friends, you forgot this song:
"How can you be a Christian?
How can you be a Jew?
How can you be a Muslim,
a Buddhist, a Hindu?
How can you?

Weak as the winter sun, we enter life on earth.
Names and religion come just after date of birth.
Then everybody gets a tongue to speak,
and everyone hears an inner voice.
A day at the end of the week to wonder and rejoice."

Also i remember a song Blessed, which is also connected with a church (or cathedral) in Soho, London.

Cheers, PAul

Kuno
Apr-10-2009, 19:47 GMT
Switzerland

As the late great George Carlin said:

The only good thing ever to come out of religion was the music.

Forum guest
Apr-11-2009, 22:30 GMT
Ireland

The answer to the question is Yes.
The answer to the question is No. The answer to the question is simple - Paul Simon MUST sit on the fence Scaaty from Ireland because if he were to tell you what he had for breakfast you would want to know what he had for lunch and so on. Why do people need to know everything about people who create music or art in general? The answer is simple. People are weak and need to believe that someone they admire is just like them, weak and human. For Paul Simon to share his thoughts on everything you would want to know would be the same as burning his entire cataloge of music. All you need from him is his music and songs, he has given more than enough of himself in his work. Let him have his private thoughts.Perhaps Paul Simon is not as weak as those who seek the answers, perhaps he puts dignity and privacy for himself and his family before ego stroking and vanity, or perhaps he is the same as you and i, human. One thing he does know though - ITS GODS WILL, JUST LIKE HE WATERS THE FLOWERS ON YOUR WINDOW SILL.

Scaaty
Apr-12-2009, 23:53 GMT
Ireland

Hi forum guest from Ireland, If Paul Simon mentioned what he had for breakfast sure I´d be interested in that, but I wouldn´t then go scouring the pages of Now! to find out what he had for lunch. I certainly wouldn´t like him to be like our own U2 with a public political opinion about everything or Sir Bob who seems to have offered his kids up to the slaughter in the D celeb game. But as so many of PS´s songs mention God, it would be interesting to know what he really thinks. Also he does go public in his support of various politicians.
Bruce Springsteen came out very publicly against the Iraq war, if PS had came out at the same time and released Wartime Prayers what an anthem!
I wonder if he´ll send Seamus Heaney a card for his 70th birthday:)

Forum guest
Apr-13-2009, 20:45 GMT
Ireland

Hi Scaaty. I wouldnt like to, for many reasons, comment on other musicians and their outward projections of themselves and their ideas etc, but i would like to know what you think of PS as a person, from what you know,from what he has projected in his lifetime,not just in music. In your opinion.

Scaaty
Apr-13-2009, 21:27 GMT
Ireland

Interesting question, Paul Simon´s music to pardon an Old cliche is the sound track of my life. he is far more intelligent than your average pop star. from most Interviews I´ve heard he sounds like my kind of person. The charity he supports is a wonderful worthwhile project.
Yet, many music lovers I know seem to have a negative view of him as being mean, difficult and egotistical. To listen to Irish radio - he is not as warmly regarded as say Leonard cohen or Bob Dylan. While any of the solo concerts I´ve attended he appears to have a very warm presence on stage, I did not like his persona at the S&G concert at the RDS, where he seemed to be making Artie grovel all the time, although the jokes were well worn through the complete tour. I did like his opening remark at the start of that concert paying homage to Seamus Heaney.

What would you think?

Ian
Apr-14-2009, 05:39 GMT
USA - United Staates America

Scaaty,I thought you would have loved the thought of Art having to grovel to Paul. There seems to be lot of that sentiment expressed here recently. I think Paul is a serious ´looking´ guy,and hence people have a slightly skewed sense of him as a man. As you say,and I concur,that many people think Paul is smug,self satisfied,and yes, egotistical. What I would say is that anyone with his particular talents,has a right to expect that people be aware of the many great pieces of art he is responsible for. Most of the things that I personally want to know about Paul (but have no right to expect),are usually musically related,ie-why did he use that chord,how did ´that´ piece of melody evolve etc. Paul,I believe,likes to talk about the composition process,so maybe it wouldn´t be as invasive as a religious enquiry,but after all is said,he has given us SO MUCH already,we shouldn´t ever expect more than that.

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