Forum Mainpage

Start a new Thread

Bottom

Page: [1]

Helen
Feb-25-2010, 12:48 GMT
Australia

Original video clips include Me and julio, You Can Call Me Al (with chevy Chase), The Boy In The Bubble, Diamonds, The Obvious Child, and
Father and daughter.

I was never a real fan of Paul Simon (until now) although I knew all these hits, and all the videos have come back to me now.

I always loved the video of ´You can Call me Al´ with Chevy Chase, they were both so funny, directed by Gary Weis who was with Saturday Night Live . I´ve used up plenty of bandwidth watching this on youtube.

Can anyone remember why the video of ´Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard´ was made in 1988, when song was released in 1972? My kids enjoyed this one. Can´t believe the double dutch skipping these girls did, absolutely amazing. Were kids really able to do this ? Skipping is really a thing of the past in our playgrounds. This should be promoted as a sport.

I remember ´the boy in the Bubble´ and Diamonds videos but didn´t take a lot of notice when they came out. I was into ´Pink floyd´ for a few years.
I didn´t think I even knew ´The Obvious Child´ at all, but I do remember vaguely this video. This one is now my second favourite of the videos, and one of my favourite songs of PS. I never thought I´d say this but I think I´ll buy the kids a drum and drumsticks.

I took my kids to see The Wild Thornberry´s movie back in 2002, and it did give me a thrill then to see the ´Father and Daughter´ video in the movie.

Love the TV appearances chatting with Dick Cavett 1970, brilliant improvising with the guitar on Mrs Robinson, SNL appearance with Sweeney sisters are outrageously funny, Homeward Bound with George Harrison beautiful (I would love to have the ´Here comes the sun´ half of this broadcast).
Not wrapped in ´Loves Me Like A Rock´ performance, I was never sure if this song was serious or not.

Sorry about the length of this post.

Helen
Feb-26-2010, 01:57 GMT
Australia

I discovered a bit more of this same appearance on Dick Cavett show, Paul playing guitar and talking about how he wrote BOTW.

http://www.amazon.com/Lyrics-1964-2008-Paul-Simon/
dp/141658692X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&q
id=1226359997&sr=1-1

brenda
Feb-26-2010, 11:32 GMT
Australia

Helen , my Essential dvd and cd set arrived today. only took two weeks . dvd played on my dvd recorder. no probs. Just had a quick look as got my grandchildren but will enjoy it tomorrow.just checked out the Dick Cavatt show. really intersting.

Helen
Feb-26-2010, 20:03 GMT
Australia

You can get THE DICK CAVETT SHOW - ROCK ICONS DVD but this appearance doesn´t seem to be on it.
PS appearances are September 5, 1974
`American Tune� ` Paul Simon
`Still Crazy After All These Years� ` Paul Simon
`Loves Me Like A Rock� ` Paul Simon with The Jessy Dixon Singers
`Bridge Over Troubled Water� ` Paul Simon with The Jessy Dixon Singers

Might be worth having. I like the `Still Crazy After All These Yearsâ? appearance I´ve seen on youtube. There´s a whole disc devoted to Janis Joplin in 69 - 70.

Helen
Feb-28-2010, 11:51 GMT
Australia

Just popped into JB HIFI today (excuse was to pick up CD for my son) but had a quick look for Paul Simon stuff on off chance I might find something interesting, and found the DVD of Graceland (Classic album series), i.e. making of Graceland.
Talks about why Hearts And Bones wasn´t promoted and was a flop. Very interesting is how he wrote ´You Can Call Me Al´ and what the lyrics mean. Has clips of The Boy In The Bubble, and You can call me Al with Chevy chase. Talks about Graceland the song, at the time it was the favourite song he had ever written.

Lots of good stuff, worth the $10.

brenda
Feb-28-2010, 12:26 GMT
Australia

Helen, you are certainly building up your collection. agree its very intersting,I loved the duet with Linda Ronstad.

gerard
Mar-01-2010, 03:04 GMT
New Zealand

The Dick Cavett Rock Icons is very good, and maybe I´m biased but the Paul Simon episode is the best. He plays a song he was still working on which became Still Crazy, is asked about who are the great songwriting geniuses, about comments how rockstars are overpaid (that was 1974, I wonder what he thinks now?). The songs with Jessy Dixon SIngers are excellent (again biased because this is the era that converted me to being a big Paul Simon fan).

The other really good episode on this DVD is the one that had Janis Joplin and Rachael Welsh and 2 other guests. The pairing of Joplin and Welsh is such a contrast. I was too young back then to appreciate what a stunner Rachael Welsh was - and an intelligent person too which is very easy to overlook.

gerard
Mar-01-2010, 06:57 GMT
New Zealand

"Very interesting is how he wrote You Can Call Me Al and what the lyrics mean."


Until I watched the Making Graceland Documentary it never occured to me that "short little span of attention" mean´t anything other than a memory failing with age :-)

This is such an easy song to underestimate (and a good example of what is great about his music, with twists and turns and double meanings).

It appears as just a great tune about nothing, but if you spend the time and scratch below the surface it has so much going on that is both dark and real and funny.

It is the one song that has surfaced in my mind on 2 separate Paul Simon occassions.

The first was my first big trip overseas on my own in June 1999. I travelled from New Zealand to go to 3 Paul Simon/Bob Dylan concerts in Southern California. First concert was at Anaheim on Fathers Day 20th June (which Paul Simon referred to his absence from his family on that day). And for me the same applied being 12 hours flying time away from my wife and 2 young children and in a foreign land (that drives on the other side of the road!). I recall especially appreciating the lyric to Call Me Al in the context of my situation "where´s my wife and family, what if I die here" and "He is a foreign man, he is surrounded by the sound, the sound of cattle (I subbed Cars for cattle - which seemed appropriate for LA) in the marketplace".

The next ocassion was another big overseas trip to go to Paul Simon concerts July 2002, first concert being in Brussels 22nd July. On the way I spent a few days in Rome and on entering St Peters Cathederal the first thing that came into my head was the line "angels in the archetecture, spinning in infinity". Seemed a very apt description of the place both in archetectural and historical/religeous terms.

Anyway, apart from the trip itself (which had many highlights) the 4 Paul Simon concerts were an absolute thrill for 4 different reasons. Working backwards, the last concert was an outdoor concert (all day festival) and Paul Simon was the last act and was the last concert of his 2002 tour - 20,000 wonderfully appreciative music loving Irish people singing along to almost all of the songs in the 2 1/4 hour show. I don´t think I have been to a better concert in my life (maybe equaled by a few other Paul Simon concerts). Concert 3 was at Edinburgh with the castle at the backdrop behind the stage. Concert 2 was with 4,000 people in a tent at Liverpool - again a great singalong atmosphere and perfect place and crowd to share the experience.

The first concert was in Brussels and the thrill for me was getting the opportunity to meet and talk with Paul Simon backstage. It was a thrill and so nice to have a real conversation with someone I had admired for the quality, passion and care taken in his work over a 30 year period. During the conversation I recalled my visit to St Peters the week before and how the lines from Call Me Al immediately came into my head. I asked Paul if it was a place such as that that inspired those lines. Sadly his answer to me was that in truth most of the time he doesn´t know where they come from.


backstage

come to miis fun,

brenda
Mar-01-2010, 07:40 GMT
Australia

Can anyone remember why the video of ´Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard´ was made in 1988, when song was released in 1972?
n 1988, Simon released a video for the song to promote his greatest hits compilation, Negotiations And Love Songs. The video features an introduction by rappers Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie. The video depicts adults interacting with the youth of an inner city schoolyard where they dealt drugs. It shows Simon playing basketball and baseball with the children, and it also features basketball player Spud Webb, baseball legend Mickey Mantle, and football coach/commentator John Madden giving tips to young athletes.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ans
Mar-01-2010, 10:02 GMT
Netherlands

I think this information is right. Paul also was a big Micky Mantle fan and loved that he could play ball with him. I think he would have loved to use Mantle´s name in Mrs. Robinson but the name didn´t fit the song well. Making a video with Micky kind of made up for that (just my thoughts)

At Songfacts there is a interesting thread about the meaning of the song.

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2634

Helen
Mar-01-2010, 12:05 GMT
Australia

Hi Gerard,

You are so lucky to have been able to travel to so many concerts in different countries, all the way from New Zealand. New zealand is the only other country I´ve been to, and its the closest one. My husband is from NZ (Christchurch) and we travelled around the country for our honeymoon (20 years ago on wednesday, actually ). Have been several times since.

I knew that ´You Can Call Me Al´ was about Paul himself, after he´d written it he realised that this guy was himself. There sure is much more to the lyrics than on the surface. "short little span of attention" is a penis joke, I get it now. All the fears piling up, he begins to not like this guy, too much complaining. He ends up in a foreign country, and its become a spiritual journey. Sums up the journey to the Graceland album really. I´m sure this album and its success must have been very satisfying and the journey enlightening.

brenda
Mar-02-2010, 00:11 GMT
Australia

I think this information is right. Paul also was a big Micky Mantle fan and loved that he could play ball with him. I think he would have loved to use Mantle´s name in Mrs. Robinson but the name didn´t fit the song well. Making a video with Micky kind of made up for that (just my thoughts)


Ans here is a link to an interesting article about Mickie Mantle and Mrs Robinson.
home.c2i.net/chrhansen/article2.html
i agree Paul must have been pleased to have Mickie in the Me and Julio video.

Helen
Mar-02-2010, 00:43 GMT
Australia

Wow Brenda, you find so much great stuff. This is so interesting, relates to the Dick Cavett appearance about Mrs Robinson when he asked ´How did Jo diMaggio get in there, was he playing catch with Mrs Robinson´. Paul seems a little embarassed explaining that line that it ´means something´. the other Dick Cavett link I put above (about BoTW and Mrs Robinson) misses out this part of their chat.

Jo diMaggio seems like similar in character to our legendary cricketer Donald Bradman, men of great integrity.

brenda
Mar-02-2010, 01:01 GMT
Australia

Thanks Helen , enjoyed the Dick Cavatt inrerview and yes Jo de Maggio seems to mean as much to americans as
Donald Bradman to Aussies. Ans, enjoyed the article on Julio. Paul´s songs mean so many different things to so many peuple. He would probably say he does not know what it means1

Helen
Mar-02-2010, 06:20 GMT
Australia

<>

Not sure what´s happened to this video on amazon, it seems to have disappeared.
I found the permanent link to the video here

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mBKST4VQQA0
WU

Page: [1]

Forum Mainpage

Start a new Thread

Top