Simple Simon

Paul Simon turns 77 today.  I wonder what it's like to be a aged wunderkind, having conquered the musical world by your mid-20s.  Not that he hasn't been busy in recent year.  He takes his time putting out albums, but he always seems to be working on something.

I just read Robert Hilburn's fine biography of Simon (the second bio of Simon to come out in less than a year).  Hilburn has been a music critic since 1970, and he writes with sensitivity and understanding of his subject.

I won't retell Simon's story here--that's easy enough to find out.  And if you want to hear his music, I suggest you go to YouTube and listen all day.

Simon has had two careers--his work as (the more important) half of Simon and Garfunkel and his solo work.  Both were successful, artistically and commercially.  If he has a flaw, he's a bit too tasteful--seemingly afraid to let go.  But there are considerably worse flaws.

He seems like a nice enough guy, if sometimes a little overparticular.  One story that sticks in the mind from Hilburn's book (though maybe it's a bit unfair to fixate on it) was what happened soon after he wrote "Bridge Over Troubled Water." He thought it was a special song, maybe his "Yesterday."

And when S&G introduced it in concert, Garfunkel would sing it alone, accompanied by a pianist, while his partner watched in the wings.  And Simon wasn't happy that Garfunkel would get thunderous applause during his bow, and would then introduce the pianist, but not Paul himself.

If this is true, Simon does seem a bit petty.  First, his fans know he wrote it, as he wrote all their songs.  Second, isn't it enough to see your song, sung beautifully by your partner, get huge applause?  Third, Simon would have plenty of time to shine during the rest of the concert.  And fourth, having written it, he'd be the one making the millions in royalties over the years.

So please, Paul, let Artie have his moment.  He's got it tough enough.