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News | May 18, 2004
Brand New Look; Lots going on
It's been long
enough since the last update, let alone the last look, so why not a redesign,
and perhaps a commitment to keeping this site up to date on a more regular basis
(ah, remmeber the glory days of summer 1999...).
Anyhow, first, some spectacularly mad props to some friends who have been taking
care of keeping all of Paul's fans updated while Lasers was in hibernation.
I urge you to visit The Neck of My Guitar,
run by the incomparable Bodo Malo - check out his multilingual forums and giant
multimedia archive while you're there. Then head on over to the rich databse
run by Jose Maria Escuderio and Jose Luis Ortiz at www.thedreamerofmusic.com.
Consider it the Paul Simon library - read the FAQ here and head on over there
to learn everything you ever wanted to know and more about the Paul's iillustrious
career. Don't forget to visit the multimedia archive for some exquisite rare
performances over the year. Well done to all three of you! (Don't forget to
visit that other site I hold dear.)
No sense in keeping up with these cats, or duplicating the tremendous efforts
of others. When Lasers (née Hey Capeman! - it's official, French grammar
dictates this site is indeed female) debuted, it was intended to fill a void;
to provide timely, semi-reliable, otherwise-unavailable news and information
about the music of Paul Simon. As such, it quickly developed as, basically,
a strict news site. While I intend to continue to keep the news fresh and somewhat
relevant, I'd like Lasers to add a new dimension to the Paul Simon Web presence.
In the coming months, come back and visit for some longer pieces - comments
about Paul's songs and past performances, short essays about different facets
of his extensive career, and the beginnings of a guide to other artists' music
related to Paul (cover songs, past collaborators - that sort of thing). If you
think you've got something to add (and following amps
for the past six or seven years tells me you do), please join me (email paul
at simon dot org).
But first the news - a lot has happened in the past year, and I encourage you
to read all about it at the sites mentioned earlier. What's new now? Well, Paul
and Art are hitting the road this summer, beginning a 32-date trek that will
begin in New York's capitol, Albany, on June 10 and wind up the month of July
outside the Colisseum in Rome, which is really a world away from the tri-city
centre of upsate New York. The duo will perform later this morning (around 8:00-8:30
a.m., we at Lasers are told) on ABC television's Good Morning America - the
dup sang on GMA last fall, prior to their North American trek that featured
three electric performances at New York City's Madison Square Garden. I'll have
my recollections of those concerts, and what the Old Friends tour might mean
for the musical life of Paul Simon, in a future update.
In other news, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported in its May 14 edition that
Paul Simon and John Mayer were slated to record a short concert together at
the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that
would feature each artist performing a solo set of the other's songs, as well
as a joint set featuring songs by both men some covers of other artists. The
special will air on VH1 on June 15, the first
of a series pairing a rock veteran with an up and comer called In Tune. No word
out of Cleveland about the songs performed, but we'll bring you more info as
we get it (were I a betting man, I'd lay my money down on Mayer doing "Me
& Julio" and Paul not doing "You're Body is a Wonderland."
In the meantime, dig around the site (you never know what you'll find), visit
some friends and come back soon! By the way, if I may offer a recommendation
for some listening pleasure, check out Paul's better half Edie Brickell's latest,
Volcano.
News/March 23, 2003
I've been a way for a long time....
But it's great to be back! Since the last update, Paul Simon
has been a pretty busy guy - so here's as much of a "catch-up" as
I can put together. Be sure to visit the news
section at paulsimon.com in addition to some other primo fan sites like
www.songfta.com, www.paulsimon.at.tf
and www.thesoundofsimon.com (where
you'll find tremendous, thorough coverage, albeit in Spanish) to round yourself
out. In the meantime, we left off a little less than two years ago with the
announcement of Paul's summer 2001 U.S. tour with invited opener Brian Wilson.
The shows were terrific. Though Paul and Brian did not perform together, they
work from the same playbook. Like Paul, Brian featured a crack band of great
talents, easily capable of recreating the Beach Boys magic or working out some
newer, lesser-known Wilson classics. Paul's sets (he headlined each show, and
played longer than Brian) were great fun. I don't think I've ever seen him as
relaxed as at the show in Saratoga on July 15th. Using the same basic band as
in the fall of 2000 (replacing Evan Ziporyn
with Jim Heinz on trumpet, and switching the booked-with-Eric-Clatpon Steve
Gadd for Graham Hawthorne), the shows were built on the same set as the first
You're The One playlists, minus a couple of tunes here (One Man's Ceiling, for
instance), and plus a couple more (Loves Me Like A Rock, The Cool, Cool River).
Of note was an exceptionally-arranged The Sound of Silence, featuring Paul's
chilling guitar backed only by Mark Stewart's gorgeous cello. MP3
& guitar +TAB here.
At the Los Angeles stop of the tour, Paul was joined on stage by Paul McCartney,
for a rousing version of the Beatles' classic, "I've Just Seen A Face."
Here's the setlist from that night, otherwise fairly typical of the tour:
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
Simon joined McCartney
at a benefit for Adopt-a-Minefield where he performed a short set with his band
and reprised "I've Just" with Sir Paul.
After the horrific attacks of September 11th, Paul offered his support by performing
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" on the fundraiser, "America: A Tribute
To Heroes," in the days following the tragedy, and by appearing on the
season opener of Saturday Night Live, where, after NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
opened the show, he sang a stirring version of "The Boxer."
In January 2002, Simon joined his old friends Ladysmith Black Mambazo in saluting
Muhammad Ali's 60th birthday, by rewriting the lyrics to "Diamonds on the
Soles of His Shoes," in Ali's honour, performing the song on a CBS television
special. Paul spent the summer touring Europe, performing spectacular shows
all over the continent, using the basic formula perfected the previous summer,
though a couple of more tunes made the cut ("Love," for example).
In the fall, Paul released "On My Way, Don't Know Where I'm Goin,'"
a 19-song collection of his greatest hits. The collection came packaged with
five previously unreleased live tracks, including "American Tune"
from New York, 1973, "Duncan," with Urubamba, from London, 1975, "The
Coast" (an absolutely stunning version), from last summer in Montreux,
"Mrs. Robinson," from New York, 1999 and "Bridge Over Troubled
Water," with Aaron Neville, from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
in 2001.
Paul also contributed a new song to the soundtrack of The Wild Thornberrys
Movie, called "Father And Daughter" (lyrics
and chords are here), which was nominated for a Golden Globe, and is up
for an Oscar tonight.
In December, Paul received a Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime of outstanding
achievement in the arts.
At the 2003 Grammy awards, Simon & Garfunkel reunited to sing "The
Sound of Silence" as recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Their
performance spurned rumours of a reunion, but that seems highly unlikely.
In March, Simon performed "Still Crazy After All These Years" at the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in honour of former Warner president Mo Ostin.
Not bad for two years - back soon with more, I hope!
May
26,2001
Paul Simon is hitting the road! 
Paul will be playing dates across North America this summer
with invited opening guest Brian Wilson! While there are no current plans for
the two to duet, it wouldn't surprise anybody to see them sing together. Wilson
tours with a ten-piece band including his group The Wondermints. The tour will
begin on June 9th in Seattle and wraps up on July 24th at Jones Beach on Long
Island, New York. There are no plans to extend the tour or to bring it overseas.
For complete tour dates, visit www.paulsimon.com.
While there, check out the
text of Paul's speech at the Rocl & Roll Hall of Fame in March!
Paul Simon performed recently in Texas and at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage
Festival. If you happened to read the previous update below, you'll have noticed
that we at Lasers In The Jungle named the tour the Paul
Simon Lone Star visitin'-the-in-laws-and-doin'-some-shows Gallop Through the
Wild West. You'll be happy to know that one of the Texas newspapers' gossip
column confirmed that Paul Simon did in fact have lunch with his mother-in-law.
Whew. Anyhow, to read a complete wrap-up of the recent tour, including media
reviews, setlists and photos of Paul's gigs in Texas and by the bayou, click
here.
Fans of Paul's song "Homeward Bound" will be glad to know that a bunch
of college students have taken a recent request of his to heart. UK students
attending Paul's concert last October in London heard the singer ask for someone
to replace the stolen plaque commemorating the writing of "Homeward Bound"
at the Widnes train station. The students put their heads together and replaced
the stolen plaque. If anyone happens to find themselves sitting in the railway
station, why not snap a photo and send it our way?
March
11, 2001
"I've been away for
a long time...
Hey folks - my apologies for the length
between updates. Suffice it to say I've been busy, though a lot has happened
over the course of the last few months.
Paul Simon's "You're The One"
tour concluded last December with a performance of "Bridge Over Troubled
Water" at New York City's Beacon Theater. Earlier in the evening, Paul
was joined on stage by his son Harper for a duet on "The Boxer." The
tour archive is not quite finished, but will be soon.
In the meantime, Paul has announced a handful
of upcoming dates in April and May. First off, he'll participate in "An
All-Star Tribute To Brian Wilson," at New York's Radio City Music Hall
on March 29th. The concert will air on TNT, tentatively set forJuly 4th.Read
more from Billboard Online here.
The following tour dates have been posted at www.pollstar.com:
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
Friday May 4th & 5th, New Orleans Jazz &
Heritage Festival
Tickets are already on sale in some locations
at Ticketmaster. Paul's swing through the
south will probably be a pre-cursor to a full North American amphitheatre tour
in June and/or July. For now, the late April/early May dates are being called
the Paul Simon Lone Star visitin'-the-in-laws-and-doin'-some-shows Gallop
Through the Wild West tour. ;-)
I'd like to direct your attention to Paul's
official website, www.paulsimon.com. If you scroll to the bottom of the
news section, you might see a familiar name. Lasers In The Jungle is proud to
be a part of Paul's official site and looks forward to bringing you the skinny
straight from Paul's HQ. There are some interesting items to check out, especially
in the Gallery section.
In
the news at paulsimon.com you'll find
a wonderful report of the recent MusiCares tribute dinner as part of Grammy
week in Los Angeles. Paul was honoured for his charity work by such talents
as Steve Martin, Stevie Wonder & The Dixie Hummingbirds, Shelby Lynne (pictured),
Chevy Chase, Ziggy Marley and Brian Wilson (and loads more). Keren Poznansky,
sometime contributor to this site and The University
of Southern California's Daily Trojan, was sent to the tribute dinner and
concert to cover the evening from a fan's perspective, so check it out! In addition,
at www.Grammy.com, you can find all sorts
of video and audio, even a print interview with Paul. For the video clips of
Paul and various singers at the MusiCares tribute, click here
(scroll to the bottom - there's also one in the middle of the page). Follow
this link for an
audio clip of Paul discussing his songwriting. You can also read a terrific
interview with Paul here.
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.
In December, the Rock
'n' Roll Hall of Fame announced that Paul Simon will be inducted into the
hall as a solo artist (he's already in as part of Simon & Garfunkel) this
coming March 19th in New York. Paul headlines a class that includes Michael
Jackson, Queen, Aerosmith, Steely Dan and Ritchie Valens. The ceremony will
be broadcast in edited form on VH1 on the 21st.
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." In addition, they've posted
a video of Paul discussing You're The One for download here.
"Paul Simon: You're The One In Concert"
has been released on DVD and VHS in North America. The concert was recorded
last October 30th and 31st at the Olympia Theater in Paris, France. Here's the
tracklist:
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
On November 4th, 2000, Paul and the band
performed on Saturday Night Live, doing Hurricane Eye and Old off of the new
album. 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!
That's it for now folks, see ya!
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