paul simon playboy interview

paul simon – 1984 playboy interview small black beetles: the overkill
Playboy: How were you and Art getting along?
Simon: Great. From 1966 to 1969, we had our best time
ever. The hits just kept rolling in. There was one point
where we seemed to dominate the charts; the soundtrack
from The Graduate, Bookends, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and
Thyme and The Sounds of Silence.
Playboy: Do you still like any of the songs on those early
albums?
Simon: Not really, but I have an affection for them as
part of my youth. The Sounds of Silence can be quite
effective. It caught the mood of the time, alienation. I like
Scarborough Fair.
Playboy: How did success affect you?
Simon: I think the way I treated all of it was with some
bewilderment. This was the Sixties. It was different from
the Eighties. In the Eighties, people are shrewd when they
have success and they cash in with $15,000,000 deals. In
the Sixties, you didn't do that. You didn't separate yourself
from the people. You didn't covet money. If it came to you,
fine. It was an idealistic time.
Playboy: When did you start writing the songs that endure
for you?
Simon: Well, Bookends was our first serious piece of work,
I'd say. I still like the song America. Mrs Robinson is a little
dated now, but "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" is
an interesting line for a song that has nothing to do with Joe
DiMaggio.
Playboy: How about the line "Old friends ... / Silently
sharing the same fears"? Did that refer to anyone in
particular?
Simon: No. It came to be a good song for a Simon and
Garfunkel reunion show 13 years later. And journalists
always began their articles by quoting it. But at the time, I
was just writing about the aging cycle, about old friends.
Playboy: The next album was your biggest - Bridge Over
Troubled Water. Ironically, it was the last you made
together.
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