Reviews for Paul Simon : the life
Library Journal
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For almost six decades, Paul Simon has been a pioneer of American songwriting, with a career that spans the folk-rock of Simon and Garfunkel to sophisticated Seventies pop and to the South African sounds of Graceland, all while writing some of the strongest lyrics in the rock canon. Journalist and writer Hilburn's (Johnny Cash: The Life) life of Simon is immediately essential as he interviewed Simon himself over the course of dozens of hours, something the singer has never before granted to biographers. Along with dozens of other interviews with -Simon associates as well as sourced material, Hilburn chronicles Simon's early days in Queens, NY; his complicated relationship with Art Garfunkel, the extraordinary musical and cultural journey that led to Graceland and its reception, his occasional career setbacks, and ultimately his most recent work that still demonstrates the powers of a visionary artist. Hilburn documents the recording of specific albums, provides insights and analysis of the writing and lyrics of individual songs, and touches on Simon's personal life and family, all including the musician's own reflections. VERDICT As Simon prepares to bid farewell to touring later this year, Hilburn's well-researched book will be vital reading for his fans and to devotees of popular music of the past 50 years. [See Prepub Alert, 11/27/17.]- James Collins, -Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Simon discovered rock and roll when he heard DJ Alan Freed on WINS, the radio station which broadcast his beloved Yankees. After teaming with Art Garfunkel in school, Simon sold his baseball cards to purchase a tape recorder to capture their harmonies. They scored a minor hit while still in high school, but it was years before they prospered as a duo. Based on extensive interviews with Simon and many others, Hilburn (Johnny Cash, 2013) has assembled a thorough and engrossing account of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who broke up a successful partnership and triumphed as a solo act. Hilburn delves into Simon's youth in Queens, his many loves (including Carrie Fisher and Edie Brickell), and philanthropy. He also closely examines Simon's approach to making music including his revisions, experiments in the studio, and worldwide search for interesting sounds. Simon is revealed as sensitive yet tough, spontaneous yet controlled, as well as reflective, perceptive, and empathetic, but also judgmental, insecure, and extremely competitive. As a songwriter, he has earned a spot in the canon alongside Gershwin, Lennon-McCartney, and Dylan.--Segedin, Ben Copyright 2018 Booklist
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Searching biography of the renowned songwriter, well known for his melancholic songs and competitive, perfectionist nature.The former longtime critic for the Los Angeles Times, Hilburn (Johnny Cash: The Life, 2013, etc.) ranks high in the firmament of writers on popular music, a fitting match for a subject who himself is very nearlybut perhaps not quitethe equal of Lennon, McCartney, and Dylan, on all of whom Paul Simon (b. 1941) modeled himself. "They wouldn't settle for just good," said Simon of the famous competitiveness between Lennon and McCartney. "That was me, too." In public high school in New York, he teamed, fatefully, with the pure-voiced Art Garfunkel, who would be both his sounding board and his bte noire for decades to come, the subject of constant tension and the agent of transcendent musical moments. When, after several years of constant hit-making, Garfunkel took an interest in acting, the duo began to drift apart. However, writes the author, the story is a touch more complicated, for Mike Nichols offered Simon a part in Catch-22 as well only for it to wind up being cut before the film was shot. Former spouse Carrie Fisher recalls the difficulties that ensued when her own star rose as a result of the Star Wars films, when leaving him to go off and film led Simon to think of the job as "being more important to me than he was." The gossipy stuff is all nicely juicy, especially as concerns Garfunkel, with whom, it would appear, Simon will never really make peace. But what are more important are the music and Simon's contributions to popular culture through his songs; it's telling, in that regard, that Simon took Elvis Presley's death to be a warning about "the danger of not making music your top priority." Throughout a career that stretches back seven decades, Simon has clearly never forgotten where his priorities lie.With train-wreck moments and tender interludes alike, a book that delivers a sharply detailed Kodachrome of a brilliant musician. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
