Paul Simon talked to the press yesterday in Tel Aviv, Israel, in advance of a concert tonight in Ramat Gan stadium. There is what appears to be a gently-edited twenty-minute clip available on YouTube (and embedded below the text here). It’s a pretty low-key, friendly chat, but interesting enough if you—like me—admire Simon a lot as a songwriter and musician. Simon talks about himself as a secular Jew and refers to his puzzlement at being sometimes expected to opine on behalf of Jews in general, especially with regard to Israeli/Palestinian issues. (Simon deliberately avoids commenting specifically on any political issues; of-course as soon as his gig in Tel Aviv was announced he would have begun coming under pressure to cancel it from those who advocate “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” against Israel. Clearly he did not cancel it.) Simon talks about the music on his current album and about playing live, and about how he’s taken to preserving the quality of his singing voice through a somewhat ascetic regimen by avoiding smoking, alcohol, coffee and more. (You would have to say that it seems to be working: he turns 70 this year, and still sounds like he did when he was 22.)
Along the way (and this is why I’m filing this under my Dylan section) a reporter asks about a rumor that there is tension between Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, in particular because Dylan was at one point asked to sing on Simon’s new album but didn’t do so. Simon dismisses that entirely, saying they’re friends, share a manager, and Dylan simply couldn’t make the recording session due to touring commitments. He also shares something that I at least hadn’t heard before: Bob Dylan has a penchant for welding. He creates gates and other objects this way, and he welded a gate for Paul Simon’s wife, Edie.
So, in between songwriting, album recording, sketching, painting, book-writing, radio show hosting, boxing, bike riding, and near-constant touring, Bob Dylan whips out the welding equipment and does some metalwork when he feels like it. He seems to keep up a pace and diversity of activity that would make Leonardo Da Vinci feel like a slouch. (But I think he could do worse than to take some tips from Paul Simon about vocal cord maintenance.)
Paul Simon’s press conference here:
……
Sean, didn’t Bob play a bit part in a movie in which he was portrayed as a welding artist in one brief scene?
Joe: You may well be correct but my memory is failing me on that.
I think that it was this movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096875/fullcredits#cast
Can you explain how you were able to avoid “Gates of Eden” in the title of this post? :)
Russ: Wow, yes. Or “Gates of Edie.” Between missing that and not knowing about the Dylan cameo, I think I’ve been revealed as not a genuine Dylan fan after all. (But I like that song that Adele sings!)
Not positive, but I think Chronicles has a bit about the welding/metal work hobby.
“Gates of Edie”!!!! You are redeemed, sir…redeemed!
Whoops! Bob played a woodworking artist, not a welder, in that film.
Joe: I’ve never seen it, clearly enough. It seems it was also released as a “director’s cut” – Dennis Hopper being the director — via cable under the title “Backtrack.” An apparent still frame from the movie at this site: http://www.new-pony.com/bigscreen.html shows Bob wearing headgear that could be for welding …
If Paul gets his news about Israel from the NY Times I’m surprised he still played in Israel.
BTW, I saw Paul Simon in Jerusalem 1978 and he did 5 encores! Tell me he does not feel some kind of connection to Israel.
The English have always admired the political acuity of American musicians.
Older readers may remember the Byrds passing thru London in 1968, on their way to a gig in apartheid South Africa.
“We hadn’t heard anything about that stuff” said a spokesman for the band. “Kinda like Mississippi?”
Gram Parsons stayed in London but the rest went on to play S. Africa.
My sis-in-law wrote that move – did I ever tell you that? A true nightmare for her.