Hilburn Robert - Paul Simon: the life

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ALSO BY ROBERT HILBURN

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Springsteen

SIMON & SCHUSTER

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Copyright 2018 by Robert Hilburn

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First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2018

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Interior design by Joy OMeara

Jacket design by Lauren Peters-Collaer

Jacket photograph by Claude Gassian

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-5011-1212-6

ISBN 978-1-5011-1214-0 (ebook)

Paul Simon lyrics courtesy of Paul Simon Music.

Ever since his debut on Saturday Night Live in 1975, Paul Simon looked forward to walking the narrow hallway to the stage at NBC Studios in Midtown Manhattan. Whether alone, or with Art Garfunkel, or with the high-stepping, show-stopping South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, he enjoyed the well-wishes of the cast and crew as he made the walktheir smiles, shouts of encouragement, and even pats on the back.

This timethe night of September 29, 2001it was different.

As soon as Simon stepped into the hallway, he saw a row of New York City firefighters and police officers, their heads bowed, still mourning the deaths of more than four hundred of their comrades in the World Trade Center terrorist assault eighteen days before. It made Simon wonder whether this tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attackssome nine thousand killed or woundedwasnt premature. Many in the SNL cast of comedians asked themselves the same question. Would people really be ready for jokes?

Simon had already joined nearly two dozen musiciansincluding Bruce Springsteen and U2in performing on a September 21 telethon that was broadcast around the world and raised more than $200 million for families of the victims. In one of the shows emotional highlights, he sang his most famous composition, the gospel-edged Bridge Over Troubled Water. But that night wasnt quite the same. The telethon was designed as a worldwide expression of solidarity and support. Artists performed on candlelit stages with no studio audiences, giving the event an intimacy that was somber and inspiring.

For SNL , Lorne Michaels, the creator of the culture-defining series, wanted to aim directly and unmistakably at the residents of New York Cityopening with Mayor Rudy Giuliani standing with some thirty fire and police personnel who had just come off duty at ground zero, the dust of the site still visible on their uniforms. The plan was for the mayor to say a few words about the glory and resilience of New York and then have Simon sing a song, which would serve as a crucial step in Michaelss goal of lifting the citys spirits.

Michaels believed Simon was the perfect choicethe only choice. He was one of the all-time great American songwriters, inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (twice) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the only artist to receive Album of the Year Grammy Awards for records made in three separate decades. His tunes had been recorded by a treasure chest of vocalists, from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to Barbra Streisand and Ray Charles.

Simon was also a New Yorker whose career reflected the triumphs and struggles of the city itself. He had come out of the borough of Queens with his schoolboy chum Art Garfunkel to enjoy superstar status around the world, and then exhibited the guts to walk away from the duo at the height of its popularity in 1970 to follow his own musical dreams. The first solo decade proved to be an even more creative period for him than the 1960s, thanks to his wider musical range, and the 1980s were equally commanding, including his masterpiece, Graceland. At the same time, Simon had felt the sting of defeat. Hed never been forgiven by a lot of Simon and Garfunkel fans for breaking up the partnership. He had also gone through two divorces and had failed in his ventures into movies ( One-Trick Pony ) and Broadway ( The Capeman ).

To Michaels, Simon had one other vital link to this special evening: he had been in the city on 9/11, and he knew the fear that gripped it. On that morning, he had walked two of his childrenAdrian, eight, and Lulu, sixto school, about fifteen minutes along Central Park West. It was a lovely day with just a trace of prefall chill in the air. By the time he returned to his apartment just after nine oclock, his wife, Edie Brickell, was at the door with the news that an American Airlines plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

As Simon stared at the television screen, his first thought was that it was a tragic accidentonly to watch in horror as a second plane, this one from United Airlines, smashed into the South Tower. There was now no question that the city was under attack. In panic, he raced back to the school to bring home Adrian, Lulu, and the children of some of his friends. To keep the kids calm, Paul and Edie turned off the television so they could play without hearing the frightful details of what was happening downtown, just a few subway stops away.

President George W. Bush soon confirmed the attack, and city officials closed the bridges and tunnels leading into and out of the city. Within minutes, a plane attacked the western faade of the Pentagon, and yet another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. By the end of the day, there was a strange smell in the air in New Yorknot a normal smoke smell but all the chemicals from the crashes. It was like we were all trapped, all helpless, Simon said. You wanted to help, but what could you do? Days later, he got his answer with requests to perform on the two broadcasts.

Even with his concern about the timing of Saturday Night Live , there was no way Simon would turn down Michaels, who was one of his closest friends and whose judgment he trusted implicitly. Plus, Simon had been around the SNL set so much that he was like an honorary member of the cast. Still, it was daunting. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, he began to worry about maintaining his composure. Simon had sung at funerals and memorial services for friends and musicians, and he knew how difficult it was to look at grieving faces.