Paul Simon: The Life Paperback – 4 April 2019

A very thorough account of the life and career of this fantastically talented musician, who for me is up there with Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Lennon/McCartney as the finest composers of their generation. I'm left with an image of an honest, sometimes troubled, man who is driven to succeed and his intolerance of inferiority and half measures is obvious. His experimentation with music from other cultures (e.g. the Graceland period) is well documented, as are the sometimes political issues he faced. The recollection of his many tours is enlightening, as is his commitment and generosity to the good causes he has promoted throughout his career. As a fan of Art Garfunkel (himself seemingly quite a troubled man!) I found the many criticisms of him slightly disappointing, although understandable if the accounts were accurate. In summary, a great book which will stay on my bookshelf and certainly be read again.

I’ve always liked Paul Simon music and have all his music, but I’ve always been wary of biographies as they sometimes give a one sided account. This is true here in some cases....he is obviously a fan....but, to be fair he doesn’t set out to make Simon some sort of superhuman star. Of course it has to start with Garfunkel....and let’s face it, they were good. But at the end of the day, no matter how good a voice Garfunkel had, Simon also had an unique voice but, more importantly, he wrote some of the best songs of the last sixty years. Some say he treated Garfunkel badly, but it’s not evident here. He had to go.It’s an interesting account of Simon’s recordings in chronological order, and his changing directions and experiments. Strangely, my favourite Simon albums are his four “failures” in commercial success, namely, One trick pony, Hearts and Bones, Still Crazy after all these years, and Songs for a Capeman. Yes the others were good, but these capture the pure variety of the man for me.There’s not much detail re Simons personal life. He is a very private man so that’s fair enough. But there’s enough here to show a musician who was born and lives in New York while delving into the world for different musical ideas. Yes, it’s there. That’s what I enjoyed about the book. A superb musician, craftsman, and perfectionist. Sometimes this upsets people but that’s life. I enjoyed it.

Immersive autobiography of a man whose public face is to all purposes the face of America in the second half of the 20th century. Despite protection of his private life the book manages to capture the essences of his personality, talent and musical charisma perfectly. I defy anyone to read this without evoking the persistent reflection of....now where was I when I first heard that? Riveting, entertaining and insightful. I heartily commend it.

It's ok. Detailed and well researched, but it just reminded me how much I prefer autobiographies, which are much more personal than having someone colouring events with their own perceptions.

Excellent

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it was an easy read.I presume that the naturally reclusive Simon agreed to an authorised biography to counter the hatchet jobs already on the market and it stays wafer-thin on the right side of being sycophantic.As others have said, it is a chronological list of Simon’s work with little real insight into what motivates Simon.I didn’t get a feeling for why Simon and Garfunkel’s friendship started in the first place and I think that their disagreements mostly are taken as read rather than explained.One irrational irritation for me was the author’s continued use of “England” for “Britain/UK”, for instance, “England’s Monty Python” when two of them weren’t English and “England’s BRIT awards” is just plain silly when you think about it. As I say, irrational but grating.That said, I did enjoy the book on the whole.

This is a great book. An interesting insight into the life and genius of Paul Simon. He does come across as a bit ruthless and conceited...but then this is part of the make up of the man and the brilliant music composer. It makes you realise just how personal a lot of his songs are: the good times, the bad times. Away from the music Paul Simon has a good sense of humour and is very likeable. When it comes to music the man is a perfectionist - and what's wrong with that? If you enjoy Paul Simon's music, whether with Art Garfunkel or not, this is a must read.

Been a Paul Simon fan for many years. Read books about him before but to be honest, all been a ,little lightweight. This is far from that. He's a very complex and insecure man and this book brings those traits to the fore. I also like the way the author dissects some of his song lyrics, and as a great songwriter, it's fascinating to see how his lyrics come together. I've always read my own meaning into "Sail on silver girl" from BOTW. When I learnt the truth from this book, I was somewhat surprised! Definitely worth a read if you are a genuine fan