What I learned from this is bring back interviewers like Dick Cavett. At least he lets his guests explain stuff without constant interruptions or plain stupid questions.
This is a much less effusive interview style than what you often see on tv or hear on radio today - no OOOH- AAAH!! talk, no histrionics, no narcissism.
Dick Cavett's have to produce their own content on PodCasts if they want to do this. The journalist is no longer an infomer of fact, he is an enforcer of policy. it is not even a profession which exists any longer. this is why 'journalists' are among the highest paid professions, particularly those with name brand recognition. they aren't being rewarded with these salaries because of their ability to bring truth to the citizenry they are being bought with these salaries to ensure their fealty to the elite
they're both so soft-spoken, this style of talk show interview might be considered "boring" or "awkward" by modern standards but there's a relaxing charm to it
I think "authentic" fits best, here. Not so many human games going on, which makes it a lot less taxing to observe. No different than having a conversation with someone who's comfortable just being their quirky little self with you, without the least hint of trying to posture or get validation, etc. It's quite refreshing.
The quiet and gentle nature of the conversation allows subtlety to come through. Modern media doesn't seem to permit subtlety, the audience must be clubbed over the head with everything.
It maybe "boring or 'awkward by today's standards" but there's one hundred times the amount of intelligence and insight that is exchanged between these two than anything that any contemporary interviews afford.
People had a much longer attention span back then. The digital revolution has given us so much information, but it took away our capacities to pay attention. Just to get a sense, in the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, the debate started with one speaking for one hour, the other replying for an hour and a half, and then the first replying for 30 minutes. No interruption, no subtitles, no pausing. People would fill rooms to listen to them.
The pauses are longer in these old interviews, and the audience doesn't expect everything to be a joke. It's less controlled and orchestrated, it seems to me.
The people being interviewed are not particularly charismatic plus they are not so media savvy. They are being interviewed because of their achievements rather than their noteriety.
Dick Cavett never orchestrated his interviews...ever. It was his impromptu and insightful questions, humor and gift of getting candid responses from his guests that was his genius. The audience knew that. And patiently (politeness...something audiences Do not have anymore!) waited for the interview to unfold. Cavett has never been equalled as an interviewer. But, it must be said that Carson came close, but his guests had an "outline" of what questions to expect and Carson frequently changed the direction of talks with guests much the same as Cavett.
Exactly what I was thinking. The interviewed seem to actually think up sincere and informative answers, not a bit of entertainment to push a new album/movie/show.
@@kakungulu Yes. One thing I noticed a long time ago about guests on the Daily Show is that everyone appears with a book in their hand. Nobody just comes to talk.
I think about this a lot. I'm 40, give or take half way through life if I make it. Although still considered to be more aligned with the "ADD I need everything fast and now" generation, I'm much more comfortable with pacing and pauses. I don't need to be stimulated every eight seconds and I very much like this more than any modern format. I'm particularly a fan of Dick Cavett for this reason. He did it better than so many before him or after.
You can be a genius and a jerk/creep as well. Those things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if you notice the trend in people who are considered "genius" by the general population, they often lack social skills or are considered strange or abnormal by many. If you do or do not like Paul's music (which I myself would consider genius), that is fine, but no need to refute someone's opinion of something that has clearly changed their life for the better and can therefore be justifiably thought of as genius if we're here almost 60 years later discussing it.
but my genuine question is did it ever mean anything? If not then he trusted in vain. I have yet to have anyone explain it's meaning. And now I learn even Paul Simon didn't know it's meaning.
@@timothypearson6101 I've always taken the line to reference the feeling of disconnect that Americans had with their country at the time. DiMaggio, like other American icons, symbolises the hope and optimism of a bygone, simpler time-the 1950s. Insert any other larger-than-life name and you get the same effect. Just my thoughts.
@@timothypearson6101 I think his point was that he can't access the lyric's meaning through words or rational thought-not then, and not today. But it's still very meaningful. Clearly it had some other kind of meaning which spoke to millions of listeners.
That's peculiar. I feel exactly the opposite. I find him to be enormously dull, uninspiring, bland, flat and unable to read a guest. I've seen dozens of his shows and always wondered how and why he was ever there. Compare him to Michael Parkinson of the UK, and one immediately recognises that Cavett is a terrible bore.
@@desmondjames9312 Gotta agree there. He is a name-dropper extraordinaire, incapable of keeping himself out of interviews unless truly awed by someone arguably more interesting than himself - and such souls he finds infrequently.
@@desmondjames9312 I can see your point. I really liked his show because I really liked HIM. I can see that he could be perceived as too dry though. Interesting side note - I used to like watching William F. Buckley Jr. as well. Then I finally got a chance to see him live and he was dreadful. I'll have to check out Michael Parkinson interviews...
Paul Simon is the most modest genius there's ever been. What a joy it is to be given a glimpse into his creativity. And Dick Cavett is without peer as far as hosts go.
Personally I could never stand him nor his music. And he backstabbled Garfunkel. I've never heard anything but bad things about him and his narcissism.
Nah, the most modest genius of all time is James Marshall Hendrix. ..and one of the best examples of that is actually his appearance on this show in '69. Also, it's pretty well known that Simon and Garfunkel both had pretty massive egos.
@FredCarpenter-pm8bf "people are too focused on entertainment, a symptom of low intelligence"... Said the person who's on friggin UA-cam watching a video of a singer, aka ENTERTAINER preforming a song on a TALKSHOW. The irony😂 Look, I get that you're miserable and clearly a bitter and negative person, but how about the next time you feel like projecting your miserable self onto random people in the UA-cam comment section you do something productive. Like go for a walk, or read a book...maybe try and make a friend.
@@guyincognito. Yup. I interpreted that verse so that a nation has lost its symbolic heroes - which most often is really filling juvenile needs and chosing bad symbols - and people are lost and looking for that (heroism or inspiration etc.) which they cannot see or evoke but through symbolic, elevated icons.
@@guyincognito. 4:35 That’s explicitly not what he thinks. He thinks the words that come up while writing stream of consciousness produce something of meaning. As someone who does the same thing, I think there’s truth to that. But it’s going to tend to be the type of thing that can be interpreted multiple ways. The lines he says are fairly specific in some ways. I don’t think you say a nation has “lonely eyes” completely by random.
Every time I hear Mrs. Robinson, the he line “ where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio our nation turns its lonely eyes to you call my” sticks out for me. I never saw Joe DiMaggio play ball but my dad did when he played for the San Francisco Seals in the old Pacific Coast League at the Vaughn Street Ballpark in Portland Oregon. Dad died in 2013 and in these days in 2021 that line reminds me not only of him, but of everything culturally good and wholesome that we miss so much in America right now.
@ Philippe Sauvie. Not to be technical, but the lyric in the Simon and Garfunkel song, "Mrs. Robinson" is "A nation turns its' lonely eyes to you" not " Our nation turns its' lonely eyes to you". For many years I misheard that word in the lyrics of the song just as you have, until I realized that I misheard it.
If you read other interviews of Paul Simon, you get the impression that he's completely aware of it. He talks about it like someone with a really cool birthmark that resembles George Washington might sound. Like he's impressed and amused by it, and knows it's part of him. And though he's proud to have it, he ultimately takes no credit for having been born with it.
Yep, he was - he's also a very careful craftsman when it comes to songwriting. I remember another interview with him where he was discussing the line about Joe DiMaggio in the same song and mentioned how the legendary guy had actually met him in the lobby for some other tv show and asked him: "What do you mean, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio"? I'm very much here, you know!". With a smile, Simon added: "he clearly hadn't begun to see himself as a metaphor". :)
Decades TV airs Dick Cavett shows, weekdays at 9 Eastern. I get it because I'm an Antenna-fed guy, and Decades is offered on one of the digital subchannels on a station in my area. Some folks feel Billy Joel is the "great American songwriter of his generation," let me stand with those folks who hold up Paul Simon.
he's not underrated, i'm pretty sure he has his place in the hall of fame amongst the very best interviewers. i can't think of anyone better to be honest, and i am 109 years old.
Imagine being either Dick Cavett and having Paul Simon sing for you personally, or Paul Simon, and having Dick Cavett hanging on your every word. What magnificent television is this!
@@Earthbound017 I literally just gasped when I realized it was FIFTY years ago. That just doesn't seem possible. Geez, he just looks so young here. What an amazing talent!
It's so refreshing that the interview actually lets the guest talk and finish their point and even elaborate or play some music. Instead of talking over the end of their sentence in order to make a joke or move on to the next question.
His songs are pure poetry, and we keep trying to find literal meanings from these lyrics, when they weren’t written that way. I love hearing him explain his processes.
He's a genius, but it's also been a great deal about teamwork. Not least with Roy Halee, the in-house engineer and producer for both S&G and Paul solo. The Graceland album would have been impossible without Roy.
@@KnightOnBaldMountainMost of the songs Paul wrote were specifically for Art's voice. Paul understood the instrument, the voice he was writing for. I can't even imagine Bridge Over Troubled Water sung by anyone other than Art Garfunkel. I'm just sorry Paul underrated his own voice and talent for so long. And I'm sorry they had to break up their friendship before he could recognize and develop his own talent.
I loved watching his right hand fingerpick that way -- great guitar player. I was surprised by his final comment. "It'll mean something." I remember as a young teen, when this song came out, thinking this meant "Where have our heroes gone? We need people to look up to again." "DiMaggio" as a concept for me stood in for the strong, silent type who just did his job with excellence, not complaining, a shining example. It's just my view of it.
He plays it while explaining how it came about to Cavett and the audience and all i hear is how it sounds on the album, no auto tune, no dubs, just genius.
@@chrisn7259 makes you wonder doesn't it? Did he think it was a good look at the time? Was he just determined to not reveal a receding hairline at any cost? Did Cavett not have a make-up person backstage? Or did Simon transcend vanity? And bottom line, his art transcends all of it. My second favorite songwriter only after Leonard Cohen.
That opening riff to Mrs. Robinson is my earliest musical memory. I think I literally heard it in the crib. Helluva introduction to the world of music!
Speaks like a true conflicted artist… full of himself, and without the unflattering yet timely relevant haircut, has every reason to take himself so seriously. Beautiful creation and beautiful message. Love you forever Paul Simon, one of the truest songwriters and singers of this lifetime.
He could break it all down note by note, phrase by phrase, and discuss his mental process and everything, but then you realize that it's about this insane gift he has and it cannot be taught. These are not just well crafted songs -- these are the products of genius.
Paul Simon is just creative genius at its best. Seeing him so young and open - and then singing and playing - simply brought tears to my eyes. Love this clip! As well, you can tell that Cavett was just reveling as he took in the talent of Simon.
I love watching the old "Dick Cavett Show" reruns and remember seeing this one a while ago and remember how cool it was to hear how Paul created and put this song together.
I am truly fascinated by how full his playing sounds, so much that you can hear all the music behind like if there was an entire band of musicians playing along. So cool.
4:27 So true! Sometimes you write lyrics that insinuate a meaning, one of which you aren't sure of, and later the meaning reveals itself. Sometimes, the writer is just a conduit. Paul is an American Treasure.
For people who like Cavett's style of relaxed, easy-going, breathable interviews -- I think a lot has to do with the auidence at the time. We've too overstimulated now and so we need quick cuts, constant jokes, high energy, etc. Back then, I speculate, conversation was one's main source of entertainment. People visited each other just to sit and chat. I know people still do that, but it was so much more of an essential part of our lives then when people spent a lot of time in relative silence without even TV or radio for most of our history as a species.
@@jamesstewart8377 it’s already happened, with the rise of podcasts. The fact that they’ve gotten so popular (despite being the most long-form interviews in all of human history) is evidence that more and more of us are increasingly sick of junk food.
@@trash4gold TV channels incorrectly assumed they have a monopoly over news and therefor can abuse the truth any way the want, and so declare themselves as "mainstream". How naive and wrong they are.
Cell phones are a blessing, but to me at 53 they are also cursed things I would get rid of if I could. You used to also leave "the office" and your work ended. I will soon retire and watch things unfold. AI is going to be the next thing to rob the worker bees.
@Richard Horrocks I agree that Cobain is up there. It can be hard for some people to appreciate if you were already through your angsty years by the time Nirvana came around. Or just not his cup of tea. I gotta say Billy Joel is up there for me too, even he does fall into the less critically appreciated pop genre.
@Richard Horrocks You are preaching to the choir my friend. I agreed with you and was simply trying to offer reasons someone might not agree. All art is subjective, but I subjectively agree with you that Cobain is up there.
"Each song means whatever I was like when I wrote it." I feel that. I've dabbled with songwriting and I'm not very good but I'll go back and listen to recordings that I made 10 years ago and instantly transport myself to the basement of my buddy's parents' house where I wrote it, or to my garage where I was jamming on a guitar when I wrote a riff, or I'll remember little seemingly insignificant details of what happened on a particular day when I came up with something that I was proud of. It's crazy how music ties in with memories like that.
+ mastod0n1 I started writing songs in my early teens and Im not embarrassed to listen to mine and my old bands songs. I made sense of the world from situations and things I experienced at the time, with writing these songs.
Yep. That and the quote about Joe DiMaggio..."Then I asked myself later what it meant and I said, well, it means something, it'll mean something". Both show that he just let the words flow and worked with what he got, trusting his instincts that things would work out.
In S&G's heyday, Paul also had a Guild F-512 12-string. It too is (was then, at least) at the top of the heap - in parallel with the top-of-the-heap Martin 12-string (don't know the model no.). Those 2 were, in very different ways, having different voices, the best 12-string guitars. Perhaps the comparison would be like the vocal qualities of Judith Durham (of the Seekers) vs Emmylou Harris. Fred
How wonderful to know the process behind the song. And then to have him play a few lines on his guitar. I grew up in the sixties with their music and it never becomes dated to me.
Dick Cavett was perfect at letting the personality of his subject come out. And he used his incomparable wit to enliven, but never overwhelm the interview. I used to wait all day for 11:30 pm to arrive. Watching The Dick Cavett Show show was the crescendo of my day.
dick cavett is a naturally curious man. curiosity is a cornerstone in the interview experience. while watching this exchange with paul simon or so many of his other shows, you come away from the experience believing the host really wants to understand the essence of the guest. curiosity is also contagious. the energy of the audience becomes intrinsically involved ..... like a group of engaged people at a dinner party. youtube provides for an opportunity to review moments that may have escaped many of us 50 years ago. it is a collective 'dinner party'.
Paul Simon is obviously a GENIUS, but I am so struck by watching TV shows like this from this era. It's a little before my time, but I am blown away at how patient and truly substantive these interviews are. God, I wish tv was more like this now. You would never see something like this now. I could watch clips like this for hours.
I come from a musicians family, found this video and sent it to 2 of my uncles, we're very amazed on how gifted is Paul Simon, he uses perfect chords and harmonies, and the melody is just perfect. what a musician! So talented. Must be on the Top 5 from the XX Century.
Dick Cavett was the absolute best interviewer, ever. He was always cool without trying, he never had an attitude with ANYone on his show, and he asked practical, intelligent questions. I never saw him get confrontational, even with the most outrageous people of the times.
Where have you gone Dick Cavett, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you....There is nobody around anymore that can do quite what Cavett did the way he did it. Beautiful interview.
The genius creative process at work, inspiration comes from the most unimaginable places, it just happens when you have that mindset, great stuff there :-)
What a remarkable songwriter. I read a book of interviews with songwriters, and I always remember something he said. He said sometimes a little phrase will come to you, and you won't know exactly why or how, but it resonates with you. Then you might take the phrase, make it a hook, and structure the verses so they have a natural progression to that hook. It was probably more than 15 years ago that I read that book, and I've probably wrote some of my best songs that way. It's magical
"It'll mean something" reminds me of Picasso's monumentally great portrait of Gertrude Stein. When told that it doesn't look like her, Picasso replied, "It will".
I was at the Akron Rubber Bowl 19 July 1983. I remember Art singing Bridge. I've seen ZZ, Journey, Rush, Floyd The first stop on the reunion tour is the best concert I've attended. Remembering this makes me melancholy.
Although I'm old enough to have seen this live, seeing this now for the first time, with his wonderfully unpretentious hair and him just talking about stream of consciousness and crafting that into art, it's pretty amazing. I don't think he's fabricating, this is probably how he does/did it. These songs will stand up 5000 years from now.
Still crazy after all these years...crazy how talented he is. He's inspired my guitar playing on so many levels I couldn't pay him back if I had 30 more lifetimes lol.
What I learned from this is bring back interviewers like Dick Cavett. At least he lets his guests explain stuff without constant interruptions or plain stupid questions.
Or fake laughter, making it about themselves, or having to do random "games" to keep audience laughing.
And he didn't lead them to promote propaganda
Soooo true.
This is a much less effusive interview style than what you often see on tv or hear on radio today - no OOOH- AAAH!! talk, no histrionics, no narcissism.
Dick Cavett's have to produce their own content on PodCasts if they want to do this.
The journalist is no longer an infomer of fact, he is an enforcer of policy.
it is not even a profession which exists any longer.
this is why 'journalists' are among the highest paid professions, particularly those with name brand recognition.
they aren't being rewarded with these salaries because of their ability to bring truth to the citizenry
they are being bought with these salaries to ensure their fealty to the elite
they're both so soft-spoken, this style of talk show interview might be considered "boring" or "awkward" by modern standards but there's a relaxing charm to it
I think "authentic" fits best, here. Not so many human games going on, which makes it a lot less taxing to observe. No different than having a conversation with someone who's comfortable just being their quirky little self with you, without the least hint of trying to posture or get validation, etc.
It's quite refreshing.
The quiet and gentle nature of the conversation allows subtlety to come through. Modern media doesn't seem to permit subtlety, the audience must be clubbed over the head with everything.
It maybe "boring or 'awkward by today's standards" but there's one hundred times the amount of intelligence and insight that is exchanged between these two than anything that any contemporary interviews afford.
That’s where the “talk-show” comes from. Now it’s just “stupid-questions-and-jokes-show”
People had a much longer attention span back then. The digital revolution has given us so much information, but it took away our capacities to pay attention.
Just to get a sense, in the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, the debate started with one speaking for one hour, the other replying for an hour and a half, and then the first replying for 30 minutes. No interruption, no subtitles, no pausing. People would fill rooms to listen to them.
The pauses are longer in these old interviews, and the audience doesn't expect everything to be a joke. It's less controlled and orchestrated, it seems to me.
The people being interviewed are not particularly charismatic plus they are not so media savvy. They are being interviewed because of their achievements rather than their noteriety.
Dick Cavett never orchestrated his interviews...ever. It was his impromptu and insightful questions, humor and gift of getting candid responses from his guests that was his genius.
The audience knew that. And patiently (politeness...something audiences Do not have anymore!) waited for the interview to unfold. Cavett has never been equalled as an interviewer. But, it must be said that Carson came close, but his guests had an "outline" of what questions to expect and Carson frequently changed the direction of talks with guests much the same as Cavett.
Exactly what I was thinking. The interviewed seem to actually think up sincere and informative answers, not a bit of entertainment to push a new album/movie/show.
@@kakungulu Yes. One thing I noticed a long time ago about guests on the Daily Show is that everyone appears with a book in their hand. Nobody just comes to talk.
I think about this a lot. I'm 40, give or take half way through life if I make it. Although still considered to be more aligned with the "ADD I need everything fast and now" generation, I'm much more comfortable with pacing and pauses. I don't need to be stimulated every eight seconds and I very much like this more than any modern format. I'm particularly a fan of Dick Cavett for this reason. He did it better than so many before him or after.
This guy is a complete and utter genius. Period
He's a fucking creep and a jerk.
Talk to people that know him. He is far from genius.
@@nextnash14 look the word up in a dictionary before adding your comment. Best regards Ian
@@nextnash14 ok forget it
You can be a genius and a jerk/creep as well. Those things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if you notice the trend in people who are considered "genius" by the general population, they often lack social skills or are considered strange or abnormal by many. If you do or do not like Paul's music (which I myself would consider genius), that is fine, but no need to refute someone's opinion of something that has clearly changed their life for the better and can therefore be justifiably thought of as genius if we're here almost 60 years later discussing it.
@@richarddecredico6098 Do you know him?
"It'll mean something."
I love that. He just trusted his subconscious.
Kind of thing John Lennon would have said about a lyric. Two geniuses Paul Simon & John Lennon.
The man is so humble in tune and on key with his guitar, his surroundings and world events.
but my genuine question is did it ever mean anything? If not then he trusted in vain. I have yet to have anyone explain it's meaning.
And now I learn even Paul Simon didn't know it's meaning.
@@timothypearson6101 I've always taken the line to reference the feeling of disconnect that Americans had with their country at the time. DiMaggio, like other American icons, symbolises the hope and optimism of a bygone, simpler time-the 1950s. Insert any other larger-than-life name and you get the same effect. Just my thoughts.
@@timothypearson6101 I think his point was that he can't access the lyric's meaning through words or rational thought-not then, and not today. But it's still very meaningful. Clearly it had some other kind of meaning which spoke to millions of listeners.
The moment the guitar was in his hand he softened. He felt in his natural habitat again. I appreciate that.
Guitars are not static instruments. Carlos Santanas guitar was fighting him like a snake while he played at Woodstock.
Yeah, Paul seems shy..until that guitar is in his hands
@@MegaNicolemarie Night and day for sure.
Clown hair, clown music...
@@masterpython nah. he changed his story in later interviews.
said he made that stuff up about his guitar turning into a snake.
He is so much more comfortable speaking after he sings. That's great
I noticed that aswell
We were so lucky to have had Dick Cavett in there. He was smart, he listened, and he knew when to sit back and be quiet.
I used to love to watch his show after school when I was in high school. Always fascinating.
That's peculiar. I feel exactly the opposite. I find him to be enormously dull, uninspiring, bland, flat and unable to read a guest. I've seen dozens of his shows and always wondered how and why he was ever there. Compare him to Michael Parkinson of the UK, and one immediately recognises that Cavett is a terrible bore.
@@desmondjames9312 Gotta agree there. He is a name-dropper extraordinaire, incapable of keeping himself out of interviews unless truly awed by someone arguably more interesting than himself - and such souls he finds infrequently.
@@desmondjames9312 I can see your point. I really liked his show because I really liked HIM. I can see that he could be perceived as too dry though. Interesting side note - I used to like watching William F. Buckley Jr. as well. Then I finally got a chance to see him live and he was dreadful. I'll have to check out Michael Parkinson interviews...
@@desmondjames9312 don’t forget Charlie Rose. He’s better than that IMO. But yeah he doesn’t see m to know what to say. Maybe being careful
I like how he's honest about randomly saying lines and not thinking to deeply about them
too
Paul Simon is the most modest genius there's ever been. What a joy it is to be given a glimpse into his creativity. And Dick Cavett is without peer as far as hosts go.
Yes. Paul Simon is so gifted. Only a few come along in one's lifetime who possess musical genius.
Personally I could never stand him nor his music. And he backstabbled Garfunkel. I've never heard anything but bad things about him and his narcissism.
Cavett's Brit equivalent might be Michael Parkinson. Same era more or less
Don't think you're modest when you call your skill on par's with John fucking Lennon
Nah, the most modest genius of all time is James Marshall Hendrix. ..and one of the best examples of that is actually his appearance on this show in '69.
Also, it's pretty well known that Simon and Garfunkel both had pretty massive egos.
Fifty years from now, him noodling around on a guitar and singing still gives me goose bumps.
Now THERE is a resolute declaration !. You intend to be alive in 50 years, and the only human that still stumbles along with "skin".
:)
Yesss
His voice is so angelic and smooth when he sings. It's insane how effortless his singing is.
Like it's just slip slidin' away.
@FredCarpenter-pm8bf "people are too focused on entertainment, a symptom of low intelligence"... Said the person who's on friggin UA-cam watching a video of a singer, aka ENTERTAINER preforming a song on a TALKSHOW. The irony😂 Look, I get that you're miserable and clearly a bitter and negative person, but how about the next time you feel like projecting your miserable self onto random people in the UA-cam comment section you do something productive. Like go for a walk, or read a book...maybe try and make a friend.
'It'll mean something." It's great to hear how such a learned and intelligent man trusts in his intuition.
Pretty sure he was just aware that any composition with enough ambiguity will elicit meaningful response from anyone.
And it did mean something. Paul Simon would go on to perform that song in centerfield of Yankes stadium at the memorial of Demagio
@@guyincognito. Yup. I interpreted that verse so that a nation has lost its symbolic heroes - which most often is really filling juvenile needs and chosing bad symbols - and people are lost and looking for that (heroism or inspiration etc.) which they cannot see or evoke but through symbolic, elevated icons.
@@guyincognito. Indeed. Great comment.
@@guyincognito. 4:35 That’s explicitly not what he thinks. He thinks the words that come up while writing stream of consciousness produce something of meaning. As someone who does the same thing, I think there’s truth to that. But it’s going to tend to be the type of thing that can be interpreted multiple ways.
The lines he says are fairly specific in some ways. I don’t think you say a nation has “lonely eyes” completely by random.
Paul Simon wrote timeless music and is a national treasure.
Seconded!
Every time I hear Mrs. Robinson, the he line “ where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio our nation turns its lonely eyes to you call my” sticks out for me. I never saw Joe DiMaggio play ball but my dad did when he played for the San Francisco Seals in the old Pacific Coast League at the Vaughn Street Ballpark in Portland Oregon. Dad died in 2013 and in these days in 2021 that line reminds me not only of him, but of everything culturally good and wholesome that we miss so much in America right now.
@ Philippe Sauvie. Not to be technical, but the lyric in the Simon and Garfunkel song, "Mrs. Robinson" is "A nation turns its' lonely eyes to you" not " Our nation turns its' lonely eyes to you". For many years I misheard that word in the lyrics of the song just as you have, until I realized that I misheard it.
@@michaelbarlow6610
The official simonandgarfunkel website concurs and displays the complete lyrics for that song.
I love how the true geniuses are almost unaware of how amazing they are
If you read other interviews of Paul Simon, you get the impression that he's completely aware of it. He talks about it like someone with a really cool birthmark that resembles George Washington might sound. Like he's impressed and amused by it, and knows it's part of him. And though he's proud to have it, he ultimately takes no credit for having been born with it.
@@ChicagoSteve He's aware because he's been told a million times. But remains bemused perhaps because its likely quite easy for him.
Ah, he knows 😊 One of Louis Armstrong’s close friends says in an interview “Oh, he KNEW he was good.”
Or are to aware.
He was so candid about the process. I like how he spoke naturally that a line that didn’t make much sense at the time would eventually do. 🎶
He can be candid because it was all his own work. Nowadays there's probably a department putting together one song.
Yep, he was - he's also a very careful craftsman when it comes to songwriting. I remember another interview with him where he was discussing the line about Joe DiMaggio in the same song and mentioned how the legendary guy had actually met him in the lobby for some other tv show and asked him: "What do you mean, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio"? I'm very much here, you know!". With a smile, Simon added: "he clearly hadn't begun to see himself as a metaphor". :)
His voice is beautiful, it's so smooth and gentle.
I was born in 1981 but my teenage years were filled the sound of Simon and Gafunkel.
Me too, I adore Paul Simon. His voice sounds amazing here .. and got better as he got older, He’s amazing. 💕💕
and me too, born 20 years after you. bridge over troubled water is the best album i’ve ever heard
I was a high school senior when Simon and Garfunkel were always on the radio. Great music lasts. So glad you love it too.
Cavett is so underrated. I'm so glad these shows are being posted!
Decades TV airs Dick Cavett shows, weekdays at 9 Eastern. I get it because I'm an Antenna-fed guy, and Decades is offered on one of the digital subchannels on a station in my area. Some folks feel Billy Joel is the "great American songwriter of his generation," let me stand with those folks who hold up Paul Simon.
he's not underrated, i'm pretty sure he has his place in the hall of fame amongst the very best interviewers. i can't think of anyone better to be honest, and i am 109 years old.
Imagine being either Dick Cavett and having Paul Simon sing for you personally, or Paul Simon, and having Dick Cavett hanging on your every word.
What magnificent television is this!
Agreed. 💕
Yes Mr. Simon it does mean something. Thank you for all of your timeless music. We all love you. Peace
This is so golden. We dont get truly candid interviews like this anymore. Oh, and Paul Simon is a once in a life time genius of course.
@@johchadow Recently he's grown into that role ...
Paul Simon at his peak was a truly extraordinary creative talent
How much does it suck that this was 50 years ago.
To right! I was there during all this creativity. Brings a tear to the eye.
My old bones and aching muscles think so, too. I want to go back.
It sucks a lot. As a younger person who grew up listening to the Graceland album, it sucks to know he may not be here much longer for another concert.
wow this just hit me....
@@Earthbound017 I literally just gasped when I realized it was FIFTY years ago. That just doesn't seem possible. Geez, he just looks so young here. What an amazing talent!
It's so refreshing that the interview actually lets the guest talk and finish their point and even elaborate or play some music. Instead of talking over the end of their sentence in order to make a joke or move on to the next question.
I like the way he pats his guitar after resting it against chair arm. My guitar is my friend too.
I noticed that, too.
@@lucygirl4926Yup! My husband was a musician and I used to call his guitar The Other Woman.
His songs are pure poetry, and we keep trying to find literal meanings from these lyrics, when they weren’t written that way. I love hearing him explain his processes.
He is so talented. Everything appears to come so seamlessly to him, as in the lyrics to Mrs. Robinson.
He's a genius, but it's also been a great deal about teamwork. Not least with Roy Halee, the in-house engineer and producer for both S&G and Paul solo. The Graceland album would have been impossible without Roy.
It was so pure when Paul set his guitar in place and tapped it at the beginning
Here boy, you sit here for awhile. Good boy.
What an artist . It is incredible the way he talks about the creation of this song . He is truly awesome .
He basically said he made it up as he went along. There is no creativity or 'genius' involved here. The joke is on the people who bought the song.
@@willshad
The simplicity of it , there it is, so genuine. Genial too.
It’s wonderful how awkward Paul Simon comes across when talking about ‘stuff’ and then how he comes alive when playing and talking about the music.
I loved listening to Simon back in the day. He was so funny on the SNL shows back then. Seems like a humble man considering all his success.
Paul Simon sounds like he’s a beautiful human being.
He is
He is...I met him briefly at a gig and he really didn't have to talk to me. Very friendly guy.
Paul Simon. One of the greatest songwriters ever. I love what he (and Art Garfunkel) created.
P. Simon wrote all the songs...
@@s.mcchristy9704 Art Garfunkel did a little bit of singing.
@@KnightOnBaldMountainMost of the songs Paul wrote were specifically for Art's voice. Paul understood the instrument, the voice he was writing for. I can't even imagine Bridge Over Troubled Water sung by anyone other than Art Garfunkel.
I'm just sorry Paul underrated his own voice and talent for so long. And I'm sorry they had to break up their friendship before he could recognize and develop his own talent.
@@annarodriguez9868 I understand. My comment was intended to point out that Art Garfunkel had something to do with the music.
@@s.mcchristy9704 he did and Garfunkel was the songbird of his generation. Sublime voice.
I loved watching his right hand fingerpick that way -- great guitar player. I was surprised by his final comment. "It'll mean something." I remember as a young teen, when this song came out, thinking this meant "Where have our heroes gone? We need people to look up to again." "DiMaggio" as a concept for me stood in for the strong, silent type who just did his job with excellence, not complaining, a shining example. It's just my view of it.
This is freaking amazing and I love how Dick Cavett recognizes it.
He plays it while explaining how it came about to Cavett and the audience and all i hear is how it sounds on the album, no auto tune, no dubs, just genius.
amazing how Paul can just bang off the song singing and playing so beautifully and effortlessly
One of the all time greatest acoustic songs ever written.
How so?
Great to hear the inside stories of musical geniuses. I still play Mrs. Robinson on stage and it always gets applause.
Dick Cavett and Paul Simon, the two great combovers
Well coupled...
Yes Sir now kids got justin bieber 🤣
Paul Simon has the Lord Farquaad
@@seanmatthewking And Paul was so damn cute then, but he always had awful haircuts,.
@@chrisn7259 makes you wonder doesn't it? Did he think it was a good look at the time? Was he just determined to not reveal a receding hairline at any cost? Did Cavett not have a make-up person backstage? Or did Simon transcend vanity? And bottom line, his art transcends all of it. My second favorite songwriter only after Leonard Cohen.
That opening riff to Mrs. Robinson is my earliest musical memory. I think I literally heard it in the crib. Helluva introduction to the world of music!
It would be so difficult to match Paul Simon's odd energy in an interview. Props to Cavett.
Wow, that's a free masterclass right there. What a legend.
I honestly feel this Cavett guy's show is gonna make it big
Man, his voice sounds amazing here, when he sings.
Speaks like a true conflicted artist… full of himself, and without the unflattering yet timely relevant haircut, has every reason to take himself so seriously. Beautiful creation and beautiful message. Love you forever Paul Simon, one of the truest songwriters and singers of this lifetime.
He could break it all down note by note, phrase by phrase, and discuss his mental process and everything, but then you realize that it's about this insane gift he has and it cannot be taught. These are not just well crafted songs -- these are the products of genius.
The level of comfort between his answering and his singing is amazing.
The best strumming i've ever heard in my life
He has been my favorite artist for many years because of that stream-of-consciousness thinking and writing.
Paul Simon is so talented! Love how you can see him completely relax in his element when he's playing the guitar and singing.
Hello Carolyn, How are you doing?
Paul Simon is just creative genius at its best. Seeing him so young and open - and then singing and playing - simply brought tears to my eyes.
Love this clip!
As well, you can tell that Cavett was just reveling as he took in the talent of Simon.
Crybaby.
I love watching the old "Dick Cavett Show" reruns and remember seeing this one a while ago and remember how cool it was to hear how Paul created and put this song together.
This is one of the best interviews I have seen on song creation. The Dick Cavett Show was so great...
I am truly fascinated by how full his playing sounds, so much that you can hear all the music behind like if there was an entire band of musicians playing along. So cool.
4:27 So true! Sometimes you write lyrics that insinuate a meaning, one of which you aren't sure of, and later the meaning reveals itself. Sometimes, the writer is just a conduit. Paul is an American Treasure.
For people who like Cavett's style of relaxed, easy-going, breathable interviews -- I think a lot has to do with the auidence at the time. We've too overstimulated now and so we need quick cuts, constant jokes, high energy, etc. Back then, I speculate, conversation was one's main source of entertainment. People visited each other just to sit and chat. I know people still do that, but it was so much more of an essential part of our lives then when people spent a lot of time in relative silence without even TV or radio for most of our history as a species.
Yeah but the right kind of guy could bring that back… I hope.
@@jamesstewart8377 it’s already happened, with the rise of podcasts. The fact that they’ve gotten so popular (despite being the most long-form interviews in all of human history) is evidence that more and more of us are increasingly sick of junk food.
@@trash4gold TV channels incorrectly assumed they have a monopoly over news and therefor can abuse the truth any way the want, and so declare themselves as "mainstream". How naive and wrong they are.
I don't think "we" need that. I think "they" keep shoving it down our throats, so we have no other choice.
Cell phones are a blessing, but to me at 53 they are also cursed things I would get rid of if I could. You used to also leave "the office" and your work ended. I will soon retire and watch things unfold. AI is going to be the next thing to rob the worker bees.
Arguably the best American songwriter ever. Top 5 without a doubt.
Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon .... sounds good,
@Richard Horrocks Haha, but no.
@Richard Horrocks I would prefer Brian Wilson.
@Richard Horrocks I agree that Cobain is up there. It can be hard for some people to appreciate if you were already through your angsty years by the time Nirvana came around. Or just not his cup of tea. I gotta say Billy Joel is up there for me too, even he does fall into the less critically appreciated pop genre.
@Richard Horrocks You are preaching to the choir my friend. I agreed with you and was simply trying to offer reasons someone might not agree. All art is subjective, but I subjectively agree with you that Cobain is up there.
I think about the song Mrs. Robinson a lot and every year the words get more poignant. Yes it means a lot. It's beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
It just friggin' came to him. Just riffin' on the guitar and then BAM one of the best songs ever written.
Simon is a legend.
So grateful my dad had me listening to this era of music when I was a kid. Paul Simon is one of a kind.
So many songwriters are painful introverts, just like poets. Mediums to the universal mind.
Cavett is still alive. I'd LOVe to see him interview someone famous again.
Amazing talent! Great singer songwriter and also probably one of the most underrated guitarist ever
I love this period of Paul Simon. This was a really nice segment. -all’s guitar playing is so awesome.
film and music are iconic, love how simon is so unpretentious about all of it.
"Each song means whatever I was like when I wrote it."
I feel that. I've dabbled with songwriting and I'm not very good but I'll go back and listen to recordings that I made 10 years ago and instantly transport myself to the basement of my buddy's parents' house where I wrote it, or to my garage where I was jamming on a guitar when I wrote a riff, or I'll remember little seemingly insignificant details of what happened on a particular day when I came up with something that I was proud of. It's crazy how music ties in with memories like that.
+
mastod0n1 I started writing songs in my early teens and Im not embarrassed to listen to mine and my old bands songs. I made sense of the world from situations and things I experienced at the time, with writing these songs.
Yep. That and the quote about Joe DiMaggio..."Then I asked myself later what it meant and I said, well, it means something, it'll mean something".
Both show that he just let the words flow and worked with what he got, trusting his instincts that things would work out.
That Martin sounds fantastic.
Nothing beats it.
They make a fine guitar.
In S&G's heyday, Paul also had a Guild F-512 12-string. It too is (was then, at least) at the top of the heap - in parallel with the top-of-the-heap Martin 12-string (don't know the model no.).
Those 2 were, in very different ways, having different voices, the best 12-string guitars.
Perhaps the comparison would be like the vocal qualities of Judith Durham (of the Seekers) vs Emmylou Harris.
Fred
@@ffggddss thank you! Great to hear from guitar enthusiasts. I'll go check those babies.
Does anyone know what model that Martin is? Thx
This man has a magic voice --wow --stunning --and he can play and compose --what astounding talent!
How wonderful to know the process behind the song. And then to have him play a few lines on his guitar. I grew up in the sixties with their music and it never becomes dated to me.
Paul is a great acoustic guitar player....better than most people realize.
Dick Cavett was perfect at letting the personality of his subject come out. And he used his incomparable wit to enliven, but never overwhelm the interview. I used to wait all day for 11:30 pm to arrive. Watching The Dick Cavett Show show was the crescendo of my day.
dick cavett is a naturally curious man. curiosity is a cornerstone in the interview experience. while watching this exchange with paul simon or so many of his other shows, you come away from the experience believing the host really wants to understand the essence of the guest. curiosity is also contagious. the energy of the audience becomes intrinsically involved ..... like a group of engaged people at a dinner party. youtube provides for an opportunity to review moments that may have escaped many of us 50 years ago. it is a collective 'dinner party'.
“... a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”
That line has more meaning today, than ever.
This was when he was at his creative peak. I was at the 1982 concert in Central Park, and then his 1991 Central Park concert.
I saw him perform years ago in Vancouver
Very talented in his old age
Wow, I love his honesty, and pure genius uncovered with voice and guitar. Why can't we have musicians like this now?
Underrated guitar player as well as one of the greatest American songwriters
Underrated, where, when? He's world famous for being a guitar genius (and also song writer, singer, ...)
Paul Simon is obviously a GENIUS, but I am so struck by watching TV shows like this from this era. It's a little before my time, but I am blown away at how patient and truly substantive these interviews are. God, I wish tv was more like this now. You would never see something like this now. I could watch clips like this for hours.
Truly a musical genius.
I come from a musicians family, found this video and sent it to 2 of my uncles, we're very amazed on how gifted is Paul Simon, he uses perfect chords and harmonies, and the melody is just perfect. what a musician! So talented. Must be on the Top 5 from the XX Century.
Dick Cavett was the absolute best interviewer, ever. He was always cool without trying, he never had an attitude with ANYone on his show, and he asked practical, intelligent questions. I never saw him get confrontational, even with the most outrageous people of the times.
The best ever. I've always thought the same.
being born in 2000 i watch these old shows & cant help but question the entirety of where we are now
The chord progressions always make me well up, for reasons I cannot explain nor wish to discover.
Absolutely priceless interview…Pure gold.
What a treat!
Didn't know before today that it existed.
Thank you for uploading.
This is such a brilliant interview. I wish more talk show hosts would follow suit.
Where have you gone Dick Cavett, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you....There is nobody around anymore that can do quite what Cavett did the way he did it. Beautiful interview.
You are so right.
The genius creative process at work, inspiration comes from the most unimaginable places, it just happens when you have that mindset, great stuff there :-)
What a remarkable songwriter. I read a book of interviews with songwriters, and I always remember something he said. He said sometimes a little phrase will come to you, and you won't know exactly why or how, but it resonates with you. Then you might take the phrase, make it a hook, and structure the verses so they have a natural progression to that hook.
It was probably more than 15 years ago that I read that book, and I've probably wrote some of my best songs that way. It's magical
Fascinating, too, how Paul is more comfortable singing than conversing ;)
"It'll mean something" reminds me of Picasso's monumentally great portrait of Gertrude Stein. When told that it doesn't look like her, Picasso replied, "It will".
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thankyou very much, I didn"t know that.
I was at the Akron Rubber Bowl 19 July 1983.
I remember Art singing Bridge.
I've seen ZZ, Journey, Rush, Floyd
The first stop on the reunion tour is the best concert I've attended.
Remembering this makes me melancholy.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon lets his guests lip sync songs by other artists.
And eat hot wings
Dave Teves
“fallon bad” dude there’s far worse stuff out there than him
Wow an anti Jimmy Fallon comment on a Dick Cavett video. Original. Didn't see that coming.
@@guyinthechat9533 youre a sad strange man for accusing people of stealing content.
Its not about letting them its about a lot of the time the artist dont have a choice whether they lip sync or not
it's amazing to get a glimpse of how an artist creates. Often starting with a whisper, notion, or snippet of a concept. Fascinating.
Although I'm old enough to have seen this live, seeing this now for the first time, with his wonderfully unpretentious hair and him just talking about stream of consciousness and crafting that into art, it's pretty amazing. I don't think he's fabricating, this is probably how he does/did it. These songs will stand up 5000 years from now.
Thank you so much for posting this interview! A master at work and one of my all-time favorites!
Still crazy after all these years...crazy how talented he is. He's inspired my guitar playing on so many levels I couldn't pay him back if I had 30 more lifetimes lol.
what a wonderful moment with paul. such a sweet man.
A very talented musician. One of my favorite.
Amazing man.