Steve Berlin of Los Lobos remembers working with Paul Simon...and it was NOT good.

Thanks for bringing this thread back from the dead I found it interesting.

Anyways, Paul Simon's music is overrated IMO.

 

Eric Gale's guitar playing is strong throughout this album. I love how gets so much life out of that clean tone and is not afraid to let it hang out worts and all. A lesser guitarist (myself included) would have major reservations about using such a clean setting. It is nice to see some love for the OTP album which I also feel start to finish is as good if not better that "Still Crazy" and the movie has several bits which are hilarious. For those who have not seen it, it features: Lou Reed, John Sebastian, Same and Dave, Tiny Tim, Rip Torn, Harry Shearer, Eric Gale, Steve Gadd, Tony Levin.....all trying there hand at acting!!!

 

Just as likely it was Paul Simon who couldn't put up with Carrie Fisher.

 

Speaking of which I love the song 'Hearts and Bones'--while the album it was from may not have been a blockbuster outside of the occasionally gimmicky production touches, it's a terrific album demonstrating that Simon hadn't lost his muse and Simon's brief marriage to Fisher was the inspiration for the song.

There have been other artists that I respect that have nicked stuff--doesn't make it right--for example John Lennon and Yoko Ono took a Frank Zappa piece, took songwriting credit for it on "Sometime in NYC". They "assumed" it was a jam with Zappa's band (but, of course, they didn't credit Zappa as a writer nor his band either) similar to the situation with "Myth of the Fingerprints".

Simon should just own up to it and give them credit, come to an agreement on back royalties for the song and move on.

 

I remember an interview with Carrie years ago that says that they were just head over heels for each other when they were dating. Then when they got married, everything blew up incredibly fast. She wasn't specific, but I think she said something like 'we had no idea how incompatible we really were'.
Sounded extremely dysfunctional, to say the least.

 

I am totally in love with Paul Simon, but I only really like a few of the actual records. I just listen to those few over and over again. Negotiations and Love Songs, for example.

I am pretty good friends with someone who's been out on tour with him, and it was always hard to reconcile my "OMG PAUL SIMON!" feelings with the tales of woe I'd hear about being on the road.

And I think his facelifts have done quite ridiculous things to his ears.

 

YES! That has bothered Wifey and me for years. Granted, just about anybody's ears are pretty weird once you start noticing them. But still.

 

A story like this proves that there is a dirty / nasty side of the music biz...

 

Paul Simon's industry reputation for being "temperamental"

The story portrayed in this thread doesn't surprise me regarding Simon. He's long had a reputation for having "artist's temperament"...just ask Roy Halee and Art Garfunkel, who've known him longer than anyone else in the business!!! I love his music, btw, but I can't always condone his behavior towards his colleagues!!!:thumbsdn:

 

thats not fair to small people.

 

Who knew?

 

I can handle the stories about our musical heroes being physically abusive, drug addicts, or just generally not very nice, but this is the worst. It seems the first lesson that the "successful" ones learn is to be cutthroats.

 

This story doesn't say anything about the music industry as a whole or about sucessful musicians as a whole.

It's about one man.

And yes there are other examples.

But it's hardly the majority of musicians who act like this. Just the one's who'd be liars and thieves no matter what industry they were in.

 

I'll never look at Paul Simon the same way again. Los Lobos are amazing...and talented.

Hey Paul, let's take a little stroll through East LA ?

 

Los Lobos are what appear a thoroughly genuine & fantastic band. Sad they had to put up with the nonsense of this seemingly mean little man.

 

Wow what a jerk!

David does those songs better anyway.

 

I've said it before: having money and fame allows people to act any way they want because they have nothing or no one to keep them in check.

 

Wow, interesting story. I just got back. Funny thing is, someone like you will post a story with a link and after I read the initial story, I end up spending days jumping from one site to the next. I ended up on a site that sold tickets for a Jam Band cruise.
Thanks for the link......lol.

Now with the Simon and Los Lobos stuff, I'd like to hear Simons side of it but I'm leaning on Los Lobos having a legitimate gripe. If they can prove it, they should sue him, like he says....

 

When he mentioned that it has become harder for him to to write, that explains
his inviting Los Lobos to jam with him and using their ideas as the basis of a few songs
on Graceland. Of course, he never gave them writing credit...

 

I don't see the relationship between these two things. Even if one believes Los Lobos deserves a credit on All Around The World, Simon still wrote the melody and lyrics on his own. No one is disputing that.

 

Paul’s people obviously dispute their contribution. Give credit where credit is due.
Kinda pathetic when you think about it. It wasn’t his first time, y’know.

 

I agree he was stingy with credit on Graceland and Rhythm Of The Saints. But he still wrote the "song" portion (melody and lyrics) even if he doesn't seem to always think ideas generated while jamming require credit. There's also a lot of stories of his generosity.

 

Did others come up with the chord progression? A chord progression is generally considered part of the song and deserving of a songwriting credit.

 

Did anyone else hear that he accepted the invite to Live Aid then backed out because Bill Graham yelled at him.