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Forum guest
Jul-20-2011, 06:28 GMT
USA - United Staates America

Is there anyone beside me that is disturbed about Paul playing in Israel with no comment that I can find being mede by him about the Boycott,Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement by indigenous Palestians. I´m a huuuge PS fan (17 concerts,including 4 on this current tour) and a couple of unforgettable personal encounters with him. This is the first time that he´s disappointed me - about anything! It´s not that he necessarily needed to follow the example of his liner note scribe Elvis Costello by canceling his show, but AT LEAST acknowledge his knowledge of the BDS movement and make SOME statement about why he is choosing to ignore it. Especially given his sensitivity to the South African boycott around Graceland creation, It is disheartening that he would choose to let the oppression of the occupation and its BDS call go unnoticed. I was in Israel and the West Bank last year and was ashamed and appalled at what I saw. I only wish my musical hero would not shirk his customary humanity and make some kind of statement, besides his music and appearance, about this perpetual conflict. When I came home last summer from my Middle East journey, I was transfixed by his song Silent Eyes - how can he now not "stand before the eyes of God and speak what was done´?????

Jon
Jul-20-2011, 06:38 GMT
Unknown

jesus christ -- calm down

Bodo
Jul-20-2011, 10:30 GMT
Austria

Yes calm down - because first of all he has to arrive in Israel to give a comment okay.

Bodo
Jul-20-2011, 10:34 GMT
Austria

no politics rule over sport
no politics should rule over art

Paul Simon did not boycott the people in SouthAfrica, so it would make absolute NO sense if he boycotts the people in Israel.


I would say to him: Go and do a show in Palestine too. A free one!

mog
Jul-20-2011, 15:07 GMT
Canada

Yes, good idea !

But I am afraid there is no money to make in Palestine with such a state of despair, poverty, unemployment...so good luck for a Simon show over there. Yes, a free concert could be awesome.

Richard
Jul-21-2011, 17:04 GMT
Unknown

If Paul were to avoid all nations that do bad things, we would have to travel to Antartica to see him in concert.

Bodo
Jul-21-2011, 18:15 GMT
Austria

Hmmmm... I think Island would also be a possible destination, but ... they gave exil to Mr. Bobby Fisher, so it is not a country US people want to visit ;-)

Mimi
Jul-21-2011, 18:15 GMT
Austria

Richard, that is exactly what I thought about that problem. I heard no complaints about other countries and I am afraid, there are few left, where you don´t find some reason to complain.

Forum guest
Jul-25-2011, 11:59 GMT
USA - United Staates America

These continual references to politics are the stupidest statements imaginable. Forgetting that all over the world there are extremely complicated battles between the "oppressed" and "oppressor", battles that span hundreds of years, persistent despite the efforts of the best sociopolitical minds on the planet, here is the main point. Paul Simon is in the business of giving concerts. He is in the business of entertaining people with his music. He is not in the business of political theatre, or media spinning, or any of that crap.. To cancel or refuse a concert because of some affected political position IS the political statement. To give concerts where and how he can, for his fans, ignoring political posturing, is NOT a political statement. in south africa, politics were thrust onto Paul by threats of violence. He was there to make music, not to stand against apartheid, not to be musician as affected political posturer. Let Bono posture, while his charity spends most of its money on office space and he avoids his personal income taxes. If you fall for that hyper-narcissistic nonsense, I feel sorry for you. I don´t need Bono to instruct me on charity. and I don´t need Elvis Costello to instruct me on political position. I need them to sing their beautiful songs, and perhaps utter a prayer or brief statement in the hope of peace. That´s exactly what Paul did in Israel, and he got it exactly right.

And believe me, Paul Simon would have nothing but disdain for your arrogance in telling him how to think and what political position to take, like it´s all so simple. Nothing but disdain....

Carol
Jul-25-2011, 13:14 GMT
Unknown

Man, here´s a review by a real sourpuss: http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/live-w
ire-there-goes-rhymin-reflective-simon-1.375079 Does not sound very appreciative of all the grief his subject went to to get there and perform.

Scaaty
Jul-25-2011, 14:02 GMT
Ireland

I think its a well thought out review I agree with the comments re conquering and emotiveness . I too find Leonard Cohen concerts very moving in why that Paul simons concerts aren´t but if the two were on the same night I´d go to the with better music songs etc and to the one which is " moving"

Bodo
Jul-25-2011, 14:11 GMT
Austria

hm, hi Carol. I think the review was quiet good. From the viewpoint of a non-fan. He has some good points. And the last sentence sums it up very good:

"shriek of joy." I do not share his experience completely, but such a description is a lot more appropriate, in my opinion, than the experience of all those who wanted to be conquered and excited so much that they forgot to listen to the music.


I think he is right in a few points: Paul is not a conqueror. Also he does not play with the stirring emoitions a lot at concerts - I still think SOS was the only real stirring moment of emotions.
Also he is right when he writes that it is not a singer with a band, it is more like a band now. Eh, you see he is playing with some of them since 25 years. During the recent concerts he did not play a lot of solo songs (1 or 2), so the band gets more and more important. I realized that when I showed the iTunes concert to some friends which did not know Paul Simon. They did not know more than 2 or 3 songs. Anyway, they liked 2/3 of them immediately, and they said that even if they did not like or know a song, it was fun to watch all the different band members and their instruments. It is incredible how many guitars they have, that mini-piano, the keys, the small-bass, the hadgini, harmonica, accordeons, fluets. So he is right when he says it is about music, and not about conquering and stirring emoitons and winning the audience. Winning the audience would be easy: Big light show, visuals, videos and just play all the S&G hits and non of those obscure songs. :)

Bodo
Jul-25-2011, 14:15 GMT
Austria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeBLpdLbURU

Tamar
Jul-25-2011, 14:31 GMT
Israel

@Carol: I just want to say that except for this article, the majority of the comments were positive and appreciative.
For instance, this article:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4098825,
00.html
So the article you posted represents more the writer´s personal feeling than the genral atmosphere or the common comments of the critics or of the people who have seen the concert.

I wanted to make this point because the idea that that poeple may take this writer´s position - who admits that he "is not a Simon fan", by the way - as though it was the popular attitude here irritates me.

I heard and read the words "thank you" over and over again. It is not fair that one person will stain the rest of the people, who showed respect and appreciation both before and while the concert.

Carol
Jul-25-2011, 23:29 GMT
Unknown

I apologize for what may not have been a well-informed comment. I saw this person´s review on Google and it really rubbed my fur the wrong way. People have very different tastes. The person sitting next to me in the U.S. did not appear at all inspired by the show. I was afraid that he was the reviewer for the Tennessean (he wasn´t) -- I kept wondering -- why did you even come if you don´t like the guy. And my 20-year-Old daughter who came with me fell asleep -- think she was expecting to hear more S&G songs.

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