WELCOME BACK TO "LATE SHOW"."
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS ONE OF THE GREATEST
SINGER/SONGWRITERS IN THE WORLD.
PLEASE WELCOME MY FRIEND PAUL SIMON.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) SIR, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
♪ ♪ ♪ NICE.
>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK.
NICE TO HAVE YOU BACK.
>> NICE TO BE HERE.
I JUST SAID THAT.
THAT'S WHAT THEY ALWAYS SAY.
>> Stephen: "NICE TO BE HERE?" >> YEAH.
YOU DON'T KNOW.
LET'S SEE HUE THIS INTERVIEW GOES.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: LET'S NOT JINX.
IT WAS FUN TO DO THAT SONG WITH YOU.
>> I STILL HATE IT.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: SINCERELY, THAT'S A SINCERE THING.
THAT WAS YOUR IDEA.
NOT A BIG FAN OF THAT SONG ANYMORE.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT'S A GOOD SONG FOR KIDS.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?
PEOPLE LIKE TO SING ALONG WITH IT.
>> Stephen: YEAH, THEY DO, YEAH, THEY DO.
YOU DON'T.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A TOUR COMING UP STARTING JUNE 1, END
THE NEXT WEEK, ACTUALLY.
RIGHT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: GREAT SUMMER TOUR.
BUT HERE'S THE THING THEY JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS IS THAT ALL
PROFITS FROM THIS TOUR WILL GO TO E.O. WILSON'S BIODIVERSITY
FOUNDATION.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW E.O. WILSON, YOU SHOULD.
HE'S ONE OF THE GREAT WRITERS ON BIODIVERSITY.
HE'S A GIANT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH.
WHY THIS?
WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS WITH YOUR TOUR?
>> WELL, I WAS VERY MOVED BY THAT BOOK.
YOU-- YOU TALKED TO HIM ON YOUR SHOW.
>> Stephen: YEAH, WE HAD HIM ON THE OLD GIG, YEAH.
>> BASICALLY, WHAT HE'S SAYING-- I DON'T WANT TO MAKE A LECTURE
OUT OF THIS, NOR IS THE TOUR A LECTURE TOUR.
IT'S A PURE -- >> Stephen: SO THERE ARE NO
SLIDE SHOWS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THERE'S NO TEST AT THE END.
( LAUGHTER ) AT THE END OF THE ENCORES, OKAY,
YEAH.
>> THAT'S A GOOD THOUGHT.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> ANYWAY, I READ THE BOOK.
I WAS VERY MOVED BY IT.
WHAT HE'S SAYING ESSENTIALLY IS THAT THERE IS A WAY OF
PRESERVING THE PLANET AND ALLOWING THE HUMAN RACE TO
CONTINUE THE WAY IT'S GOING ALONG.
BUT WE HAVE TO START NOW PRESERVING THE SPECIES THAT WE
HAVE.
ONCE EXTINCTION BEGINS, IT CAN'T BE REVERSED.
ONCE THE ECOSYSTEMS ARE, YOU KNOW, DISINTEGRATING, THEY CAN'T
BE RESTORED.
>> Stephen: I MEAN, PEOPLE SAY WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF
A SIXTH GREAT EXTINCTION RIGHT NOW.
>> AND WE MIGHT POSSIBLY BE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTH GREAT
EXTINCTION, WHICH MEANS THE PLANET-- LIFE ON THE PLANET
DIES, ALL LIFE.
SO-- ♪ FEELING GROOVY ♪
( LAUGHTER ) KEEP IT LIGHT.
KEEP IT LIGHT.
>> EXACTLY.
( LAUGHTER ) >> YOU KNOW, HAVING SAID THAT,
I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SHOW BUSINESS STUFF.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT SHOW BUSINESS STUFF BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING ON A NEW
ALBUM.
I'M NOT SURE WHEN IT COMES OUT.
BUT YOU'RE GOING BACK AND FOR INSTANCE THE SONG YOU'RE DOING
FOR US TONIGHT.
THIS IS A SONG YOU RELEASED YEAR AGOO "SO BEAUTIFUL, SO WHAT" IN
2012.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE GOING BACK AND RE-RECORDING THESE.
WHY GO BACK AND RE-RECORD THESE SONGS?
>> IT'S A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR A WRITER TO GO ABLE TO GO BACK AND
RE-EXAMINE A PIECE OF WORK THAT WAS GOOD BUT MAYBE COULD HAVE
BEEN BETTER.
I'M PICKING OUT SONGS THEY REALLY LIKED THEY THOUGHT WERE,
YOU KNOW, WELL WRITTEN.
AND NOT-- YOU KNOW, NOT NOTICED.
MAYBE THERE WERE OTHER HITS ON THE ALBUM OR SOMETHING.
OR THEY JUST WEREN'T NOTICED.
AND I'M RECORDING THEM AGAIN WITH DIFFERENT MUSICIANS.
AND AT TIMES, I CHANGE THE LYRICS, IF I THINK IT'S BETTER
TO CHANGE A LAST VERSE.
LIKE I THINK,"THIS SONG WAS GOOD BUT IT DIDN'T REALLY PAY OFF."
SO I REWRITE THE VERSE.
AND I'M ENJOYING IT, ENJOYING THE PROCESS QUITE A BIT.
>> Stephen: THESE ARE SONGS THAT YOU THINK WERE MAYBE BETTER
THAN THE HITS BUT PEOPLE DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION?
>> BETTER THAN "FEELING GROOVY."
>> Stephen: WELL, WE'LL FIND OUT IN JUST A SECOND BECAUSE
PAUL SIMON IS GOING TO STAY WITH US AND GIVE US A PERFORMANCE
WITH THE GREAT BILL FRISELL.