( BAND PLAYING ) >> Stephen: WELL, EVERYBODY,
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT THIS JOB THAT ARE GREAT, BUT
THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST, BECAUSE MY NEXT GUEST IS A
LEGENDARY MUSICIAN WHOSE MUSIC YOU'RE SINGING IN YOUR HEAD
RIGHT NOW.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO THE LATE SHOW, PAUL SIMON.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> FIES TO BE HERE.
ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO COMING.
>> Stephen: ALWAYS ENJOY TALKING TO YOU, THOUGH I AM
CONFUSED.
I HEARD A LOT ABOUT A FAREWELL TOUR.
>> MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: IS THIS THE "I WAS JUST KIDDING" TOUR?
IS THIS A COMEBACK PAUL SIMON?
>> NO, THE FAREWELL TOUR WAS BASICALLY JUST TO BUMP THE
PRICES UP -- ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: YEAH, SURE, SURE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> NO, WHAT I SAID REALLY IS
THAT THAT WAS A FAREWELL TOUR.
I DON'T INTEND TO TOUR ANYMORE, BUT I WILL PERFORM AGAIN, AND
THE MONEYS THAT I MAKE, I AM GOING TO DONATE TO VARIOUS
CAUSES THAT I BELIEVE IN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT
YOU -- I HEARD THAT ON THE TOUR YOU WERE DOING THAT IN DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS.
YOU WOULD DONATE TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
>> YES, I WOULD LEAVE A GIFT IN EVERY TOWN THAT I PLAYED IN AS A
THANK YOU, AND THEY WERE USUALLY FOR ECOLOGICAL GROUPS, YOU KNOW,
OCCASIONALLY MUSIC, STUDIES FOR CHILDREN, BUT MOSTLY FOR DEALING
WITH THE PLANET.
>> Stephen: WELL, THIS RIGHT HERE --
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IS THIS YOUR
ENTRANCE AT CORONA PARK?
THIS IS YOUR FINAL CONCERT IN QUEENS.
I THINK THIS IS YOU COMING ON STAGE.
YOU GREW UP IN QUEENS, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE TO COME ON AND DO THE FINAL
CONCERT OF YOUR LAST TOUR IN YOUR HOMETOWN LIKE THAT?
>> EH...
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YEAH, YOU KNOW,
YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG THING, AND, YEAH, ANOTHER DAY.
( LAUGHTER ) >> NO, I REALLY ENJOYED IT.
IT WAS ABOUT TWO MILES FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT I WENT TO AND A
20-MINUTE BICYCLE RIDE FROM WHERE I GREW UP.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT THE NEW ALBUM HERE, CAME OUT IN THE
FALL.
IT'S CALLED "IN THE BLUE LIGHT."
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THIS IS COVERS OF YOUR OWN
SONGS.
YOU'RE RE-RECORDING SOME OF YOUR OWN SONGS HERE.
BECAUSE YOU JUST SHANKED THEM THE FIRST TIME?
( LAUGHTER ) WHY?
>> WELL, I DIDN'T WANT TO COME ON TO SELL ANYTHING, BUT --
( LAUGHTER ) ( PIANO RIFF )
>> Stephen: THAT'S A REALLY EXPENSIVE TELEVISION SCREEN.
>> UH-HUH.
AND THE ALBUM COSTS A LOT, TOO.
>> Stephen: SURE.
YEAH, YEAH.
SO YOU'VE RERECORDED -- >> WELL, WHAT I DID WAS I PICKED
TEN SONGS THAT I THOUGHT WERE REALLY INTERESTING AND GOOD
SONGS THAT DIDN'T GET MUCH ATTENTION WHEN THEY FIRST CAME
OUT EITHER BECAUSE THEY WERE ON AN ALBUM THAT HAD A BUNCH OF
OTHER HITS, OR THEY WERE ON AN ALBUM THAT HAD NO HITS.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
O I PICKED SONGS THAT WERE MY FAVORITES, AND THEN I REWROTE
THE PARTS THAT I THOUGHT WERE WEAK.
LIKE, THERE WOULD BE A SONG WHERE I WOULD SAY, IT WAS REALLY
GOOD -- THE SETUP FOR THE SONG WAS GOOD, BUT THE LAST VERSE
DIDN'T REALLY EXPLAIN THE POINT CLEARLY, SO THE SONG REALLY
COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.
SO I REWROTE IT, AND I DID THAT ON FOUR OR FIVE OR THE SONGS.
IT'S REALLY QUITE A TREAT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK
AND FIX YOUR MISTAKES.
>> Stephen: ONE OF THE SONGS YOU'RE GOING TO DO FOR US
TONIGHT IS A VERY APPRECIATED PAUL SIMON SONG WHICH IS "RENEÈ
GEORGETTE MARTRITTE WITH THEIR DOG AFTER THE WAR."
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: WHY WRITE ABOUT MARGRITTE AND HIS WIFE AND THEIR
DOG?
>> I WAS OUT IN CALIFORNIA TO GO A FESTIVAL WITH JOAN BAEZ, AND
WE WERE GOING TO REHEARSE A DUET, AND WE WERE AT HER HOUSE,
AND SHE HAD TO GO TAKE A TELEPHONE CALL, SO I TOOK A BOOK
OF MA GRIT PAINTINGS DOWN FROM THE SHELF AND WAS LEAFING
THROUGH IT AND THERE WAS A PHOTOGRAPH WITH THE CAPTION THAT
SAID "RENEÈ & GEORGETTE MARTRITT WITH THEIR DOG AFTER THE WAR,"
AND I SAID WHAT A GREAT TITLE FOR A SONG.
( LAUGHTER ) AND THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, WHAT
CAN THAT SONG BE ABOUT, AS A SURREALIST?
SO I TOOK ALL THESE R&B GROUPS IN THE '50s I LISTENED TO WHEN
I WAS A KID -- THE PENGUINS, THE MOON GLOWS, THE ORIOLES AND THE
FIVE SATINS -- AND I PUT THOSE GROUPS INTO THE SURREALISTIC
PICTURE OF "RENEÈ & GEORGETTE MARTRITTE WITH THEIR DOG AFTER
THE WAR."
SO IT'S A SURREALISTIC SONG ABOUT A SURREALIST.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, THE ALBUM
"IN THE BLUE LIGHT," WHICH HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT, IS AVAILABLE
NOW.
I LIKE THE ALBUM VERY MUCH.
>> I DO, TOO.
>> Stephen: BACK WITH A HER FORMS BY PAUL SIMON!