Paul Simon FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Legendary Singer and the Iconic Songs

by Dave Thompson

Here is a fascinating, all-encompassing journey through the life and career of one of America’s most influential, and literate, songwriters. Beginning with Simon’s earliest days as an aspiring teenage idol and Tin Pan Alley songsmith, Paul Simon FAQ takes readers through Simon’s sometimes tempestuous relationship with singing partner Art Garfunkel, with whom he established the most popular musical duo in rock history. The book goes behind the scenes of Simon’s groundbreaking work at the forefront of world music and follows him to his emotional 2018 final concert before his retirement-from performing live.In addition, Paul Simon FAQ features chapters dedicated not only to Simon’s music but also his stage, screen, and television work, his devotion to charity, and more. Influences such as Bob Dylan, the Everly Brothers, and the Child Ballads are examined, while his songwriting is documented not only through his own recordings but also those of the myriad other artists who have covered his compositions. Fact-filled sidebars serve up a wealth of statistics and lists. In short, Paul Simon FAQ is the ultimate guide to the consummate performer.

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2019

About the author

English author Dave Thompson has spent his entire working life writing biographies of other people, but is notoriously reluctant to write one for himself. Unlike the subjects of some of his best known books, he was neither raised by ferrets nor stolen from gypsies. He has never appeared on reality TV (although he did reach the semi finals of a UK pop quiz when he was sixteen), plays no musical instruments and he can’t dance, either.

However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”

Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.

Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost passed this over due to the deceiving 'FAQ' tag. I thought it must be packed with silly, 'what was his first hit?', 'when did he meet Garfunkel?' and so on. Boy was I wrong. Thompson's book is a deep dive into Simon's life and music. I put this right up there with the Malcom Gladwell audio book 'Miracle and Wonder' of 2021 and Robert Hilburn's 'Paul Simon: The Life' (2018). Simon is now getting all the accolades he so richly deserves. IMO he is the greatest song writer of the past 70 years. Read this book to fully grasp his methods and inspirations.