Paul Simon: The Life

By Robert Hilburn

The Times Book of the Year

'There’s no tougher a mind, no more tender a voice than Paul Simon, and there’s no better man than Robert Hilburn to decipher the hardwiring of this hyperintellect...great songs can never be fully explained, but the great man on his way to find those songs surely can.' —Bono

Through such hits as “The Sound of Silence,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” and “Graceland,” Paul Simon has spoken to us in songs for a half-century about alienation, doubt, survival, and faith in ways that have established him as one of the most honoured and beloved songwriters in American pop music history. Yet Simon has refused to talk to potential biographers and urged those close to him to also remain silent. But Simon not only agreed to talk to biographer Robert Hilburn for what has amounted to more than sixty hours, he also encouraged his family and friends to sit down for in-depth interviews.
 
Paul Simon is a revealing account of the challenges and sacrifices of artistry at the highest level. He has also lived a roller-coaster life of extreme ups and downs. We not only learn Paul’s unrelenting drive to achieve artistry, but also the subsequent struggles to protect that artistry against distractions – fame, wealth, marriage, divorce, drugs, complacency, public rejection, self-doubt – that have frequently derailed pop stars and each of which he encountered. From dominating the charts with Art Garfunkel and a successful reinvention as a solo artist, to his multiple marriages and highly publicized second divorce from Carrie Fisher, this book covers all aspects of this American icon.

'When it comes to writing songs, no one does it better than Paul Simon. Robert Hilburn’s is a wise and winning account of our most nimble, nuanced, and numinous poet-musician.'
—Paul Muldoon

'A tantalizing look into the mind and writing process of the man who is arguably the finest craftsman of the American popular song since the Gershwin brothers, this book will delight any Paul Simon fan or student of popular culture.'
—Linda Ronstadt

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: May 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781471174193

Robert Hilburn

Robert Hilburn was the chief pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades. Author of the bestselling biography Johnny Cash: The Life, which Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times selected as one of her top ten books of 2013, Hilburn has reported extensively on most of pop music’s giants, including Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and U2. He lives in Los Angeles. 

Reviews for Paul Simon

[rayski_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book had a lot of interesting tidbits of information about Simon's journey from working at music labels as a basically a coffee boy and eventually searching for new artists to all the way to the top. His early time working behind the scenes at the labels gave him enough insight to beat them at their own games, allowing him more artistic freedom than most new talents. That was interesting. I was surprised to learn how in the 60s he was shunned by the NYC coffee shop scene for not starving enough and had to learn his craft in the coffee shops in England. What I didn't like about this book was too much written by an obvious fan and too little perspective from the artist. Yes there are quotes and some antidotes, but overall it is the author's view and he is an obvious big fan. Even Simon's flops like his movie and Broadway productions were described as genius that the public wasn't ready for. According to Hilburn Simon didn't have a single flop musically, rather they were varying degrees of brilliance. Hilburn also paints Garfunkel as a big baby that Simon had to either punish or cuddle like a child. Maybe this is so, but without a word from Garfunkel and with so much adulation for Simon, it becomes hard to believe that whole side of the story.

[siri51 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A musical genius; difficult relationships with Art, with former wives, producers and with his own depressive and obsessive tendencies. Good to read while listening to his music on Spotify!

[mjspear_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A thorough, if pedestrian, look at the famed singer and songwriter. Paul comes off as a man obsessed with excellence which meant his music, most of the time. Art ("Artie") Garfunkel comes off as petty and mean-spirited (mocking Paul's height right to the end). The best bits are the descriptions of his writing such famous songs as "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "American Tune," and the curious wonderful thing that is The Capeman. For fans of S & G.