Paul Simon

Of all the great songwriters rock has produced, Paul Simon may be the most self-conscious. Whereas many artists embrace spontaneity, he carefully mulls over every creative decision, and when he commits something to plastic, he does so with tremendous seriousness of purpose. Take "Sure Don't Feel Like Love," from his...

By Michael Roberts

October 5, 2006

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Of all the great songwriters rock has produced, Paul Simon may be the most self-conscious. Whereas many artists embrace spontaneity, he carefully mulls over every creative decision, and when he commits something to plastic, he does so with tremendous seriousness of purpose. Take "Sure Don't Feel Like Love," from his most recent CD, Surprise. The tune is lighthearted and witty, but even his interjections of "Yay! Boo!" seem strangely fussed over, and no wonder, since the album was essentially produced twice -- once by Simon, and then by fellow brainiac Brian Eno, who's credited with providing "sonic landscape." Given the generally somber character of the disc's other material, the results feel studied and heavy despite (or perhaps because of) the obvious intelligence at their core. That could change at Magness, where Simon appears with Jerry Douglas, but don't count on it: He has a hard time cutting loose in concert settings, too. Good thing he's penned some of the best tunes of the past half-century, or seeing him could be a real drag.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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