Paul Simon feted at Kennedy Ctr Honors

Subject: Paul Simon feted at Kennedy Ctr Honors
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Dec 02 - 09:44 AM

Presumably, violating the anti-apartheid boycott wasn't listed as one of his great achievements.

From the Washington Post article about the night:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28730-2002Dec9.html

Simon was praised as "a rockin' kid from Queens who picked up his guitar and found a way to bridge the sounds of silence." His fellow vocalists from the classic-rock days honoring him last night included James Taylor and John Mellencamp, augmented by Alison Krauss, Alicia Keys and the Dixie Hummingbirds, performing such anthems of the era as "Mrs. Robinson," "Loves Me Like a Rock" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

The most winning tribute to him -- and of the evening -- was Steve Martin's praise of his longtime friend.

"It would be easy to stand here and talk about Paul Simon's intelligence and skill," Martin said, "but this is neither the time nor the place." He noted that Simon had had a long relationship with Art Garfunkel, "which unfortunately ended in an acrimonious split. We know about his relationship with Sony Records, which also ended in an acrimonious split." And then he began shuffling through his cue cards and tossing them aside, muttering, "Acrimonious split, acrimonious split, acrimonious split."

"I, however, have had a long relationship with Paul, but that's ending tonight."

He claimed that Simon had once called him to claim he had written a song called "47 Ways to Leave Your Lover," "and I said, 'Why not 50?' "

"I can only think of 47," Simon allegedly replied.

Simon once apologized for interrupting Martin at home, the comedian claimed, one evening while he was cooking a chicken.

How are you preparing it, Simon allegedly asked.

"With parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme." Bada-bing.

"I don't use the word 'genius' very often," Martin said, and stopped. "I just thought I'd mention that."

But seriously. He said Simon had given a great gift to America and all future generations, "but not my future generations because I've had a vasectomy."