Paul Simon performs a partially-written STILL CRAZY

[regattamondyatta]

Hello: can anyone tell me what says the guy @ 2:34 and 3:10? I didn't catch the whole thing...Merci

[epicmeade]

@regattamondyatta at 2:34 Cavett says "That's nice. It's a little Hawaiian". and at 3:10 cavett says "Have you ever reached for your C# and gotten your C-natural?" and simon responds "is that line worth going into ?". he's implying that it's such a dumb joke that it's not worth a response.

[LIVINGONTHEDOLE]

great to see the debut of the song :)

[915buck]

Is it any wonder why he is so good at what he does???

[Mr3Chords]

Wow, this is bloody amazing. AMAZING!

[buyerofsorts]

Dick, pay attention. Its 2x funny and 3x NOT funny. Not 3x funny and 4x NOT funny. How many times does Paul have to explain that you Dolt! Pay attention!

[ErikRooneyMusic]

sounds great on a classical guitar. :)

[zansth]

anyone who is not moved by the genius of Paul Simon is a dead person.

[donkmechips]

so so funny when paul was tacking the mick the interviewer didnt even get it, hilarious

[dwjp]

I can't help but picture Larry David singing along to this in that Curb episode whenever I hear this song...

[parissawax]

How can you NOT love dick cavett?? Great interview.

[ajp2z]

It's crazy to think that television used to air stuff this intellectual... I love this clip.

[mysterytrain74]

Paul is the most remarkable guitarist- in addition to his massive songwriting talents.

the guy is an absolute genius. thousands of vry famous and succesful musicians would give their whole careers just to write one song like this and to be able to play that well.

Plus his ability to explain his compositional process is remarkable...

[casper1918]

Paul is just a bright guy and a musical genius

[superman11978]

Most interviewers have their cue cards and it's all very artificial. Dick Cavett and Howard Stern are the only two guys I've seen interview musicians at such a human level. Howard recently had Billy Joel on and it was a very similar musical exploration. Of course Howard is more penetrating (*snort*) and tries to get into the psychology a lot more, while also asking the occasional sex question which, let's face it, is the question we're all most interested in.

[truthslap]

I don't understand for the life of me WHY Paul Simon didn't release the song this way. It's so perfect, just him singing with the guitar, I don't like the production they put over the song at all.

[PaulSimonIsCUTE]

i think paul enjoyed this interview

[PaulSimonIsCUTE]

hahahahaha, everytime i ever say anything on youtube saying that modern music in general, cannot compete with this i get alot of angry replies..........but seriously hardly anyone writes their own stuff anymore. can u honestly imagine leona lewis strolling onto a show like this and telling the auidence that she has some options but she isnt quite decided between a g major and a g sharp minor??????

[xterra43]

Simon's songs have lots of chord changes... tricky to play.



[jamesjonesrocket]

can you imagine the atmosphere while he was playing that for the first time?! I had goosebumps watchin it from me laptop

[JamesTKirkCobain]

Thank god Simon was born when he was because if he was a 30 even 20 year old guy today he would never get signed in a million years due to the gay mafia that runs and ruins music today. And there is nothing homophobic about that statement, I`m just stating pure fact. The musical tastes of gay men for some reason takes precedent above everything else today. We got the blonde bimbo disco singers/lip synchers, something you would see right in a gay disco, and the prison queen rappers.

[Wohelogirl]

@JamesTKirkCobain

That is just such a strange comment. Gay mafia? Whatever. Go listen to Josh Radin and get back to me on that.

[sansdeity420]

@JamesTKirkCobain lol, what? you realize there are more people than the flamboyant lady gaga drones making music these days, right?

[KingMoses3]

anyone know what guitar that is?

[leozingy]

Yup, this is the best sounding part of the song and then it just goes into some odd voicings and key changes that don't really fit somehow - so I'm not at all surprised he was stuck on that part. But I just love that amazing first part, it's my favourite Paul Simon song.

[crisplizz]

paul simon: unique

[notsuretwo]

The appeal of the Cavett show was that he was an intellectual. Something not often seen in modern talk shows.

[maddogwots]

this is so classic

[2010Charms]

That was so amazing! Watching a genius explain the process ...

[danielkerryann]

Class...

[LorraineBowenTV]

WOW! Could you imagine a talk show these days spending time like this on such musical ideas/experimentation!? I think not! It's brilliant to hear someone coming out with their recipes for songwriting and nowadays everything is dumbed down to such an extent!

Thanks for sharing this!

From UK

Lorraine

[jamesjonesrocket]

'that's a chord right?'

[noahf67]

This wasn't the ABC show....was this that short-lived CBS summer show that Cavett had..?

[KidMillions]

noah: this is still the Dick Cavett show on ABC, September 1974 (cancelled in 75). This episode is on the DVD "Rock Icons"... One of several excellent Cavett DVD sets.

[captainadam1]

I watch Cavett clips and wish that modern talk/late night show hosts would take a hint from him. He interviewed artists, and a lot of them interview personalities.

[Nhia89]

music at its best

[ParadasmUK]

Amazing insight into a true musical genius.

BTW If you don't think Paul simon is a genius, I have 4 words for ya.

Bridge

Over

Troubled

Water

Case closed.

[isuperIovemike]

HOLY SHIT!!!!!! That is really amazing. I wish my parents would have watched Dick Cavett - a pretty cool guy after all of these years.

[rvcrvc2]

This is quite fascinating, especially given the fact the song didn't end up on the drawing room floor. A little insight into the mind of a genius at is craft, (Simon,) and a brilliant observer, (Cavett.)

[johnthemachine]

Dick Cavett is lookin like Connan O'Brien in this

[youvebeenthunderstru]

Except that Conan is like, a foot taller.

[jonnycox001]

Are there any more of this? I've LOVE to see the rest! Thanks!... for posting ;)

[hehehehehayayay22]

i wish i could see him do the full song acoustically like this, i love that line "i seem to lean on old familiar ways" and the way he sings it

[kblixt]

Cavett was just like you and me a normal dude "square". I'm a big fan.

[merdufer]

Why did he say he hadn't used C or C# notes? A7, D7, C9, C#dim/b7, Am/b7 were all chords in the song that had C or C# in it... anybody help me with my little confusion here?

[gabrielheiser]

I believe he was referring to notes used in the MELODY, not the harmony (chords).

[jdbauer36]

Oops. I meant stoned.

[jdbauer36]

Wow Paul is really stones here. Nice feeling.

[Dunwyche]

Is that a chord? ..

[noahf67]

Was this that summer CBS show Cavett had

circa '74-'75?

[kennyengmusic]

Paul Simon is such a killer guitar player.

[musicmumbler]

And, what a great open spirit to be a million selling songwriter, but still honing your craft and open to new techniques and ideas. 'Still Crazy' certainly deserved its Grammy.

[limeginger]

Yes - agreed. I don't know that many musicians would do that today. Their recording companies would probably shoot them in the head and make it look like a suicide if headed in that direction, jeopardizing "their" intellectual property :)

[musicmumbler]

Mmm. Great clip but I'm slightly suspicious...

There's more than one place beyond the obvious dominant to root (D9 to G) that you can go from a D9 chord as I'm certain Paul knew. He eventually went with the more interesting latin-esque G#m key change. I suspect he already had it in mind.

Should Cavet have just shouted out '4 in the morning, crapped out, yawning' and been done with it?

Who cares. Great interview and a great foretaste from my all time favourite Paul Simon album.

[limeginger]

musicmumbler, what makes you "suspect he already had it in mind"?

Of course PS knew there's more than 2 places to go. It's not framed up as a math problem w/2 correct answers. He's musing on what he *feels* like doing with it.

It's clear (1) he's still working out the song in his head (slightly obsessed, even), "lyrically I really don't know what I have to say" - that's clearly spoken in earnest; (2) Dick Cavett was waaaay over his head - had almost no idea what Paul Simon was talking about.

[musicmumbler]

I just meant that a G#m is not the most obvious second choice given that the first one he plays is the most common resolution in music. I reckon that musically he already knew where he was going and he's just recreating the process of being (extremely) inventive for Cavett. Which is a fair enough response to the impossible question "tell me how you write a song?".

[Chiz87]

Are we overlooking the point that neither of these 'choices' were eventually used?

It's a talk show and as such has to remain accessible to its viewers. A lot of musicians would be lost when broaching these broad topics of songwriting and chord theory, never mind the rest of the viewers.

[HoseMark]

Ironically, they both use the same barber !

[taptaptwo]

I'm not a native speaker of English language, and have a question.

What does "Have you ever reached for your C# and gotten your C-natural?" mean?

Is this sexual joke? (I guess, C for c..k)

Am I right?

[jthaw]

No. This is just Dick Cavett trying to be funny.

[maslick]

i thought it was kind of a musical question..

cause it may be tough to reach sharp notes (for me actually) because sharps(#) are higher. And Dick thought that Paul couldn't do this as if Paul Simon isn't a good musician at all:))..

Never the less whatever he meant it was really funny :)))))))))))

Thats my opinion.

[hughie521324]

something to do with impotence

[antifafubel]

Well I don't understand this joke.

[limeginger]

antifafubel...there's nothing to get. Dick Cavett always tries to be funny. And rarely is. His timing isn't bad, nor his delivery. But the content isn't funny. Just isn't. His awkwardness and ham-handed attempts to be amusing ultimately may work to his advantage tho. If you watch him he cant stay still - always twitching, blinking, shifting, blurting out un-funny quips. I think his guests found his vulnerability charming - and were able to relax in contrast since Cavett was so nonthreatening.

[RockingJamboree]

Nah. Here's the "Genius" of Dick Cavett. He was willing to book interesting people (like Paul Simon) and let them say or play what they want (like an unfinished song they are just working on, instead of saying, "Oh, you've got to play that Big HIT, Paul! Play, 'Mrs. Robinson!'" He let the conversation wander. And he wasn't afraid of letting the chat get esoteric or intellectual.

Sure Cavett had his annoying quirks, but you it's hard to find great interviews on network TV anymore.

[detroitbuffalo]

Tony Turner in his book "All that Glitters" said that back in those days Mary Wilson used to call cocaine "C#". Maybe that's why Paul wouldn't go there.

[mateuszmattias]

God I always want to be the smartest guy around, but there is no way that I could have put that better! Cavetts "genious" if you will, is just that he was allways able to get his guests to be at THEIR best. Now if that is not talent, then I don't know what is. DEEEP respect to the man...

[blackalti]

Good point by rockingjamboree, I also think that the culture definitely had a different sense of humour back then as well, to try and compare him to today's comedians who know this is tried and true but apply different approaches

[blackalti]

is more like comparing ancient scientific geniuses to today's best scientists both are brilliant, but today's scientists undoubtedly know more and approach their field differently.

[faustus999]

this is superb,,thanks so much for posting it. paul is my all time favourite artist, he's produced some of the greatest songs ever recorded

[vtcgooroo]

A master in the art of conversation. Carson & Paar could do it for short periods, but there was a palpable connection with Cavett and his guests that make his interviews so rivetting. I think Paul Simon would rank this as one of his best interviews to this day.

[hunnixox13]

lmao, thats an awesome video. Paul is my favorite musician/songwriter :)

[hardtimesincountry]

"Have you ever reached for your C sharp and gotten your C natural?"

[mchilla]

I love this video. A great window into the mind of one of the greatest songwriters of any generation. He shows such sophistication. Remarkable.

[dynamiteattraction4]

god, this is a wonderful piece of music...

[labourida]

great great stuff!!

thanks for posting :))

[lairsantos]

Moooooore pleeeeease!!!!!!

[nsj2103]

If Groucho said it, it'd be filthy!

[limeginger]

...but Groucho wouldn't have said it because it's not at all clever. I find Dick Cavett embarrassing and clueless. Like he almost gets it, but tragically continually just misses.

[nsj2103]

When you host a talk show every night, you're bound to have a few misses. His hits make up for them, I think.