The Gershwin Prize- Paul Simon

I love music. I love great songs and songwriting. The mark of a great song is not JUST that it sounds great in it's original performance by the songwriter. The mark of a great song is what it sounds like when it's given away. I hear people sing " The Nearness of You", " Stardust", "Something", "My Funny Valentine", "Stella by Starlight", "This Land is Your Land", "The Sunshine of My Life", even "Across the Universe"..it expands as it is shared and interpreted. You can't get that across to the antisocial metal heads, alternarockers and gangsta rappers.
When I went to private school I got exposed to the "white boy classic rock cannon". I went to my friend David Walker's country house and his mom and dad were listening to "There Goes Rhymin' Simon".. I remember "Was a sunny day, not a cloud was in the sky..etc" . Aside from the uber-pop of "The Graduate" that was my first intro to Paul's music. I remember in 1979 just before going off to college I bought his greatest hits album from his solo years. It was one of my favorite records..OF ALL TIME!!. "Slip Slidin' Away", "Mother and Child Reunion", " I Do it for Your Love", "Duncan", etc.
What I love about Simon (and Garfunkel) is that they are such quiet SUPERSTARS..they sold just as well as the Beatles and Stones and they had these Queens accents. You know the Beatles with that Liverpudlian argot, The Stones with that London Cockney , then you have "Pawl" an' "Autie" representin'/

The Library of Congress rocks. And Paul you deserve it.
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