Paul Simon and Pittsburgh

The first song on Nelly Furtado's new album is called "One-Trick Pony." There's a Paul Simon song by that name. For a moment I thought Furtado was the same person as Edie Brickell, but she's not and so there's one conection that's not really there. The songs are not the same. In 1991, I saw Simon play in Central Park. I was supposed to be at school, classes being just about to start, but I was on probation. That summer I knew, but I was hesitant to confirm with my friends that I could go to the concert, as if making that admission before receiving the actual notification would make the reality of the situation real too soon. During his encore, as he sang "America," I cheered when he sang about Pittsburgh. It's not a city I have any particular fondness for; I'm not planning on visiting anytime soon. I had seen Simon on the same tour earlier that year, in Pittsburgh. Then, after he sang the same song he smiled and said he always looked forward to visiting the city for the response that follows that line. "Kathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound . . . " Posted by eku at January 23, 2004 8:47 AM