Paul Simon done? Say it isn’t so
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This guy has written so many classic songs and many are considered “standards” now. Songs that are used at weddings to funerals to Divorce parties…”Bridge Over Troubled Waters”, to “50 Ways to Leave your Lover”.Not to mention “Sounds of Silence” and many others. The guy is a genius.
From: UltimateClassicRock
Paul Simon is riding the coattails of a well-received new album, but that doesn’t mean certain realities haven’t become clear for the 74-year-old.
“You’re coming towards the end,” he admits in a new talk with the New York Times. And, to a large degree, Simons seems okay with that. “Showbiz doesn’t hold any interest for me,” he added. “None.”
Simon said his voice, though still strong, often needs days of rest, and the songs don’t come as easily as they used to. He recognizes the changes brought on by age and by celebrity. “I’ve seen fame turn into absolute poison when I was a kid in the ’60s,” he noted. “It killed [Elvis] Presley. It killed [John] Lennon. It killed Michael Jackson. I’ve never known anyone to have gotten an enormous amount of fame who wasn’t, at a minimum, confused by it and had a very hard time making decisions.”
Should he decide to end it here, Simon’s current tour would provide a nice moment of symmetry. His North American dates conclude with a two-night stand on June 30 and July 1 in Queens, where Simon grew up and met another boy named Art Garfunkel along the way.
Read More: Paul Simon Ponders Retirement: ‘Showbiz Doesn’t Hold Any Interest for Me’ | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/paul-simon-retirement/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=newsletter_4572276&trackback=tsmclip
Categories: General Tags: classic music, paul simon, retirement, ultimate classic rock
Dan McCafferty retires from Nazareth
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It’s official. They aren’t saying if Nazareth is over yet. Dan has COPD. Unfortunately, another causality from smoking. It’s his right to do it but it has now caught up with him. I wish him well. Nazareth has an awesome catalog of music!
Here is the link:
http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/nazareth-dan-mccafferty-retires-over-health-issues/
“I’ve got Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and it’s been getting worse over the years. You don’t know when it’s going to come on, but suddenly you can’t breathe.
“I was going on stage at Summerfest in Switzerland thinking, ‘This is great – our first festival in a few months and it’s a lovely day.’ We couldn’t have asked for better.”
Three songs in he suffered an attack of COPD, leaving him out of breath and unable to continue. He decided at that moment to retire with immediate effect.
“When I came off stage I said to the boys: ‘I can’t keep doing this to the band.’ I can’t embarrass the boys and the fans. If you can’t do the job you shouldn’t be there – Nazareth’s too big for that.”
McCafferty’s decision came after he’d taken a break following his collapse in Canada, which was caused by a burst stomach ulcer. “I thought I’d be fine,” he says, “But you lose so much blood when that happens.”
He admits he and his bandmates are “a wee bit emotional” and haven’t come to terms with the news, but he says: “The music we’ve made over the years is more important than any member of the band. We always felt like that, and I can’t see that’s changed just because I’ve left.
“I really hope they get someone else. I’m sure they can.”
Categories: General Tags: classic rock, COPD, dan mccafferty, nazareth, retirement
