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Search forFond memories of Paul Simon in city
Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 23:00
Tom Mason's parents had a large house called Newhayes in Cowick Lane. It was demolished and Newhayes Close now occupies the site.
There was an old mews in the garden, which we called Tom's Barn. A group of us held a folk club on Friday nights from about 1962.
Tom, like most of the boys, attended Heles School and the girls, like me, were from Bishop Blackall.
Paul Simon's civil rights and protest songs were very popular and he had an album called The Paul Simon Songbook.
During his time in the UK, he was invited down from London to sing. We paid half a crown each to cover his B&B. He hitch-hiked and someone waited to meet him on the Exeter by-pass.
One of the boys had a reel- to-reel tape recorder, so we hid the microphone in the rafters. They couldn't reach, so I was hoisted onto someone's shoulders to push it into the woodwork.
To my chagrin, it fell out during the set, and dangled above Paul Simon's head.
It was a tremendous show. I was thrilled to hear part of that recording earlier this year on the Bob Harris programme and would love to see any pictures taken that night.
Paul Simon left Exeter the next day, and soon after this he was recalled to USA by his partner Art Garfunkel and they released The Sound of Silence.
I'm not sure where Michael Axe's story comes from, maybe he enjoyed the '60s too much, they say that if you did you really can't remember much of it!
But I'm sure Paul Simon didn't live in Exeter, he came just the once and by road.
As far as I know, he didn't sit at Exeter St David's station 'suitcase and guitar in hand'.
The night I saw and met Paul Simon is a fond memory and I enjoyed reading about it online in your Nostalgia section.
Sue Palmer
West Sussex
(via thisisexeter.co.uk)
