Live from the Capeman

One of my favorite memories is this. Janna and I, in New York City in 1998, married only a short time (did we celebrate our 1st anniversary there - geez, where do the days go?). We were among the fortunate few to see "The Capeman," Paul Simon's Broadway play about Salvador Agron, a Puerto Rican gang member who murdered two people in 1959.

The play is notorious for being one of Broadway's biggest flops - it ran for a mere 14 days before being cancelled. Why did it close? Good question. There were protestors. Well-meaning people who (without actually seeing the show, I'm sure) picketed because they thought Simon was glorifying that horrible crime. That didn't help. Plus, it didn't get the best reviews, although Janna and I loved it. It didn't help either, I'm sure, when Paulie came out and basically gave the finger to the Broadway establishment in return.

I hadn't listened to the CD in awhile, but I came across it a few days ago and have been wearing it out again. This is really vintage Paul Simon stuff. Seemingly contrasting styles melded together well, powerful imagery, seriously interesting subject matter. It's worth a listen - this track is 50's style doo-wop about Agron and Hernandez (the Umbrella Man) and their trial:

Adios Hermanos - Paul Simon