09-17-2023 Fall Arts Guide - Flipbook - Page 2
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The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, September 17, 2023
HOROSCOPES
Musician Paul Simon is the focus of a career-spanning documentary that recently premiered
at the Toronto International Film Festival. EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION 2021
CELEBRITIES
Simon takes bow with documentary
By Jake Coyle
Associated Press
After a three-and-a-halfhour documentary on his
life, Paul Simon had only
sympathy for the audience.
“You’re probably
exhausted,” Simon told
the crowd after the recent
premiere of Alex Gibney’s
“In Restless Dreams: The
Music of Paul Simon” at
the Toronto International
Film Festival.
Simon, 81, said he hadn’t
watched the film himself
before its debut, and he
didn’t watch it at the festival, either. “I’ll get up the
courage to see it, no doubt,”
he promised.
The film is an expansive
look at Simon’s decadesspanning career, from
growing up in the Queens
borough of New York City
with Art Garfunkel to the
success of “Graceland,” the
sensational 1986 album he
made with South African
musicians.
“In Restless Dreams”
— which takes its name
from a lyric in “The Sound
of Silence” (“In restless
dreams I walked alone”)
— also intimately captures
Simon painstakingly
assembling his album,
“Seven Psalms,” which was
released in May.
He began the album, his
first in several years, he
says, after a dream in 2019
in which he envisioned an
album of seven songs. His
work at his home studio
in Wimberly, Texas, was
made more difficult by
Simon’s hearing loss in his
left ear, throwing off his
musical equilibrium.
“I haven’t accepted it
entirely, but I’m beginning
to,” Simon told the audience of his hearing loss in
a session after the festival
screening.
Simon reached out to
Gibney — the veteran
documentarian of “Going
Clear: Scientology and the
Prison of Belief” and “Taxi
to the Dark Side” — after
admiring his 2015 documentary “Sinatra: All or
Nothing at All.”
Though the cameras
took some adjusting to,
Simon was content for
Gibney to assemble a
narrative around his life.
“Having the truth
about me depicted by an
observer is very interesting
to me,” Simon said. “I
think I’m probably not
the person to want to
describe what the truth is.
I’m biased on both sides.
I overestimate myself,
and I dislike myself to a
sufficient degree that I’d
rather give it to someone
else to document.”
Simon said he wished
some of his earlier recording sessions had been
filmed, like those for 1970’s
“Bridge Over Troubled
Water” or “Graceland.”
“In Restless Dreams” does
include some rare footage,
including 16mm dailies
from the making of the
1969 documentary “Songs
of America” and early
rehearsals of “Graceland.”
After some prodding,
Simon acknowledged that
he is still making music
and recently wrote a new
song. Ideas are also still
coming to him at night, too.
“The other night I
dreamed again,” Simon
said, to applause. “I
dreamed it would be a
good idea if I wrote a song
called ‘It’s What’s His
Name.’”
Sept. 17 birthdays: Actor
Elvira is 72. Comedian
Rita Rudner is 70. Director Paul Feig is 61. Director
Baz Luhrmann is 61. Singer
BeBe Winans is 61. Actor
Kyle Chandler is 58. Rapper
Doug E. Fresh is 57. Rapper
Vin Rock is 53. Actor Bobby
Lee is 52. Singer Nona
Gaye is 49. Actor Danielle
Brooks is 34. Actor Denyse
Tontz is 29.
Tarot.com
Aries (March 21-April 19):
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Try
It could be almost impossible to maintain a sense of
responsibility right now.
There’s nothing wrong
with enjoying yourself, but
there is a danger here of
overdoing things — especially when it comes to
spending bundles and
bundles of cash. Don’t do
something you will regret.
not to lay anything on too
thick. It’s fine to be indulgent here and there, as
Venus can urge you to do,
but that could rub other
people the wrong way. If
you want to treat yourself,
don’t bother showing it off
to others. Keep your pleasures private for the time
being.
Taurus (April 20-May 20):
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Everything could seem
larger than life at this time,
but don’t worry — it’s to
your advantage. This much
opportunity is wonderful,
but be wary of indulging
yourself past sensibility.
Suffering from a sugar high
wouldn’t be fun, so pick
your pleasures carefully
and you should be just fine.
Anything could seem
possible on a day like this,
but whether you actually do anything with
that energy is another
matter altogether. You’re
allowed to go off and do
as you please, but watch
out — that probably won’t
produce the results you
want.
Gemini (May 21-June 20):
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Your immediate reality may look more like a
fantasy world on a day like
this. Still, even the most
energetic hobby may feel
dreamier than usual. You
can follow a yellow brick
road wherever it might
lead, but don’t do it blindly,
or you risk losing sight of
yourself in the process.
Your vivacious self is in a
giving mood this day, and
is passing that generosity
down to you. Still, you may
offer more financial help
than you should. Yes, it’s
very nice to cover the bill
for everyone, but don’t let
your cash burn a hole in
your pocket. You can’t help
anyone if you are broke.
Other people likely want
the best for you. Even if
you don’t consider yourself
a very sentimental person,
you could release a flood
of waterworks under this
alignment — thankfully,
it should be cathartic.
Allow others to see what
you often keep bottled up
inside.
Cancer (June 21-July 22):
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov.
21): Someone could have
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20):
You may have to be more
decisive than usual when
picking your pleasures
today. The main thing to
remember is that your true
friends shouldn’t expect
you to pay for them or
cover their share, but a
little generosity doesn’t
hurt anyone when you’re
doing it for the right
reasons.
a positive impact on your
ongoing ambitions. You’re
primed to be at your best
as you vigorously sashay
through life. This could
give you just the boost you
need to cross the finish
line, as long as they don’t
dramatize things and leave
you feeling a bit silly in the
process.
TODAY IN
HISTORY
men were killed in the
Civil War Battle of Antietam in Maryland.
Associated Press
Professional Football Association, a precursor of the
National Football League,
was formed in Canton,
Ohio.
On Sept. 17, 1787, the
Constitution of the United
States was completed and
signed by a majority of the
Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia.
In 1862, more than 3,600
In 1920, the American
In 1937, the likeness of
President Abraham
Lincoln was dedicated at
Mount Rushmore.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec.
21): The world is full
of possibilities, but you
may have a few tasks to
deal with before you can
explore more exciting
options. One must have an
orderly abode before stepping out into the world.
Handle the work in front of
you before spreading your
wings.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan.
19): Wearing your heart on
your sleeve isn’t a matter
of choice. You’re prone to
keeping feelings to yourself. It’ll be nigh impossible to keep your head on.
Don’t be shocked if you
feel a dissonance between
these conflicting emotions
— instead, look for a happy
medium.
Your day may be fun, but
it probably won’t be very
productive. You could
certainly enjoy yourself, but when it comes to
accomplishing anything,
you’d be wise to avoid any
grandiose expectations.
Enjoy today, frolick in a
nearby field of flowers,
then get back to work
tomorrow.
In 1939, the Soviet Union
invaded Poland during
World War II, more than
two weeks after Nazi
Germany had launched its
assault.
In 1978, after 12 days of
meetings, Israeli Prime
Minister Menachem Begin
and Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat signed a
framework for a peace
treaty at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David.