Video Collection?

First of all, thank you for your incredible music! It lifts my spirits, makes me cry, makes me dream, makes me swoon, & makes me feel alive!

My question is... when will we ever be able to purchase a 'Carly Simon Video Collection'??? I've seen clips from your videos over the years from 'Why', 'Better Not Tell Her', 'My New Boyfriend', among others - and they are sensational!!! I own your concert specials - but would just give anything for your video collection!!! Is there any hope for us Carly fans for a 'Carly Simon - The Videos Collection'??? Much love to you, Carly!!! 'Can't wait 'til your next CD!!!!!!! John Howton - Atlanta, GA

I think Arista was in the process of putting out a DVD of videos of mine. They were getting rights from other record companies. I don't honestly know what the status on it is. If you want to write to Arista they might know and as soon as I have an update, I will post it. Love Carly

September 11th

The following two comments simply represent the vast majority of emails received since September 11th.

Carly, After all of the horror that's occured in NYC, the song "Share The End" has come into my mind. I was wondering what inspired you to write the song, so many years ago... Thank you for contributing so much beauty to the world. DeAnn Ervin - Birmingham, MI

This is not a question, but an observation. Since the events of September 11th, the song that keeps running through my head (as an unregenerate peacenik and a former NYer of 50 years' tenure) is not "God Bless America" but "Let the River Run."

Your song brought tears to my eyes every time I've heard it before. Now I keep it running in my head all day to give me hope for "the New Jerusalem" and its sons and daughters, including you and me.

If the City of New York is going to rebuild itself in the wake of all that death, wouldn't your words help inspire them? I know of no way to get through to the People in Charge, and this is not the time for someone as low on the food chain as me to bother them, but I'm wondering, if Mayor Giuliani et al. were to hear from you, whether it would help? Thank you for your time. Peace, Margaret Wander Bonanno - Santa Monica, CA

Dear all,
It's stunning, isn't it? How can we assimilate it? Every day instead of it's getting easier, some of the shock wears off and then the reality is more daunting. There are tears, some of which were blocked, at least for me, the first day or two. I cry so much now that it feels good and appropriate. I now realize that either is appropriate: crying or not crying. Getting in touch with those you love is good. Really good.

I talk to friends, or strangers on the street and it's the same: "hi, how are you?, yeah me too, I just don't know what to say, yeah, me too, It's astonishing, really, I don't want another drop of blood to be shed, no me neither, I love you, I just don't believe it, no me neither, I love you too. Talk to you soon". Because I have already had twenty or twenty five of these discussions today already, I'll tell you a few of the really mundane, comforting things in my life right now:

1. My bathrobe smells of ivory snow and I have always loved that smell.
2. I still haven't cleared the papers on my desk so it looks the same as it did before last Tuesday.
3. Molly, my dog, is exactly the same and now she is jumping and catching balls in her mouth while in the air.
4. The leaves are beginning to smell like Autumn and the chestnuts are dropping on my roof, causing me to jump, and that is good exercise I am told!
5. Sally is on the road with her Dad.
6. Ben is planning a trip to Colorado to record.
7. Someone dropped off some lemon cake in my kitchen and I don't know who it was and I ate it anyway, signifying trust.
8. "Let the River Run" was written by me while looking at film footage of the NY skyline from the Staten Island Ferry. Oh my heart is aching. We're coming to the edge...It is longing to be heard again. I will sing it every day. I'm going to sing it on Sunday night at the Atlantic Connection in Oak Bluffs. If you have the sound track album from Working Girl, listen to the Choir Boy's Version of it (track 5). It's particularly mournful and hopeful at the same time.

9. "Share the End": a post script to the end of that song, is that all the priests and everyone at the end go to the beach and have a clam bake and sing "Attitude Dancing"

10. Interesting that the people who are emerging heros from this tragedy are people like Guiliani who was so reviled before. He is showing a compassionate side that is likely in everyone. We have to pray that God gets to the compassionate side of all the poorly educated (educated to kill) terrorists and blesses them to love and hear music and pray that all our leaders sit around a big round table and watch Marx Brothers movies. Actually that would be pretty funky watching movies from a round table. That in itself would invite a certain amount of tolerance.

I love you all and wish you an amazing amount of normal things. I admire any of you out there who are keeping journals or taking pictures. I have been put on hold right now. The case of my friend John Forte has taken up a lot of my time. He was found guilty and received a mandatory minimum sentence of 13-15 years. This happened five days before the world trade Center tragedy. I want to get back and record everything that is going on now. Life is full. And the good times are in the future. I am damned if I'm not going to expect that.
Much much sweet perfume in the night....
Love Carly

We're So Close

Please tell us about WE'RE SO CLOSE. I'm sure it's a favorite of many Carly Simon fans and an in depth look at it would be very interesting. Wayne Dickson - Glasgow, UK

It's obviously about how the abstract can take the place of the details and leave love in ruins. The actions speak no more and the words are empty. It's sad.

I lived in houses he built. Loved to build in the name of togetherness. I'm still being abstract. I can only say that it was a crystallization of what I had been feeling for some time. The details are in the song. The car was a navy blue Mercedes 69 convertible and I still own it. Though it's now red. Carly Simon 9/18/01

Another Door

Carly - I am a teacher at an all girl private Catholic high school. I teach theology. I often use your music to illustrate a point that I am trying to make in terms of spirituality. (i.e. Life is Eternal, The Garden, Touched by the Sun, etc.)

One of my favorite songs to use is Another Door...I'm curious about what inspired that particular song. You have a profound sense of the spiritual life...thanks for all of your inspiration. Nomi Brouillette - White Lake, MI

I honestly don't remember which of the spiritual books I was reading at the time. It might have been Thomas Merton or some book about enlightenment that talked about passages leading to other passages and that you can hear things over and over but it's not until that light bulb goes on that you REALLY hear it and then you are able to make the next step and go to a place of greater awareness. In doing so it can be frustrating because the next door can be harder and more confusing to enter. Carly Simon 9/15/01

Favorite Album Covers

In my opinion, you are tops in the music field. I've been following your career for many years and have enjoyed every note! My question is about your visual creativity. How much of your input has gone into marketing your image? Artistically, what are your favorite album covers? (Torch, Spoiled Girl and Hello Big Man are mine). Robert Haydasz - New Britain, CT

I like the three standards album covers: Torch, My Romance and Film Noir. I don't know why. I guess the attitude and the steaminess. Great photographers too. Carly Simon 9/7/01

Thirtysomething

Two of my favorite things came together in 1989 - you and the show thirtysomething. It was great to see you on that show. How did that come about? What was it like to be on the thirtysomething set? Joshua Margolis - Minneapolis, MN

As simple as Marshall Hertzkovitz asking me. I said yes. I hardly remember it at all, except that it was great fun. Carly Simon 9/3/01