Paul Simon’s Graceland Problem
Podcast: Tape SpaghettiPublished On: Tue Aug 04 2026
Description: What happens when incredible music collides with impossible politics? In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake dive into the tangled history of Paul Simon's Graceland, tracing how one bootleg cassette led to a Grammy-winning masterpiece... and an international controversy. When Simon laid his ears on some extremely jive hits from South Africa, it helped him break a wicked creative slump and create an all-timer album featuring some righteously amazing South African artists. Sounds groovy, right? Well, it mostly was. Except, by ignoring a United Nations boycott and recording in apartheid South Africa, Simon ended up in the crosshairs of some serious criticism. In a debate where every side believed they were doing the right thing, was Simon helping oppressed artists reach the world stage, or was he undermining a global effort to end decades of segregation?
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