Interview: Paul Simon's first Oscar bid

DETROIT, March 20 (UPI) -- Contrary to popular belief, Paul Simon's Academy Award nomination this year is the veteran singer-songwriter's first bid for an Oscar.

Simon is nominated in the Best Original Song category for "Father and Daughter," his contribution to the soundtrack of "The Wild Thornberrys Movie".

But many assume that he was nominated for an Oscar for his music that appeared in the 1967 film "The Graduate" -- including the hit "Mrs. Robinson".

That was not the case.

"We just didn't fill out the form at the time -- I mean, I didn't fill out the form," he says with a laugh by telephone from New York City.

"It's just a technicality ...'The Graduate' was done by an independent film company. It wasn't a big studio. Nobody reminded me or gave it to me. Nobody did anything.

"Actually, I think somebody did give it to me, and I looked at it and thought Ah, nobody's gonna give me an Oscar. You don't give me an Oscar.' Somebody told me that Talk to the Animals' (from "Dr. Doolittle") won that year. So we probably wouldn't have won, anyway."

Simon -- who also had a Golden Globe nomination for "Father and Daughter" -- says he agreed to write the African-tinged pop song because his two children with singer Edie Brickell -- son Adrian, 10, and daughter Lulu, 8 -- were fans of the Nickelodeon TV cartoon. Adrian sings on the recording.

The Oscar nomination puts Simon up against some stiff competition, including U2 ("The Hands That Built America" from "Gangs of New York"), Eminem ("Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile") and songs from "Chicago" and "Frida".

"There's no way of comparing any of this stuff," Simon noted. "I don't know how I compare with Eminem or U2; both of them are masters of their own idiom.

"My son is kind of interested in Eminem, but until fairly recently the Eminem records, there was just too much of language problem to play them. But I think he's good."

Simon also demurs from predicting who will walk away with the Oscar on Sunday.

"The making of the song for the movie, and then to be nominated for a Golden Globe and then this (the Oscar), it's just a pleasure," he explains. "So if I don't win ... whatever. It's an award. You're happy if you win. You're disappointed if you lose.

"I'm just glad that the song got this far and that people heard it and were touched by it. I know that's a cliche, but it's actually true."

After he returns to New York from the Academy Award ceremony, Simon will go back to work on his next studio album, the follow-up to 2000's "You're the One," which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

He describes the new music as "kind of straight-ahead" but says it's "too early" to reveal much about the project.

Simon has also denied plans to reunite with former singing partner Art Garfunkel for a summer tour, though the group did perform at this year's Grammy ceremony, where they received a lifetime achievement award.