Musical guest...

[chanaleh]

Dude. Brandeis is giving Paul Simon an honorary degree this year.

Think he'll come?

Also, what would it take for them to give one to Billy Joel? ;-)

Comments

[crs.livejournal.com]

What did it take for them to give one to Paul Simon?

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

That is a fine question, for which I have no answer. :-) My year -- no, wait, the year before me -- they gave one to (among others) Quincy Jones.

[jessruth.livejournal.com]

The year before me, they gave one to Barbra Streisand...IIRC the first honorary degree she ever accepted.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Appropos of nothing: He went to, but did not graduate from, my high school.

[c1.livejournal.com]

I think they need to make it contingent on reuniting with Art Garfunkel. SRSLY. You'd think they'd figure out how to put things behind them by now...

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

The speaker at my graduation this year will be Arnold Schwarzenegger, so I'd rather be re-graduating from Brandeis at this point.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

The year my brother graduated, it was Harry Belafonte. Kicked ass.

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

ooh, that's a really cute picture of you!!

[besamim.livejournal.com]

For (another) reunion concert? Or for recording? If the latter...that ship has long since sailed, and Simon seems to be out of the songwriting loop anyway.

[goljerp]

Yes, he did. (That was my year).

[awfief.livejournal.com]

Nice! I think Billy Joel might have to admit he's Jewish or act at least slightly Jewish for Brandeis to give him an honorary degree.

[tahamill.livejournal.com]

Last I read, Billy was saying that his father was Jewish. I saw him speak many, many years ago when Berklee gave him an honorary degree - not at graduation but at a master's class he gave a few months before graduation. Fascinating to listen to.

[besamim.livejournal.com]

Heh. That's not the first time I've forgotten he's Jewish. I've always tended to think of him, unreflectively, as Italian, probably due to the haircut, album-cover fashions and overall 'tude that was part of his image in the period of The Stranger and 52nd Street, and especially "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" which practically screams "Italian-American."

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Actually, there's an answer: "...anyone could submit a suggestion letter for an honorary degree to the Honorary Degree Committee of the Board of Trustees. Once the Committee decides whether to put a name forward, the suggestion goes before the entire Board of Trustees for consideration. The name then stays on a list of approved names for five years, during which the University president can select the honorary degree recipients and the commencement speaker."

[crs.livejournal.com]

I think you know what you need to do now, then. :)