Paul Simon lends song to oil spill ad

Native group’s commercial to air in B.C. Monday

Singer Paul Simon has added his voice to the lobby against oil tanker traffic on the west coast in a new television commercial released on the 24th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The singer directly ap-

proved the use of his song

The Sound of Silence in the video created by Coastal First Nations, said Coastal First Nations Executive Director Art Sterritt.

The two-minute video begins with footage of the Exxon Valdez, and overlays crackling audio of its first call to the coast guard, “we’ve fetched up hard aground...” with Simon’s lyrics “Hello darkness my old friend.”

Mr Sterritt wrote a personal letter to Mr. Simon outlining CFN’s position on oil tanker

traffic in coastal waters and the potentially devastating effect of a spill on the Great Bear region’s ecosystem and the cultures and communities of the west coast.

They received Mr. Simon’s go ahead to use the song for a nominal fee — “about the price of nice dinner out,” said spokesperson Andrew Frank.

The video, which urges B.C. residents to “vote for an oil-free coast” will air in some areas of northern B.C. starting Monday. They are hoping for an angel investor to help foot the cost of airtime in southern B.C.

CFN recently withdrew from the federal review process for the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.