The sound of silence, no more: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who as folk duo Simon & Garfunkel were one of the most popular American musical acts of the 20th century, recently reunited after years without speaking.
During an┬аinterview this month┬аwith British newspaper The Times, Garfunkel said that he and his former musical partner recently had an emotional conversation over lunch, calling it the “first time we’d been together in many years.”
“I looked at Paul and said, ‘What happened? Why haven’t we seen each other?’ Paul mentioned an old interview where I said some stuff. I cried when he told me how much I had hurt him,”┬аsaid 83-year-old Garfunkel.
“Looking back, I guess I wanted to shake up the nice guy image of Simon & Garfunkel. Y’know what? I was a fool!”
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One January night in 2019, Paul Simon had a dream telling him to work on a new album called тАЬSeven Psalms.тАЭ What came next were big, existential questions about his own beliefs. Tom Power visits Paul Simon at the legendary musicianтАЩs ranch near Austin, Texas тАУ in the studio where Paul recorded тАЬSeven PsalmsтАЭ тАУ for a rare sit-down chat about the new album and his early days in music.
Simon & Garfunkel became critical and commercial darlings in the 1960s with a string of┬аhits including┬аThe Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, Homeward Bound┬аand┬аAmerica.
They released their final album┬аBridge Over Troubled Water in 1970 and┬аbroke up┬аthat same year.
The split was acrimonious, with some speculating that Simon wanted to assert more creative control over his musical output, while Garfunkel wanted a break from music to pursue an acting career.
Simon went on to have a successful┬аsolo career with albums like Graceland┬аand Still Crazy After All These Years. Garfunkel famously┬аworked as a math teacher in the early ’70s┬аbefore pursuing a solo career of his own.
The possibility of a reunion, new music
During the Times interview, Garfunkel said he and Simon have made plans to meet again soon. “Will Paul bring his guitar? Who knows,” the vocalist said.
“For me, it was about wanting to make amends before it’s too late. It felt like we were back in a wonderful place. As I think about it now, tears are rolling down my cheeks. I can still feel his hug.”
The two reunited on and off over the years, including for a massive 1981 concert in New York’s Central Park, and again in 2003┬аfor a reunion concert tour named after their song,┬аOld Friends.
But they’ve long had a tumultuous relationship, which has sometimes involved trading barbed insults in public. In┬аa 2015 interview, for example, Garfunkel called Simon “a monster with a Napoleon complex.”
The last time they performed together was at a 2010 American Film Institute event honouring director Mike Nichols, whose 1967 film┬аThe Graduate┬аfeatured a soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel.
Garfunkel’s musician son, Art Garfunkel Jr., said during the same interview that he thinks “there is a possibility” of a musical reunion between Simon & Garfunkel.
“I’m speaking hypothetically here, but maybe a big TV [or] charity event,” said Junior.
“And with a bit of encouragement from their peers in the music industry, that could lead to some new material. A new generation discovering the beautiful music they make together.”
