Art Garfunkel Reflects on Reuniting with Paul Simon
Art Garfunkel opened NME on ending his “years-long estrangement” from Paul Simon, recalling the “high point of (his) career” as part of the iconic duo, and discussed starting a new chapter with his recent collaborative album.
New Album and Family Connections
Speaking as part of the promotional tour for Father And Son, the cover album he recorded with his son Art Garfunkel Jr., the music legend shared the “wonderful moment” when Simon and Garfunkel reconciled.
“We ended years of estrangement with sweet honesty,” Garfunkel reflected on his emotional meeting with Simon.
The folk rock duo is familiar with the complexities of lifelong friendships and professional partnerships. Despite several reunions since their split in 1970, their relationship has often been tumultuous. The latest fallout stemmed from a particularly scathing interview Garfunkel gave in 2015, where he referred to his former musical partner as a “jerk” and an “idiot”—an outburst he later regretted. Telegraph
The silence that followed suggested the rift might be irreparable, until an unexpected encounter between Garfunkel and Simon’s son, Harper, led to a meeting and ultimately, reconciliation.
Recalling the dinner, Garfunkel mentioned: NME “Paul said to me, ‘Artie, it’s not that you spoke to the British press and that you did it wrong… (it’s that) I felt you wanted to hurt me.’ That’s what hooked me. And I thought, ‘This is true.’ I wanted to hurt him. The next thing I knew, I was bursting into tears…and then there were hugs.”
Father And Son is the vision of Art Garfunkel Jr., who became increasingly aware of time’s fleeting nature as he watched his aging father. “Time is a treasured gift, and it is not unlimited,” Garfunkel Jr. expressed. “It would be terrible if we didn’t record this album. That was the driving force that led me to reach out to my father.”
Read NME‘s exclusive interview with Art Garfunkel Sr. and Jr. below, which also features Art Sr.’s full account of his meeting with Simon, chess matches with Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s Graham Nash, and a surprising piece of Cyndi Lauper’s serendipity. Art Sr. was also looking forward to a potential future project.
NME: Hello, Art Sr. and Art Jr.!
Art Senior: “NME, you are talking to a very tired man. The family just finished a series of performances. We played five nights at the Carlyle Hotel in New York, and it was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done in my life. It was also very tiring. I’m in a recovery period now, but it’s been great.”
This is a touching observation. If we talk about family issues, then “Father And Son” is a rather luxurious and beautiful album…
Art Senior: “Isn’t this great? I’m very happy. I didn’t know it would be this good.”
Art Jr.: “We’re definitely very proud of this album.”
Art Senior: “This is a new era of recording for me. We didn’t use Auto-Tune, but sometimes I feel like I’m just preparing the vocal material for later processing. Junior will tell you that as long as I am determined, as long as there is feeling and sincerity in my speech, everything else is engineering. I trust our producer Felix Gauder.”
Art Jr.: “I don’t feel that way. As someone behind the scenes, I can tell you that I didn’t feel that way at all. Over the decades, my father has developed a really deep, warm, round tone that is a pleasure to work with. And I’m honored that he agreed to be a part of this album.”
Art Senior: “Don’t mind me. I’m just (self)critical.”
You named the album after Cat Stevens’ classic 1970 single “Father And Son,” and the record closes with a cover of that song. Was this song the starting point for the album?
Art Jr.: “Absolutely. ‘Father and Son’ was supposed to be the basis of the project. We chose our favorite songs of the 20th century and limited ourselves to 12 tracks.”
One of the standouts is your version of “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper…
Art Jr.: “There’s a funny story about this. We were in the orchestra room getting ready to record when the engineer shouted from behind the glass that Cyndi Lauper had recorded ‘Time After Time,’ originally in the same studio, standing in the same spot where me and my dad stood!”
Art Senior: “I find it amazing.”
Art Jr.: “And it was a real coincidence!”
How did you decide who would take what lines from the songs?
Art Jr.: “First of all, by feeling. We’ve been singing together since I was less than two years old, so we have a natural sense of who should take the top harmony, the bass line, or the bottom harmony. We also had help from my dearest friend and producer Felix, who practically lived in my New York apartment.”
Art Senior: “Felix was amazing. And we were guided by the Everly Brothers.”
The Everly Brothers’ “Let It Be Me” appears on Father And Son, and Simon & Garfunkel also regularly covers their songs. They seem to have a constant influence on you…
Art Senior: “Any harmony singer is Don and Phil (Everly)’s child. They taught us how to do it. Don once told me that ‘Let It Be Me’ was his favorite Everly Brothers song. I find it interesting.”
Art Jr.: “They had such a cultural impact. They have a constant influence. Of course, on my father and Paul, and also on my life. I bet David Crosby and the Byrds were influenced by the Everly Brothers too.”
Funnily enough, Crosby’s CSN colleague Graham Nash told me in passing last year about the Everlys’ influence on him and his first band The Hollies, and later CSN(&Y)…
Art Jr.: “I’m not surprised. My father and Graham Nash are dear friends.”
Art Senior: “He’s my chess partner!”
Really?! Who usually wins?
Art Senior: “We played a game the other day, and I accidentally won. I don’t think I’m the best player, but I managed to win.
“When I first heard the Everly Brothers, I was going bowling with Paul Simon in Jamaica, New York. ‘Bye Bye Love’ came on the radio, and when I heard those chords and that guitar lick, it killed me. They hadn’t even opened their mouths to sing the first line, and I was amazed. When I then heard those vocals (Art Sr. singing ‘Bye Bye Love’), I thought, this is my favorite thing I’ve ever heard.
“We went home, tracked down Archie Bleier’s record label, Cadence Records, and bought the single. This was followed by the brothers’ next album, ‘Wake Up, Little Susie.’ Every four months there was another brilliant song.”
Art Sr., I understand you recently met Paul Simon for lunch…
Art Senior: “…Oh, it was very expensive.”
How did lunch come about?
Art Senior: “Paul’s ex-wife, Peggy Simon, moved into the house where I live, and their son Harper ran into me in the hallway. I knew that sooner or later this would happen.
“Harper hosted Paul and me for lunch, and we ended years of estrangement with a lot of sweet honesty. Paul said to me: ‘Artie, it’s not that you spoke to the British press; it’s that you did it poorly. I know you said you wanted to spice things up with Simon and Garfunkel. I know you thought we were too conservative.’ Well, my idea of spice meant a certain amount of frankness that must have hurt Paul’s feelings. I understand; I hurt his feelings.
“He said, ‘I felt like you wanted to hurt me. That’s what hooked me.’ And I thought, ‘This is true.’ I wanted to hurt him. The next thing I knew, I started crying.”
Were you surprised by the emotions?
Art Senior: “Recognition of the truth is psychological in nature. You give it up and admit that you wanted to hurt someone. You are touched by your own confession. And then there were hugs. It was a wonderful moment for Simon and Garfunkel. It essentially ended years of separation.”
Did you always know it was your 2015 Telegraph interview that bothered him?
Art Senior: “No. Kim (Garfunkel, Art Sr.’s wife) kept pointing this out. She said, ‘You said something in that interview.’
Art Jr.: “If I may, I don’t usually do this, but I believe it takes two to tango. Apologizing for something we may have said wrong leads to a great moment, but the root cause of these things doesn’t come out of nowhere either. This is my statement on this matter in defense of my father.”
Art Senior: “(TO NME) Have you spoken to Paul Simon? Do you know him?
No. I came close to interviewing him last month, but it fell through.
Art Senior: “You missed a good chance to talk to someone with a great sense of humor. Paul is very funny. The basis of Simon and Garfunkel’s relationship is laughter and jokes, even more than music. We’re both Lenny Bruce fans. We love Mike Nichols and Elaine May. We love Mel Brooks. From the very beginning, we laughed all the time, and that was the source of our connection.”
Junior, you have two hits in Germany. Why did you still decide to go down the path of singing in German?
Art Jr.: “I have lived in Europe since 2006 and speak German very well. It’s my everyday language, so I wanted to sing in it. I’m interested in showing the world that German is a musical language. I’m an ambassador for this…at least in my head!”
What’s next for Garfunkel and Garfunkel?
Art Jr.: “We are a new, exciting, dynamic duo!”
Art Senior: “It’s a hit, so now we’re moving on to the next stage of our career. There’s an album I recorded years ago (his solo album written by Jimmy Webb in 1986) The Animals’ Christmas. Giving it a new breath of life and re-releasing it excites me as a (potential) next project.”
Finally, Art Sr., looking back on your storied career, is there a moment you are most proud of?
Art Senior: “Simon and Garfunkel reunion concert in Central Park in 1981. Nothing could top that. More than half a million people filled the Great Lawn in Central Park. I went on stage and said to Paul, ‘I knew we did something right in the ’60s, but I didn’t know it was that right.’ It was the most magnificent of all concerts. High point of my career.”
Art Garfunkel Jr. and Art Garfunkel Sr.’s “Father And Son” is out now.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/art-garfunkel-tells-us-about-reconciling-with-paul-simon-i-burst-into-tears-and-then-there-were-hugs-3821985?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=art-garfunkel-tells-us-about-reconciling-with-paul-simon-i-burst-into-tears-and-then-there-were-hugs
