Art Garfunkel talks about his reunion with Paul Simon

In a new interview, Art Garfunkel recounted his recent reunion with Paul Simon.

Nearly a decade and a half has passed since Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel performed at the Mike Nichols tribute in Los Angeles. After that, Garfunkel struggled for four years to regain his voice after learning he suffered from vocal cord paresis. The Simon & Garfunkel tour never came to fruition, and Garfunkel publicly accused and criticized his former bandmate.

However, their feud seems to have calmed down. In an interview given to The SunGarfunkel said he recently saw Simon for the first time in years. Although he didn't specify what brought them together, he described their reunion in a positive way. “ It was very, very warm and wonderfulhe told the newspaper. There were tears. I cried at one point because I felt like I had hurt him. […] I like to think that I am a man who has a lot of love. I love everyone. »

Simon & Garfunkel's latest studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, was released in 1970, the year they disbanded. A brief reformation took place in 1993, and in 2003 they reunited for their very lucrative tour Old Friends Tour. After performing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in 2009, they announced a 2010 tour scheduled to begin at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Then, in January, Garfunkel began suffering from serious vocal problems, leading to the tour's cancellation. Although they interpreted ” Mrs. Robinson » during the tribute to Nichols a few months later, the ambitious tour was abandoned. Once Garfunkel recovered in 2015, Paul Simon was apparently no longer ready to tour, leading Garfunkel to state in the Telegraph : « How can you leave this privileged place at the top of the world, Paul? What's wrong with you, stupid? How could you let that go, you bastard? »

Paul Simon announced his retirement from touring in 2018. In May 2023, he confirmed he was suffering from hearing loss and, a month later, sold a ” substantial part » of his copyright from Simon & Garfunkel to BMG in a transaction reportedly worth an eight-figure sum. As for Garfunkel, the singer and his son, Art Garfunkel Jr, are preparing to release their first album together, Father and Son, on November 8. The album will include covers of “ Blackbird » des Beatles, « Time After Time ” of Cyndi Lauper and ” Let It Be Me » by the Everly Brothers, among others.

Regarding a possible reunion of Simon & Garfunkel on stage, Garfunkel Jr told Rolling Stone in January that he “ did not exclude it » : « I think it's possible. I think my father and Paul will always be the best of friends. There is a lot of love between them. They are in contact. Things are moving in the right direction, and I think the possibility exists. »

Charisma Madarang

Translated by the editorial staff