Art Garfunkel, with a heartfelt optimism, asserts that the horizon gleams bright for Simon & Garfunkel. In a poignant interview with The Times, the 83-year-old musician unveiled that he had recently shared an emotional reunion with his esteemed former musical counterpart, Paul Simon, also 83. While promoting his forthcoming Garfunkel & Garfunkel album, Father and Son, a collaborative effort with his 33-year-old son, Art Garfunkel Jr., the eight-time Grammy Award winner recounted catching up with Simon "just a couple of weeks prior."
"It marked the first time we'd been together in a span of many years," Garfunkel reminisced during the interview. "I gazed at Paul and inquired, 'What transpired? Why have we drifted apart?' Paul then recalled an old interview where I had uttered some hurtful words."
The "Bright Eyes" crooner further opened up about his regret over their estrangement. "My eyes welled up with tears as he articulated how deeply I had wounded him," he confessed. "In retrospect, I suppose I sought to disrupt the squeaky-clean image of Simon & Garfunkel. But let me be honest—I was utterly foolish!"
Garfunkel disclosed that the two had "hatched plans to meet once again" and hinted at potentially revisiting their musical legacy, albeit not as his foremost priority. "Will Paul bring along his guitar? Who can tell? For me, it was imperative to mend fences before it was too late," the singer elaborated. "It felt like we had stepped back into a realm of unbridled bliss. As I reflect on it now, tears stream down my face. I can still feel the warmth of his embrace."
Between 1964 and 1970, Garfunkel and Simon unleashed a total of five studio albums. Post the release of their final studio masterpiece, Bridge over Troubled Water, they parted ways. However, the years saw them reunite occasionally while nurturing their respective solo careers. Notably, they converged once more in 1981 for a benefit concert in Central Park, which was subsequently immortalized as an album and a concert film.
In the 2024 documentary titled "In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon," Simon revisits the bygone era that ultimately led to their paths diverging. "We were inseparable, the best of friends, till the days of 'Bridge over Troubled Water,'" Simon recounted, his words echoing with nostalgia as he referred to his former bandmate and cherished elementary school companion. "[But after that album], the once harmonious and unbreakable bond of our friendship shattered into pieces," he lamented.
According to Simon, when Garfunkel landed a role in the film Catch-22, he anticipated Garfunkel would sustain their musical endeavors. "Artie said, 'I'll spend six months on movies, then return. You'll have penned the songs, and we'll record the album,' and I thought, 'Really? No way. That's not happening. I'm not doing that,'" Simon recalled.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Simon likened their Central Park reunion to "a mere, indulgent bandage."
