‘I cried when he told me I’d hurt him’: Simon reunites with Garfunkel

Former bandmates appear to be building a bridge over troubled water, after years of silence

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon emotionally reunited after years apart, with Simon finally revealing why he had been keeping his distance.

The Grammy-winning folk-rock duo were among the most prolific musical acts of the Sixties, writing and releasing hit songs including “America”, “The Sound of Silence” and “Mrs Robinson”.

They first met at school in Queens, New York City, where they bonded over a mutual love of artists such as the Everley Brothers.

However, their working relationship was frequently marred by squabbles that ultimately led to their breakup in 1970, with their final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, going on to become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.

In a new interview with The Sunday Times with his son, Art Garfunkel Jr, the musician, 83, revealed that he had lunch with his former bandmate “a couple of weeks back”, which marked the first time they’d been together “in many years”.

“I looked at Paul and said, ‘What happened? Why haven’t we seen each other?’” Garfunkel recalled. “Paul mentioned an old interview where I said some stuff.

“I cried when he told me how much I had hurt him. Looking back, I guess I wanted to shake up the nice guy image of Simon & Garfunkel. Y’know what? I was a fool!”

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon performing onstage together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden, New York, 2009 (Getty Images)

Simon was possibly referring to a 2015 interview with The Telegraph,in which Garfunkel branded his former collaborator an “idiot”, a “jerk” and a “monster”.

Garfunkel said they had made plans to meet again: “Will Paul bring his guitar? Who knows. For me, it was about wanting to make amends before it’s too late.”

He continued: “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 last time Simon & Garfunkel performed together was in 2010, when they took part in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) tribute to The Graduate director Mike Nichols, whose film helped propel them to international fame by featuring a number of their songs.

Simon & Garfunkel performing together in Madrid, 1967 (Getty Images)

In the same interview, Garfunkel Jr also brought up the reunion and said his father was “so happy” to have reconciled with Simon.

“He called me and said, ‘Paul’s my brother; he’s family,’” he said. “I do think there is a possibility of them getting together musically. I’m speaking hypothetically here, but maybe a big TV/charity event.”

Garfunkel Jr said the prospect of new Simon & Garfunkel material could be likely “with a bit of encouragement from their peers in the music industry [that would lead to] a new generation discovering the beautiful music they made together.”

Father and Son, the new album from Garfunkel and Garfunkel, is out now.