Art Garfunkel Reveals He Recently Had a Tear-Filled Reunion with Paul Simon: “It Was Very, Very Warm and Wonderful”

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon last performed together in 2010, and in the ensuing years, the infamously volatile relationship between the members of the famous folk-rock duo had devolved to a point where they no longer spoke to each other.

Happily, Garfunkel recently revealed that he and his old friend and collaborator are again on speaking terms.

[RELATED: Listen to Paul Simon’s New Duet with Wife Edie Brickell, “Bad Dream”]

In an interview with U.K. newspaper The Sun, the singer reported that he recently met with Simon “for the first time in years.”

“We had lunch,” noted Garfunkel, who will turn 83 this Tuesday, November 5. “It was very, very warm and wonderful. There were tears. I was crying at a certain point because I felt I had hurt him.”

He added, “But there were hugs. I’m cherishing this two-week-old memory.”

Asked if he and Simon reminisced about their 1960s heyday during their lunch, Art replied, “No, we didn’t. That speaks for itself.”

Garfunkel then reflected on getting to mend fences with Simon, with whom he became friends in grade school.

“I like to think I’m a man who has a lot of love,” he told The Sun. “There are NO relationships of mine that don’t have love at the bottom. I love everyone. I can’t imagine holding a position of dislike and clinging to it. It’s all meant to be resolved so we can die easy.”

About Simon and Garfunkel’s Early History and Breakup

Simon and Garfunkel began performing together as a rock ‘n’ roll duo called Tom and Jerry when they were teenagers. They later transitioned into playing folk music, eventually using their own real last names. From 1964 to 1970, the duo released five studio albums that showcased Simon’s insightful songwriting talents and Garfunkel’s angelic voice, as well as the two singers’ beautiful vocal blend.

Simon, who wrote all of the duo’s original material, split with Garfunkel in 1971 and launched a solo career. Leading up to the breakup, their relationship had become strained, in part because Garfunkel had started acting in movies and wanted Simon to fit their recording and touring schedule around his burgeoning film career.

Simon and Garfunkel’s Post-Breakup Relationship and Latest Rift

Both Simon and Garfunkel began recording solo starting in the 1970s, with Simon enjoying the much more successful and critically acclaimed career. Despite their rift, the duo reunited on and off multiple times over the years to tour or to perform at special events together.

Simon and Garfunkel were preparing to tour again in 2010 when Art began experiencing vocal issues that affected his singing. Plans for the trek were postponed, but when Garfunkel’s vocal problems persisted, the tour was shelved indefinitely.

When Garfunkel finally regained his singing ability, Simon apparently was no longer interested in touring with him.

In May 2015, Garfunkel gave an interview with U.K. newspaper The Telegraph in which he expressed his frustration about his old partner not wanting to tour again.

During the interview, he pretended to have an imaginary conversation with Simon, saying, “How can you walk away from this lucky place on top of the world, Paul? What’s going on with you, you idiot? How could you let that go, jerk?”

Garfunkel also told the paper that he thought the diminutive Simon might have a Napoleon complex.

As for Simon, he explained in multiple interviews in recent years that he had difficulty getting along with Garfunkel. He also insisted he had no desire to work with Art again.

In the 2023 documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, Simon reflected on his friendship with Garfunkel, and lamented how it had degenerated.

“That was a good friendship. That was a real first friendship of somebody that got it,” said Simon. “For me, to turn into a person that I never want to see again, that’s a long way.”

Garfunkel’s Upcoming Album with His Son

On November 8, Garfunkel will release a new duets album with his son, Art Garfunkel Jr., called Father and Son.

The 12-track collection features versions of a variety of popular tunes. They include “Vincent” (Don McLean), “Blackbird” (The Beatles), “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper), “Let It Be Me” (The Everly Brothers), “Here Comes the Rain Again” (Eurythmics), and “Father and Son” (Cat Stevens). Also featured on the album is a version of the 1968 Simon and Garfunkel gem “Old Friends.”

In a trailer for Father and Son, Garfunkel and his son talk about why they both love “Old Friends.”

“Such a lovely song,” Garfunkel says. “[T]he power of the song takes hold, and how that lovely melody and those lovely sentiments find expression tangibly in my son’s reality next to me is quite wonderful.”

Art Jr. then notes, “It has a degree of sadness in the song, but also it’s quite thought-provoking. It’s one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel tunes.” His dad adds, “Me too.”

The 33-year-old Art Jr. then points out, “We are old friends now. We’ve known each other for over three decades.”

You can pre-order Father and Son now.

Father and Son Track List:

1. “Blue Moon”
2. “Vincent”
3. “Blackbird”
4. “Old Friends”
5. “Time After Time”
6. “Once in a While”
7. “I Won’t Let You Down”
8. “Let It Be Me”
9. “Nature Boy”
10. “You Belong to Me”
11. “Here Comes the Rain Again”
12. “Father and Son”