I been mothered, fathered, aunt and uncled,
Been Roy Haleed and Art Garfunkeled.
I just discovered somebody's tapped my phone.
-A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd into Submission)
By Simon & Garfunkel
I've felt really sorry for Artie for a while now. He has a beautiful voice, sometimes achingly so. Yet, I think he's perceived like, say, Andrew Ridgely of WHAM!, lost in the light of his more creative partner.
Certainly, I don't have nearly the number of solo Garfunkel albums as I have of Paul Simon albums, though I do own Breakaway, and The Animals' Christmas (with Amy Grant).
I've had relationships like Paul seem to have with Art, on (as Tom and Jerry), and off (Paul goes to London), and on ("Sound of Silence" breaks), and off (Art makes movies such as Catch-22, which I saw twice in one day - had to do with affairs of the heart) while Paul goes solo, then on ("My Little Town"), then off, then on (Central Park reunion in 1981), then off (the clash over "Hearts and Bones"), with occasional reunions since then.
Anyway, Art turns 65 today, less than a month after Paul. His current music seems to be gaining some acclaim, if not great sales. I wish him well.
1 comment:
I grew up with Art Garfunkel. We kept graphs of pop songs in various charts when we were in Junior High. He used to try and get his brother and I to harmonize with him into a wire recorder his father gave him when we were barely teen-agers.
I even have a tape of him and Paul kidding about their break-up in a recording session.
I have always felt that Art suffered from being in the shadow of Paul -- and besides not writing the music -- Art doesn't play a musical instrument, so Paul has not one, but TWO talents over him.
Yet, he was the harmony, the voice -- certainly compared to Paul -- who has gotten better over the years.
But Art continues to make his music -- and it's amazing to me that he's still traveling the globe to share it.
I wish him nothing but good health as he continues on his journey -- it ain't over yet.
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