Art Garfunkel Admits He ‘Wanted to Hurt’ Paul Simon During Feud

With the hatchet finally buried, Art Garfunkel has opened up about his long standing feud with Paul Simon.

The famed folk rock duo have a tumultuous history, having broken up and reconciled several times during their career. The most recent discourse was sparked in 2015 when Garfunkel called his former bandmate a “jerk”, an “idiot” and a “monster” during an interview with U.K. outlet the Telegraph. While it certainly wasn’t the first time the musicians had traded barbs, it seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for their relationship. However, earlier this year the duo was able to end “years of estrangement with a lot of sweet candor,” as Garfunkel recalled during a recent interview with NME.

“Paul’s ex-wife, Peggy Simon, had moved into the place where I live, and their son, Harper, ran into me in the halls. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later,” Garfunkel explained of how the reconciliation came together. “Harper set up a lunch with Paul and I.”

READ MORE: Rock Feuds: Paul Simon vs. Art Garfunkel

The two old collaborators laid everything out on the table, leading Garfunkel to admit his own motives.

“Paul said to me, ‘Arty, it’s not that you spoke to the British press and that you didn’t do it well. I know you said you wanted to put spice into the image of Simon and Garfunkel. I know you felt that we were too conservative,’” the singer recalled. “Well, my idea of spice meant a certain candor that must have hurt Paul’s feelings. I realized; I did hurt his feelings.”

“He said, ‘I felt you wanted to hurt me. That’s what got me,’” Garfunkel continued. “And I thought, ‘That’s true’. I wanted to hurt him. The next thing I knew, I burst into tears.”

Reconciliation Was a ‘Wonderful Moment for Simon & Garfunkel’

Garfunkel further examined the emotion of the moment, noting how it felt to reconnect with his longtime friend.

“The admission of the truth is psychological. You give it up and admit that you wanted to hurt somebody,” he explained. “You’re touched by your own confession. And then there were hugs. It was a wonderful moment for Simon & Garfunkel. It basically ended the years of detachment.”

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The singer also revealed the foundation of the duo’s unique relationship.

“Paul’s very funny. The basis of the Simon & Garfunkel relationship is laughter and jokes – even more than music,” Garfunkel noted. “We’re both Lenny Bruce fans. We love Mike Nichols and Elaine May. We love Mel Brooks. Right from the beginning, we laughed all the time, and it was the source of our connection.”

Garfunkel’s new album, Father and Son, is out now.

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