Why Simon & Garfunkel Split
Mike Nichols is to Simon & Garfunkel as Yoko Ono is to The Beatles.
Art Garfunkel revealed at a recent panel discussion in New York that when the film director hired the duo to act in his 1970 film version of Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” — but then dropped Simon from the project — he did the partnership in.
“I had Paul sort of waiting: ‘All right, I can take this for three months. I’ll write the songs, but what’s the fourth month? And why is Artie in Rome [the filming location] a fifth month?’ What’s Mike doing to Simon & Garfunkel?’” Garfunkel recalled Simon’s take on the situation at the time.
Garfunkel spoke at an event following a special screening of his and Simon’s controversial 1969 documentary “Songs of America” on February 6 at New York’s Paley Center for Media.
The film’s director, Charles Grodin, was also on hand. He concurred with Garfunkel about where the blame lies for the demise of Simon & Garfunkel, saying, “You don’t take Simon & Garfunkel and ask them to be in a movie and then drop one of their roles on them. You just don’t do that.”
It is widely known that Simon expressed his displeasure at the time by penning “The Only Living Boy in New York,” while awaiting his partner’s return from shooting the movie in 1969. In 1970, the pair announced their split.
In the decades since, the two musicians have reunited for numerous concerts. However, it would seem that what precipitated Simon & Garfunkel’s parting after the release of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is still not completely water under the bridge.
Watch Simon & Garfunkle’s ‘Songs of America’:
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
