Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were one of the 60s’ biggest music duos, but toward the end of their partnership, Garfunkel reveals him taking on a new career was what led to their breakup.
They were one of the best-selling musical acts of their era, with hits like “Sounds of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The duo met while attending the same school as children, with Simon having seen Garfunkel perform on stage for the talent show in the fourth grade.
In an interview with The Guardian, Garfunkel looks back at his career, musical partnership, and what ultimately led the duo to call it quits. By the 1970s, they were in troubled waters, and it was partly due to an opportunity that presented itself to Garfunkel.
The duo was working on The Graduate album in 1967 for the hit film starring Dustin Hoffman, and became known for its soundtrack. It included Simon & Garfunkel‘s greatest hits and “Mrs. Robinson,” which Simon was adapting to fit the movie. The success of The Graduate and the soundtrack led the duo to win a 1968 Grammy Award for “Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special” and for “Record of the Year.”
It just so happened that the movie was what led Garfunkel to try his hand at acting. Director Mike Nichols had driven up to the music legend’s home in a limo. He handed Garfunkel the script to the 1970 satirical war comedy Catch-22 and told him, “Read this. I see you as an actor, as Lt Nately.”
“I’d never acted and was so nervous,” Garfunkel recalls. “But Mike was maybe the most interesting man I ever met and made me feel good, like: ‘At last someone is treating me like the bright fellow I am.’ I was worried about how it would work out socially with all these big, real actors: Alan Arkin, Orson Welles, Jon Voight. But I flew down to Mexico and did a good enough job for Mike to want me to star in his next film, Carnal Knowledge [1971], with Jack Nicholson and Candice Bergen. Jack’s terrific. We still speak from time to time.”
Catch-22 is based on a 1961 novel of the same name by Joseph Heller that focuses on Capt. John Yossarian (Alan Arkin), a pilot stationed in the Mediterranean during World War II. Amid his bombing missions, Yossarian struggles to escape the dreary reality of the war and turns to the “lunatic characters” who are his military officers.
It was reported that Simon also appeared in the film, but his scenes were cut out. Like music, Garfunkel devoted himself entirely to acting, and it left Simon frustrated by his music partner’s absences. Simon & Garfunkel broke up in 1970, with Garfunkel going on to take a teaching job, get married, continue acting, and release a few albums.
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