“THIS WAS PERSONAL”… At 83 Paul Simon Finally Admits Why He Couldnt Work With Art Garfunkel

 

 

 

 

Paul Simon, now 83, has finally opened up about one of music’s most iconic and complicated relationships—his long and often strained partnership with Art Garfunkel.

After decades of speculation, partial explanations, and vague interviews, Simon’s recent candid remarks have brought new light to the story fans have waited years to fully understand.

“It was personal,” Simon said firmly.

“It wasn’t just about music.

It never was.”

That simple statement carries the weight of over sixty years of collaboration, conflict, and silence between two of the most recognizable voices in American music history.

Simon & Garfunkel first captured the world’s attention in the 1960s with a sound that felt timeless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their harmonies, lyrics, and emotive storytelling became the soundtrack of a generation.

But even at the height of their fame, cracks were forming beneath the surface.

The duo’s creative chemistry was undeniable, but their personalities clashed in ways that fans rarely saw.

Simon was intense, focused, and driven to perfect his craft.

Garfunkel, more relaxed and theatrical, often approached their partnership from a different emotional angle.

The friction wasn’t always visible, but it was always present.

“I’ve carried that weight for a long time,” Simon admitted.

“People wanted a neat story, but our story wasn’t neat.”

 

 

 

 

For years, the official narrative painted their breakups and reunions as typical artistic disagreements.

But Simon has now revealed that his inability to continue working with Garfunkel was rooted in something far more personal.

“It wasn’t just a disagreement over a song or a tour.

It was how I felt treated, as a person, not just as a musician.”

According to Simon, the breaking point came when Garfunkel chose to pursue acting in the early 1970s, just as the duo was reaching global stardom.

While Simon was pouring himself into songwriting and pushing the band’s creative limits, Garfunkel was filming in Europe, unavailable and, in Simon’s words, “emotionally absent.”

“I felt abandoned,” Simon said.

“It wasn’t that he took another opportunity—it was that he didn’t talk to me about it.

He didn’t consider what it meant for me, or for us.”

That betrayal, Simon says, left a lasting wound.

 

 

 

 

 

One that no Grammy, no reunion tour, no sold-out arena could ever fully heal.

Even when they did reunite for performances, the tension was always there, just beneath the surface.

They could smile for the cameras, but the connection that once made their music so powerful had faded.

Simon spoke about the pressure to reunite, driven by fans, promoters, and nostalgia.

He admitted they had conversations over the years—sometimes hopeful, sometimes tense—but every time they considered working together again, something would stop him.

“I knew that if I stepped back into that space, I’d be stepping into old pain,” he said.

“And I didn’t want to do that anymore.”

Simon also acknowledged the guilt he’s carried over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

He’s aware of how much their music means to people, and how the breakup disappointed millions.

But he insists that staying apart was a decision made to protect himself.

“There’s a cost to pretending everything’s fine when it’s not,” he said.

“I wasn’t willing to pay that cost anymore.”

Despite the emotional distance, Simon says he doesn’t hate Garfunkel.

He respects his talent and acknowledges their history.

But he also makes it clear that respect and friendship are not the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Some people come into your life for a time.

They shape you, challenge you, even hurt you.

But that doesn’t mean they’re meant to stay.”

Now, at 83, Simon says he feels at peace.

He’s still writing music, reflecting on life, and reconnecting with the parts of his journey that mattered most.

When asked if he regrets the fallout with Garfunkel, he paused before answering.

“I regret how it felt,” he said.

“But I don’t regret standing up for myself.”

Paul Simon’s story is not just about a band that broke up.

It’s about boundaries, emotional honesty, and the difficulty of holding onto both greatness and peace.

In the end, Simon chose peace.

And for the first time in a long time, he’s finally telling the world why.