published: 19 /
12 /
2024
Eoghan Lyng speaks to Art Grafunkel and his son Art Garfunkel Jr, about their new joint album 'Father and Son'
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"I've written down a long list of books I've read over the years," says singer and sometime actor Art Garfunkel. "It's a sort of madness; 1,359 books in total. Two books a month,and I've listed them all down. I tried giving up reading, but I couldn't, and right now I'm reading one by Kat Timpf. It's sitting on my desk."
He's joined by his son and musical collaborator Art Garfunkel Jr. Over a crackling line,the duo discuss their shared passion for music, although they disagree on eras. "I was influenced by groups like Ultravox and OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]," the younger Garfunkel explains. "If I have to choose a favourite Ultravox song, it's 'Vienna', but I do like 'Reap The Wild Wind' too." His father's tastes go back further in history:"I watched the music scene drop off.There was a lot of good stuff in the 1960s, but by 1970 Simon&Garfunkel came to an end, and so did The Beatles. After that, it lost something."
The parent laughs, and directs the next comment at his child: "You missed a lot of good stuff, honey." Garfunkel Jr. disagrees. "Vienna is a great song," he says."An absolute song for the age." The duo are ringing to publicise their album, Father and Son, which will be released on November 8th. There is clear musical respect between them, and Garfunkel Jr. gets a little flustered when his father compliments his singing voice. "He's better than me," the 83-year old beams. "He can sing better, and higher than I do."
The son describes his father's vocal delivery as "legendary", which given the melodious phrasing heard on 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'Bright Eyes', is hard to argue with. "Mike Batt ['Bright Eyes' writer] was wonderful," Garfunkel says. "What can I say? He was in The Wombles and he came from television. Mike had a big hit with them. I know he has his book coming out." Turning to his child, the elder performer admits he was "singing to impress a record executive called Goddard Lieberson." The finished result of 'Bright Eyes' graced the soundtrack to Watership Down during the late 1970s.
"Me and my father have been recording since 2019," says Garfunkel Jr. "I've had a series of successful albums in Germany, and my dad has graced one of my German albums with some lovely musical contributions in English.”
The pair felt they had a connection, which prompted them to explore it further. "We thought 'Wouldn't it be special to have our sound documented?'" continues Garfunkel Jr. "My dad felt he wanted to do this with me." During their conversation, Garfunkel Jr. admits that he sang with Paul McCartney at a party. “I sang with Paul,” he points out. “It was ‘Babyface’ and the song ‘Just the Way You Look Tonight’.Paul was playing the piano, and Paul and I were singing. My dad and everyone else at the cocktail party were watching.”
Fittingly, the Father and Son album has a McCartney ballad: 'Blackbird'. Just as the younger Garfunkel won't hear that he has the stronger voice, the older singer won't accept my proclamation that their rendition is every bit as good as The White Album original. "You take that back," laughs Garfunkel.
"Singing is a great passion," Garfunkel Jr. chimes in."My father has an unforgettable timbre. 'Blackbird' is so iconic and memorable." Garfunkel Jr. credits his artistic partner for "creating mix-tapes" that he listened to as an adolescent.
The track-listing acknowledges both backgrounds. Father and Son features compositions popularised by The Everly Brothers ('Let It Be Me') and Frank Sinatra ('Blue Moon'),amidst 1980s standards 'I Won't Let You Down' and 'Here Comes The Rain Again'. Apropos of show business conventions, the record ends with 'Father and Son', the vocalists portraying the parent and child within the Cat Stevens narrative. "I think we always had 'Father and Son' down as the title of the album," Garfunkel Jr admits. "My dad chose more of the songs from the 1940s, and I was more of the 1980s selection. The 'Father and Son' recording was my suggestion, and my father did a great job with it."
In many ways, the work showcases their relationship, emphasising the love and affection that goes with it. Garfunkel Jr. says his dad didn't pressure him into any path: "Your life is yours to decide." "Yes," comes the senior voice. "It's important you don't criticise [as a father]; you don't press. But you do compliment when you see him do things that make you proud." His son seems chuffed: "Maybe I will carry that mindset as a father someday!"
The duo's makeover of 'Old Friends' is strangely moving: the Garfunkel who sang the chorus on the 1968 original now finds himself singing to his own generation ("Can you imagine us years from today/Sharing a park bench quietly?") But if the album can boast a standout, I wager that it is 'Time After Time', complete with a string-heavy backing that makes the ballad sound contemplative and contemporary. "We actually recorded it where Cyndi Lauper did her version," the pair laugh. "It wasn't until we did the vocals that someone told us."
"We worked with three very talented producers," Garfunkel Jr. elaborates. "Felix Gauder brought Eurodance influences to the recordings, but I would say 80% of it was orchestral. We started in Stuttgart, before my father did a lot of his vocals at Power Station."
The older Garfunkel is also an actor of some note, and I'm anxious to hear about his experience working on Bad Timing, an epistle to Vienna's sepulchral splendour. "Nic Roeg was intense," is the reply. "He had a vision for Bad Timing. A very special guy. It was quite wonderful." Garfunkel Jr. says he is unfamiliar with the director's work, and says he must watch The Man Who Fell To Earth starring David Bowie. "I've acted in one or two German films," Garfunkel Jr. admits."I guess they were more like cameos. I could never play the part of a person's life I could never live by myself.That doesn't sit well with me, but I could do more acting if the part was right." The younger singer says he understands that other artists enjoy inhabiting other roles. Does the senior singer have a favourite film from his oeuvre? "Carnal Knowledge," Garfunkel says without hesitating. "A very sexy film with Jack Nicholson as my co-star."
In more recent years, the 'Bright Eyes' vocalist appeared in an episode of Flight of The Conchords. It takes him a moment to remember the episode, but Garfunkel recalls it as being "very offbeat." His child chuckles at the episode, before returning to the focus of the phone call.
"We think audiences should take a chance on this exciting duo," Garfunkel Jr. explains. "I mean, our voices really do compliment each other nicely. Brings a freshness, and we want to keep doing this. I think it's a very different take." Father and Son will be issued to the public in November, and they may cross the sea to perform in England and Ireland in the future."I walked across Shannon airport to Waterford on beautiful grass," says Garfunkel. "I was walking from Ireland to Istanbul; Wales to Paris, down to the Alps. And then I crossed over to Northern Greece. I did it in instalments, and the whole thing took a few years. Ireland is lovely; a beautiful country."
Photos by Stefan Falke
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