1982: SIMON and GARFUNKEL are back! But for HOW LONG? | Nationwide | Music interviews | BBC Archive

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, fresh from their triumphant reunion concert in Central Park, are embarking on a world tour. With Wembley Stadium next on the itinerary, the folk rock duo pop in to the Nationwide studio for a chat with Frank Bough... but not really each other.
Originally broadcast 19 April, 1982.
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[@GrilloTheFlightless]

Loving the fact that Paul Simon’s shirt is a pretty good match for the design of the set behind him.

[@lynnloww]

Lol I’m sure this was intentionally done. Bc this was actually the background set in 1982 for the show

[@rubyharvey660]

Paul should have worn a different shirt

[@myrianvalenzuela9199]

@@rubyharvey660 ha ha ha. Same color.

[@mirammckay4827]

Love the way Garfunkel talks. Simon is cool, he is generous letting Arty have the limelight.

[@davidbull7210]

Simon: I think I'll wear the brown and orange horizontal stripes today. What could possibly go wrong?

[@lynnloww]

Lol I’m sure this was intentionally done. Bc this was actually the background set in 1982 for the show.

[@lairsantos]

😂

[@paulgenuise6531]

Super funny. Thank you

[@katharina8101]

Paul has such an enchanting smile!

[@mirammckay4827]

He is adorable!

[@notused.]

Paul is the intense, emotional, fragile talented man who writes these amazing songs. Art, the confident showman with a beautiful voice. A match made in both heaven and hell.

[@Tomalak]

Got to love the thought process of the BBC exec who decided the best person to handle an interview with a notoriously spiky pair of artists with sensitivity was… Frank Bough!

[@raw12377]

Frosty! You can almost taste the tension through the screen! Remarkable watching this in 2023 with Frank asking Paul if the inspiration for writing was drying up now he’s 40 & realising it’s been longer since this was recorded than Paul & Art had been alive at that point 🤯 I don’t think there has been a duo so harmonious (When singing at least) since these two. The hours upon hours of practice they would’ve had to of done to harmonise so impeccably & beautifully! Utterly flawless. I’m not religious but the fact these two found each other in this world & made such a wonderful noise together blows my mind it’s remarkable

[@cleopatra6912]

Many thanks for sharing. Paul is great!

[@garydunn3037]

These two guys are "Icons of their time" Paul wrote most of their songs. But coupled together with Art's Heavenly Vocals, they Harmonized Really Well, and Made some of the most Memorable songs. Including Scarborough Fair, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Feeling Groovey, Sound of Silence, the list goes on and on. I listen to them just about every day. Thank You Both, now in your 80's for your wonderful music.

[@mockturtlesuppe]

Oh god, this is the most awkward interview ever. It's great.

[@NagoyaHouseHead]

The interviews they do together were never super relaxed

[@EdwardianTea]

"Do you think you'll stay together?" Paul awkwardly fumbling with his hands, producing an unconvincing smile: "for a bit..." Art just sat there calm and composed: :3

[@cleopatra6912]

If they had stayed together we would have missed Paul’s greatest albums, Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints.

[@barttheanorak]

Art always wanted and needed the partnership way more than Paul did I reckon.

[@andypickeringmusic]

I wanna know what's going on with the difference in perception of the past back then to now..? The interviewer (just like a lot of stuff I've seen from the 80s and 90s talking about the 60s) harks back to "golden oldies" from what at this time was like 15 years prior to the interview. Madness in my book, these guys being looked upon as being old at 40! 15 years ago now was 2007 and certainly not really that long ago at all, especially in terms of cultural changes.. But 1982 to the mid 60s was like an entire lifetime!

[@garrybaldy327]

FRANK: "Well thank you both for joining me, it's been wonderful talking to you. ...Do you either of you do coke? And if so, do you have some because I'm gasping"

[@graememorrison333]

🤣 Bless 'im!

[@Lorena-tz1lf]

Art como siempre guapo y caballero.

[@rodmaxd]

They broke up 11 years ago.... that was 1971, but it feels like they are taking about more than a decades ago. 1982 feels extremely modern to what life was in 1971. But it doesn't feel the same when I think of 2012 to 2022.

[@johnmcgahern3946]

I think exactly like you do. How my mind distorts time as I get older is crazy. I think they do to...They both talk about their '60s era "old songs" like it was eons before whereas it was only 12 plus years. That's 2010!

[@angelmatos9143]

They gave us the musical magic we needed.

[@Brimstoneandfire]

At 20 seconds in I can’t help thinking “jeez, how about a bit more personal space”!!! 🤔😆

[@buskingkarma2503]

Art was just a tag along backing singer/sidekick!😂 let's be honest,,Paul's the real artist!😎

[@crs2385]

In terms of writing talent yes. But Art had the voice

[@buskingkarma2503]

@@crs2385 yeah you are kinda right,,, you only have to look at numbers like,, Bridge over troubled water to prove how relevant Art was! ✌️

[@myrianvalenzuela9199]

I beg to disagree. Without ART 's voice the songs will not come out beautiful

[@ellenpennell9582]

@@myrianvalenzuela9199 Artie made the songs alive. He has a wonderful voice and handsome.

[@jimmaculate5]

well, art claims he helped in the production. nd those records are an extraordinary production, i mean better than they had to be. unless there were documentaries of the studio process, we'll prob never know. art said he was in and out of the control booth a lot.

[@VideoNOLA]

The body language pretty much predicts the future. Art never forgets, and Paul never forgives.

[@kalmia01]

What does Art never forget and Paul never forgives?

[@talkingcat-yy6on]

@@kalmia01 Art never forgets that Paul recorded a solo record in the 50s when they were kids and Paul will never forgive Art calling him a jerk, an idiot and a monster with a Napoleon complex in public in 2015. Art never apologized for this mean statements.

[@dooderino57]

lol

[@kalmia01]

@@dooderino57 may i ask you why do you love guns? Its interesting you even mention your love for them (and american horror history) before that for your wife:)

[@dooderino57]

@@kalmia01 It wasn't intentional, I just put it there when I wrote my bio. Also she's not my wife she's my girlfriend I just call her my wife for laughs.

[@rubyharvey660]

I find it a little bit ironic that Paul's shirt matches the design on the wall

[@rubyharvey660]

Paul should have worn a different color shirt

[@cjever6625]

3:48 went off the rails at that point

[@erniericardo8140]

I Noticed a couple of stares from Paul that Speaks Volumes.

[@kalmia01]

Love them🤣

[@knockedoutloaded279]

Frank Bough - the real Genius....

[@digitalmediafan]

Awful no research done. "Scarborough fair was done in Scarborough right ?" lol

[@martinmayhew145]

The interviewer doesn't know much about what the songs is about

[@squaretriangle9208]

Art Garfunkel 😅😅😉 and oh so attractive

[@fienchenmietze9572]

Yes, but he is an old man now. I can not believe it. He doesn't look like his young self anymore.

[@squaretriangle9208]

@@fienchenmietze9572 this happens to all of us, but I think he looks good for being 80 and still has his nice, wide smile

[@fienchenmietze9572]

@@squaretriangle9208 that is true, hopefully we will reach this age. He is still attractive.

[@MeadowlakeSt]

Are you putting us under? 'Cause we can't take our eyes off the t-shirt and studio wall combination! The weirdness in this clip somehow makes it very endearing to watch.

[@graememorrison333]

Frank Bough*: These are old and lovely songs... Yeah mate. The songs were barely fifteen years old at the time! *pronounced 'Boff'. A well-loved BBC presenter BITD whose off-set antics just made him more human.

[@ellenpennell9582]

Ego thy name is Paul. Artie is so intelligent and such a handsome man

[@feelgood662]

Garfunkel intelligent and handsome 😂? He‘s a pompous pseud.

[@sandygreen6917]

@@feelgood662 Absolutely agree. This is commonly known.

[@Skydiver_999]

Art was only a hanger-on.

[@cleopatra6912]

Most famous coattail rider.

[@MrDiddyDee]

OMG Frank Bough was so appallingly clumsy, and Simon and Garfunkel remained so gracious and polite.

[@johnp515]

Not clumsy at all, asking all the questions that we all want to ask but doing it in a such a cleverly jovial way that it’s impossible for the two to get offended thus they are squirming a bit but that’s why it’s good

[@avlisk]

That's how he appeared to me, too. Cringe.

[@crs2385]

I don't like to compare the two bands. But....i'm going to for the sake of interviews. Simon, and Garfunkel interviews are usually the same. Yeah they can be funny, but mostly awkward, and you can feel the tension between them at times. When it comes to The Beatles their interviews are more funny, especially with Ringo involved. I guess it just highlights the differences of the groups. Still, love Simon, and Garfunkel. I had the honor of seeing Art live in Glasgow over eight years ago, and he was good. Hope they're both keeping well

[@Jabberstax]

Life was much better back then.

[@betsyrocks]

Frank Bough had some terrible questions which made this interview feel a little bit awkward.

[@johnp515]

He asked all the questions that everyone wanted to ask.

[@DaraM73]

If only we could “critically edit out” Frank “Boff” Bough

[@igettogonow2253]

cough?

[@bpfromowc]

Boughy 😮😂

[@marktubeie07]

Ha, you could cut the air...

[@roninhood1027]

Odd couple of fellas

[@DIETRICHCICCONE]

The interviewer doesn't exactly have the Wogan charm ☘️

[@PauloTheGeek]

Paul Simon is an introvert, Art Garfunkel is an extrovert. Paul was the talent, Art was the star. They're better together but it's understandable why their reunions never lasted long. Get together, make some money, then split before the problems bubbled up again.

[@ladybeagle4131]

Just an image question here: Why is Paul wearing a tshirt that looks like the set background? It’s as if they wanted him to blend in 🤔

[@shauncorless8965]

You can tell they hate eachother ,it's sad but true 🥴

[@mikeporten8174]

Hilarious interview if they were joking.

[@lynnmckenna9934]

The interviewer is so smug!!!!

[@ashleyburns6752]

My god Paul Simon's ego. At least he is honest.

[@evo5dave]

I *think* he was joking. Not 100% sure though!

[@MattHall]

@@evo5dave he's definitely joking, but there's also a degree of truth behind his humor. There are a lot of accounts of his ego running rampant.

[@ashleyburns6752]

@@evo5dave Ive seen him make quite biting comments about Art Garfunkel with him sat/stood right there (Rock n Roll HOF) and you can see the look on Art's face. I think he enjoyed putting Art down in public.

[@rhymeocerous]

He was perhaps brutally honest about Art's solo career, but honest nonetheless.

[@MeadowlakeSt]

@@evo5dave He must have been joking, considering the stripes. If he had worn something without stripes, yeah, questionable if he was joking.

[@Moledmc]

Awkward.

[@bogman192]

this guy is the worst interviewer - so insulting - dear Lord...

[@tbthomas5117]

One of the more idiotic interviewers I've seen.