Enjoy Life

End of the road for a pop icon

His UK concerts this autumn may be the last chance to see Paul Simon playing live. By Simon Evans

It has never been easy being a Simon and Garfunkel fan. I know, am one. Admitting you admired their music was not something you did in fashionable company, or at least at my boarding school. They didn’t fit the Seventies fashion for glam, disco, punk, hard rock or Eighties style over substance, and during the Nineties they seemed to disappear altogether.

Even during the duo’s Sixties heyday, when Paul and Artie produced such timeless classics as Homeward Bound, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Sound of Silence, Mrs Robinson and Feelin’ Groovy, they didn’t really fit in.

At the 1967 Monterey Festival, while all around them was love, flowers and exhortations to tune in and drop out, Simon and Garfunkel were performing Bergmanesque vignettes of abandoned love and quirky little ditties about Corn Flakes and English muffins. And while Richard Neville, in Playpower, his survey of the late Sixties counterculture, described Paul Simon’s songs as “beautiful antique poetry” you wouldn’t have found too many fashionable types at the time taking along Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends album to their next rave.

Thankfully that has all changed now, and 30 years after being vilified for Graceland, his exhilarating, career-defining excursion into South African pop, Paul Simon is sitting on top of the album charts again, revered by a new generation of music-lovers weaned on You Can Call Me Al rather than I Am A Rock.

To continue reading the full article, click here

Are you a Simon and Garfunkel fan? Are you going to any of Paul Simon's shows?

Let us know what you think and share your experiences with us and others. Just follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube

For ticket details, click here

Other stories in Enjoy Life

The real cost of your wine
Cooking for one
Baking made easy
Stardust Memories
Staying safe in the Summer heat: Drowning prevention
Surprisingly Good Wholegrain Recipes: Savoury
Afternoon Tea Recipes
Are you ready for retirement?
Reaching out to Dementia Sufferers: Sporting Memories Network
Anti-ageing Options
Anti-ageing Options Part 2
The Secret to Younger Looking Eyes
Volunteering for Nature
Brits Embracing 'Urban Birding'
Here's to you Mrs Robinson
Emily Watson "I'ts such a gypsy life"
Garden Expert: Soaking up the sun
Studious retiree heads back to school
Hawks: Up close and personal
Prepare to feel ancient...
Don't miss out on the internet age
Growing old is amazing
World' first 'wellness shed' stirs up mindfulness
Why winter shouldn't stop you: don't wait until New Year
Writing the story of you life
Dame Eileen and a Crowning glory
85 year old Grandmother gains a PhD
Jodie Whittaker: "Doctor Who is all about change"
Counter culture: The revival of the board game
Interior Design: Wedding bells on a budget
What we really look for in retirement living
Do you remember? Oliver!
Cliff Richard "I have a deeper faith now"
New Year, new beauty habits
Why antique jewellery is glittering
A gentleman's guide to spring fashion
BR remembered... 70 years on
Interior Design: Moroccan inspired drawers
Have your cake and eat your Easter egg too!
Craft Corner: Sweet Easter Basket
Dr Norman Croucher: The toughest summit of them all
In your garden: October 2019
Beetroot and Walnut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Scandi-style Mules for Swollen Feet
Declutter your home, and clear your mind
Grand Treats for Grandchildren
Healthy reasons to acquire a taste for olives
The Austerity Olympics
Beauty: Denise Welch "I love the shape I'm in at 60"
Hail the grandparent aupairs
Your views: Can you help?
The nation's most popular cake recipes
How to take care of your hair over-50
Totally Tina Tour
Baking With Veg
Walking back to happiness
The rise and rise of the birthday cake
Interior Design: Great Gatsby Cabinet
A second chance at love
Interior Design: Less is more in minimalist home
Plant Power Day: 7th March 2019
Bob Dylan "Rock and Roll music wasn’t enough for me”
Get Sewing: Quilted pot-holder
MasterChef: Classic with a Twist
Visit Family Tree Live
Pets need a spring clean too
Interior Design: Maximise your living space
The Vegan Revolution
Spanish Recipes: Small is beautiful
Beauty: Get set for spring...
Find your family fortunes... for FREE!
Get Sewing: Floral bespoke notebook cover
A life-affirming book... about death
Eat Continental and live longer
‘In Vogue’ Veg – Cavolo Nero Sales Grow by 14%
Finding Fitness Starts With Fashion
Summer fun at Belvoir Castle
Interior design: Inspiration for outdoor spaces
Look good and feel great with CBD
British Library: Palace of the printed word