Searching for silence in Albemarle

By David Maurer

Published: November 16, 2008

By late autumn 1973, Art Garfunkel had earned the right to sleep in.

The man who had lent his beautiful tenor voice to timeless classics such as “The Sounds of Silence” and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” had just released his first solo recording “Angel Clare.”

He and his wife, Linda, also had recently moved into “the big house” at Beau Val estate near Cobham. After just putting out an important album and moving into new digs, Garfunkel needed some extra rest.

That didn’t happen the morning of Oct. 23, 1973. At 11 a.m. persistent rapping at the front door finally got their attention.

Two intrepid reporters with The Daily Progress, Douglas Pardue and Mariflo Stephens, had gotten word that the famous singer was living in the area. Apparently unable to reach Garfunkel by any other means, they decided to invite themselves for a visit.

Sleepy singer

A shirtless and sleepy-eyed Garfunkel opened the door and invited the two unexpected strangers inside. For all he knew they were representatives of the local Welcome Wagon.

That notion was quickly dashed when the reporters revealed they were members of the media and would like to conduct an interview. An incredulous Garfunkel might have scratched the overnight whiskers on his face for a moment before offering his reply.

“I don’t want to deal with the press,” the 32-year-old New York native said. “They are mildly rude, don’t you think?

“I’ll be glad to shake your hand, and then ask you to go and not return.”

So much for the interview.

And there was so much to talk about.

Sixth sense

A good place to have started was how Garfunkel and Paul Simon had met during a sixth-grade production of “Alice in Wonderland.” After Art ditched his Cheshire cat costume and Paul his white rabbit suit they began singing together, perhaps out of sheer joy.

Initially naming themselves Tom and Jerry, the duo entered the recording studio for the first time in 1957. The result was their first single “Hey Schoolgirl.” The song managed to get into the Top 50 on the charts, but follow-up efforts fizzled.

Looking as though they might be one-hit-wonders, the friends disbanded the duo. Simon continued to try to make it as a songwriter. Garfunkel entered Columbia University, where he earned a degree in art history in 1962 and then a master’s in mathematics.

By then both men had become enamored with folk music and decided to

reunite as a folk duo. They landed a contract with Columbia and, in 1964 as Simon and Garfunkel, released their first album “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.”

For whatever reason the album didn’t initially take off, despite including an acoustic version of “The Sounds of Silence.” Bummed, the buddies broke up again.

Then a fortuitous flash of genius on the part of record producer Tom Wilson got the two back together. Wilson realized what “Sounds of Silence” needed was a musical track as powerful, haunting and captivating as the lyrics.

Wilson did this with a new soundtrack featuring electric guitars, bass and drums. “Sounds of Silence” was released as a single and hit the top of the charts in January 1966.

The success of the song brought Simon and Garfunkel back together, and they went on to give the world a number of truly great songs. Some of the more memorable include “Homeward Bound,” “I Am a Rock” “A Hazy Shade of Winter” “El Condor Pasa,” “Cecilia” and certainly “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”

By 1970 Garfunkel’s growing interest in acting contributed to the duo finally breaking up for good, except for occasional get-togethers. In 1973, after appearing in two major motion pictures, “Catch-22” and “Carnal Knowledge,” Garfunkel decided to revisit the recording studio.

He brought in big-gun guitarists J.J. Cale and Jerry Garcia to provide musical sparkle to the album. Then he selected songs for his solo debut written by masters such as Van Morrison, Paul Williams, Randy Newman and Jimmy Webb.

The long awaited “Angel Clare” was a hit with fans and critics alike.

But what Garfunkel was looking for was a place away from the spotlight, and he found it, at least for a while, in Albemarle County.

When the quiet-spoken singer was giving his unexpected visitors a “friendly nudge out the door” he shared a final thought with them.

“Privacy is one of the most important things in my life,” Garfunkel said before closing the door and maybe going back to bed. Undaunted, the journalists headed to Cobham General Store to see what they could learn about the reclusive superstar.

Diane Smith, the owner’s daughter, was working behind the counter when the reporters arrived. She said Garfunkel had been in to get his mail, buy groceries, cigarettes and, once, a box of toothpicks.

“So he’s just a person,” Smith said. “Why do you want to know? He’s just a person like anyone else. He buys food and picks his teeth.”

John Farmer who lived in one of the cottages on the estate also defended Garfunkel’s privacy. All the University of Virginia graduate student would say is that the star had told him he had almost been forced to move from his previous home due to a lack of privacy.

One of the ways Garfunkel found a measure of privacy in later years was walking along the open road. First he walked across Japan and found it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

In the mid-1980s he started walking across the United States. He broke the trek into about 40 segments during the course of a dozen years.

On his official Web site Garfunkel talked about his more than 4,000-mile hike across the nation. It sounded like he found what he was looking for in Albemarle County.

“I was left almost totally alone,” Garfunkel said. “There were times that the press latched onto me and then I would have to strike a deal. If you leave me alone, I’ll give you an interview in the coffee shop in the town I’m about to come to.

“But I was never really hassled, and I find the world is a safe place. Almost the entire world is trying to mind their own business and stay out of trouble and find their way to heaven in their own way.”