A Night To Remember?

On this date in 1975, two cultural phenomena, one which had been, one which would become, crossed paths for a few minutes. The former was the reuniting of Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon. The later, the venue of the first, was week two of NBC's Saturday Night. Watching Saturday Night became for me a weekly bacchanalia of beer, laughter and Dominos pizza. SNL was comedy in the mid-seventies, and I was a willing consumer. Yet, when I time travel to that first year, I think not of land sharks and killer bees but of Simon and Garfunkel, who, for a few magic moments, shared something potent about music and partnership.

And....memory is malleable, even creative. Our memories and the stories we use to share them change over time.* This is why we can discuss an experience we shared with another and wind up at, "that's not the way it happened at all!" Regardless, I decided to see if watching this episode** could be, if not validating, at least clarifying.

The second episode of SNL was mostly music. What humor was offered was low-keyed and not very funny, with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players making only a brief, non-speaking appearance. Opening musical numbers and a few sketches were met with "appropriate" applause. Considering the decades of episodes that followed, #2 is largely forgettable.

What is not forgettable is the Simon and Garfunkel reunion, which begins with a photomontage of the two, accompanied by "Mrs. Robinson." I'm sucked in immediately. When the program switches back to live, Simon sits center stage, guitar in hand. His introduction is succinct: "My friend, Art Garfunkel."

Pandemonium.

Garfunkel walks to the stage as the crowd rises in a standing ovation, which continues well past his settling onto his stool. In Ohio, in the darkened lounge of our college dorm, faces lit by TV glow, we felt it. Felt the energy flow out to us as electricity, alive and tingling. We all got it. Every one of us had welcomed this music into the soundtrack of our young lives where it had hardened into something lasting. We'd missed them, these two.

It is easy to forget Simon and Garfunkel were not just popular in the sixties, they were major stars--multiple Grammy awards, near-constant radio play, over 100 million records sold. They blended the harmonies of the Everlys and lyrics of Dylan and their songs were covered by dozens. Their last album, 1970's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" was the best selling album of all time until displaced by "Thriller" in 1982.  They were the real deal.

Hinting at their lack of contact over the previous half-decade, Simon cracks, "So, Artie, you've come crawling back." He proposes a little two-part harmony and Garfunkel quips, "I'll try it again, see if it works this time." Each comment receives a few chuckles, but the audience is ready for music. With an interrogatory tone, Simon says, "the Boxer?" and receives a slight nod in response. Despite having not performed the song together since 1972, they are near-perfect. I am filled, beaming. But the DVD exposes something I did not remember. In the midst of the wild response to "the boxer," the two smile, lean in and exchange comments. Garfunkel puts his hand on Simon's shoulder. Simon's goes to Garfunkel's back. His head tilts to the side as he raises his eyebrows, as if to say, "wow--it's still there."

Simon: "It's good to sing with you again." Garfunkel, more reserved: "Yes, two-part harmony, it's the greatest."

Yes. The greatest. Two people creating together what neither could do alone.

I have not seen Saturday Night Live for years, and doubt I will in the future. The last time I was awake at 11:30, I had the flu. I have a feeling Mr. Bill and Emily Litella really belong back there, back then, playing to a group of guys draped over the arms of ratty couches, laughing raucously and attempting their impressions of the latest character. The smile I get from this scene is much wider than could be produced by any skit.

Ultimately, "truth" and "reality" just don't matter.

*a famous example involved asking 9-11 interviewees to share their memories six months later--numerous differences were noted.

**Not available online, but libraries have the DVDs.