What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man

WARNING: 80% of this book is poetry and stream-of-consciousness ("stoned") prose. For those who decide whether they want to buy a book by reading the first chapter, be forewarned that the opening pages are nothing like the rest of the book.Artie is a big fan of James Joyce (stream-of-consciousness); to enjoy 25 of the 27 chapters, you must have great patience with vagueness, haziness, and mood (rather than detail). There are paragraphs (and pages) where you will feel lost about who/what/when/where/why.Most readers know that Artie WALKED across America; I was unaware that he also walked across Europe and Japan. He keeps track of his pace (53 steps per minute, seventeen miles per day). A "numbers guy," he also keeps track of the number of books he's read (1,219) as well as the total number of pages. (He ALMOST pursued a PhD in mathematics.)Artie has studied every word (275,000 words) of the Random House Dictionary (1,664 pages), which he read from Z to A. He makes lists of words that enchant him (syrinx, sciamachy) and uses these words in his poetry. (Page 58: "Eyes wet and radiant with a shehecheyanu.") Depending on your perspective (and tolerance of poetry), you'll either find such wordplay to be pretentious or profound. (Page 121: "I walk alone in Burgundian wonder: to Byzantium still.")The author's deep love of his wife and two sons in obvious in every chapter and in the many photos. Little of the book deals with his Simon and Garfunkel days; even less of it describes the time he spent in the studio working on S-and-G albums or his solo albums.For those of you who want to read about the Simon and Garfunkel days and for those who want to DEEPLY understand both Paul and Artie, I strongly recommend 'HOMEWARD BOUND' by Peter Ames Carlin (copyright 2016). To say that Carlin did his homework is an extraordinary understatement.

Art's book is bound to be a let-down to people, and that's a shame. This book is interesting, thoughtfully written and bravely presented. Much of it is really beautiful. It's not a bad book. Unfortunately, it's not what most people were probably hoping to get from someone with the experience and famously turbulent personal history of someone like Art Garfunkel.The public was mostly likely hoping for a blow-by-blow account of Art's life, music career and relationship with Paul Simon. And who can blame them? Both Art and Paul are fascinating people, and there is almost certainly an extraordinary story behind their very loving but very troubled relationship. But this is not that, and it shouldn't be surprising. We forget that these are two human beings that have been unable to escape each other's orbits for 60+ years. For decades, they've answered the same overly-intrusive questions about each other over and over. Their individual work has constantly been compared to each other's and to the work they did as a duo. Maybe worst of all, whatever personal damage they've done to each other is never allowed to heal, as the public and press are continually picking at the scabs of memory and reopening old wounds. The world continually tries to force two people together who probably don't want to be together. It's kind of sad when you think about it.It's not a shock that this little book of life bits, poetry, lists and observations is not being as well-received as it could have been. It's no literary masterpiece, don't get me wrong--but I don't know that it was ever meant to be. This book is Art finding his voice and expressing his inner thoughts. As someone who has beautifully sung someone else's words for most of his life, can you blame him for wanting to put his own thoughts out there for once?There's a lot going on in this book. It's without any real order--it generally moves chronologically through time, but not always. It's true that it's confusing in many places. You often don't know when or where the scene is set that you're reading. Much of the time, you don't even know who or what he's writing about--a passage might be pure inner thoughts or feelings (I was grateful when he used an asterisk at one point which he referenced at the bottom of the page with "This is Paul Simon." It made me smile and wish he'd done this throughout the book, as messy as it would have been). And yes, some of it is indeed written in a stream-of-consciousness style. Don't expect a true memoir, but rather a surreal journey that bounces through times and places in Art's memory--a journey riddled with riddles, references that probably only he gets and intense feelings poured from the heart onto the page. It is, in more than one sense, a work of Art.If you've read his previous poetry or paid attention to some of the interviews he's given, it wouldn't come as a surprise to you that he's a very sexually-minded person. But in this book, he hints at attraction to both sexes, which was something of a surprise. Again, it was nothing I hadn't already observed, but it was startling to see these thoughts and words in print. It's still really subtle--he never uses the word bisexuality, and he only alludes to intimacy in relationships with men. That said, I was proud of Art for being as open as he was. I wish more people had picked up on this part of the book, because I think it took bravery to include it, and positive representation of same-sex relationships is so important--especially from Art's generation. It might be interesting to hear him be more open about it--mind you, not about specific experiences, which this book is full of (often with probably too much detail), but maybe he could share his experiences, struggles and lessons learned with regard to same-sex relationships.For each story that borders on "too much information," there's relatively tame tributes to his wife and children, cherished platonic relationships and his love of travelling, walking and seeing the world. Much is said about music's impact on his life and his career as a singer. He reflects on loss, grief and mortality. As I said before, there's a lot going on in this book. Perhaps it doesn't help that it's typeset in a strange font based on his handwriting--sometimes all caps, sometimes not. Sometimes bold. Sometimes italics. Sometimes both. It's charming at first, but this only adds to the confusion and scattered nature of the book.Parts of the book are maddingly specific and you wonder what you could possibly ever need certain information for (dear God, Art, did you have to include the part about teenage Paul and Artie's "techniques?") and in some places it's maddeningly vague. You know there is something interesting there, but it's obscured...like a picture that has been purposefully blurred (there's a photo captioned "The hidden 'g' in 'benign'" --the hell does that mean!?).Finally, yes, there is some self-absorbed navel gazing and self-praise. Perhaps it comes from feelings of being repressed, under-respected, overshadowed and misunderstood for so many years. It's hard to blame him for wanting to be assertive in claiming and naming his legitimately great work. "Everything waits to be noticed," and all that. Whether this is understood or not, this can leave the reader with a bad impression and that's unfortunate.I hope Art writes more and publishes again. He doesn't owe it to anyone, but It might be in his best interest to get his story out there, told in a straightforward manner. But if this is his last published writing, it is a not a bad one to go out on. It's poetic. It's quirky. It's chaotic. It's not easily understood. It's pure Art.

Had seen Art at a show he gave at a local library while he was practicing getting back on stage after he'd gotten his voice back. I was thrilled to have a seat in the front row. He was amazing, the voice is still there, the voice of an angel! After he spoke and said he'd have a book coming out in a year or so I looked for it and finally saw it would be released so preordered it. It doesn't compare to the amazing talk and the poetry he read on stage that night. He is capable of so much more than is in this book. I do hope he gives it another go. This book just does not represent the talent and the ability that he shows on stage. Someone led him astray....

Garfunkel is a deep writer, a master of linguistics, but there is humor interspersed in his lyrical messages. His free verse takes us joyfully into his world but always makes us stop - and think, grin slyly,..and picture what is going on around him at the time. Words are important to Garfunkel and he doesn't use them freely, but always with meaning. A dropped adjective, for example is well thought out as he describes his relationship with his oldest friend. He draws you in - to his story, his life, his friends, his people - with descriptions of stolen moments and you are there with him through his exemplary visions created in the pointillism of his words.And the spiritual isn't forgotten either. Nor his beautiful and beloved wife. He touches it all - all of the people and things that mattered - that matter - in his life. "What is it all but luminous"... he makes us think and see the lights that surround us every day - don't take them for granted - he didn't- and that is a wonderful gift unto itself.

Artie, O, Artie, what have you done !?? I can’t say I was too surprised since I read ALL the reviews before buying your book, but still, I was very disappointed. You’re clearly a guy who’s intelligent, who can write but these are ramblings that belong in a personal journal and this is where they should have stayed. Also...modesty...a fine quality...something you should work on. You have/had a fine voice and I tremendously enjoyed/enjoy your work but let’s never forget who wrote those legendary songs and played that heavenly guitar. You can do better than this. Please write a proper book, one that people other than yourself can enjoy.

Extracted from the raw material of notebooks kept over years, there are a lot of esoteric allusions but what comes across is his insecurity over his partnership with Paul Simon. As if he could never measure up to Simon. But for me it was Garfunkel’s voice that was the hallmark of their music. Notes from the book“But I never forget and I never really forgive - ”Paul Simon’s father told Art when he was twelve: “Not everybody likes everybody, and I just don’t like you.”Says that while in Paris he got caught “for shoplifting underwear at Prix Unique.”There are hints of bisexuality.He walked across the USA –I walked across the Appalachians,Perfect undulations, ambler’s waves of joy;Ridge to ridge – four and a half miles, terrestrial corduroy.Beginning in May 1998 he began walking across Europe, beginning in Ireland and finishing in Istanbul. “The mind is glued to the people we know, but the walker’ home is the sky.”“I walk because I’m fiercely in love with being alive… I walk to relax, a word that means the world to me.”

A beautiful piece of "art". Definitely not for everyone but if you want to lose yourself in picturesque and luminous poetry sweing a thread through Art Garfunkel's life after the Simon & Garfunkel fame it is the perfect read. It feels like a love letter to life, family, fame and artistry and requires a certain amount of admiration and adoration for the man who gave Simon & Garfunkel their magical sound to cherish this book.

Liked everything thanks

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