Of all the influencs I have mentioned over the last couple of years, I don't think I've ever mentioned Simon and Garfunkel and that is very remiss of me.

When I first decided to learn a musical instrument, like most teenage boys I chose guitar. I wanted to play Anarchy In the UK or Sweet Child In Time or Purple Haze or The Immigrant Song but soon realised that a boy with limited talent and a crappy acoustic wasn't going to do these songs justice. When I'd go to gatherings and get the guitar out, the girls didn't want you to sing like Jimi Hendrix, they wanted you to sound like Art Garfunkel.... So I set about learning a large handful of S&G classics and they began to get me a modicum of attention and appreciation. Although I was never a huge S&G fan, their songs stood me in good stead and taught me what kind of sound an acoustic guitar is best used for. Furthermore, they taught me the rudiments of vocal harmony which were, previously, a foreign land to me. They taught me the effectiveness of different strumming and picking patterns in creating mood, pace and musical artuiculation and gave me an appreciation of song-craft and composition and an understanding of the musical hook.

When I think about it, Simon and Garfunkel were probably one of the biggest influences on me, musically as was Paul Simons fearless diversion into unusual musical genres.

All I felt until recently, though, was a kind of resentment that all anyone ever wanted you to do when presented with an acoustic guitar was 59th St Bridge song or yet another rendition of the flipping Boxer!!!! This does not happen with ukulele - the connection does not get made in peoples heads (other ones are made though and, NO, I don't do Leaning On A sodding Lamp-post) and so, I realised, I haven't been asked to do a Simon and Garfunkel song since picking up the ukulele.........

......Damn! I may have just changed the future! (less info)