Are any of my readers familiar with the works of Simon and Garfunkel? I mean I’ve heard the name thrown around and it reminded me of another Simon and Somebody, but I’m not familiar with these two at all. The most I’ve caught of either of them was Art Garfunkel’s cameos in Arthur as a singing moose residing in Elwood City, defying a few different laws of physics while narrating in the foreground and alternating to being in the background. Well, interestingly enough, you and I may learn more about this dynamic duo next month because The Simon & Garfunkel Story is on tour, and will be stopping by in Vancouver. A traveling theatre production that’s been going to different cities all through North America. It tells the journey of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel as they they started in their origin to their success and eventually, their separation at the fork in life’s road. Normally, I do film-related stuff, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was recorded and eventually made into a documentary. It’s a possibility at interviewing the cast as well as Paul and Art, but for now, let’s stick to this interview I did with Max, who has a pivotal role in this pursuing performance.
HNMAG: So you’re a member of this traveling cast. Can you tell me more about what you’re doing in the show?
Max Pinson: I play the role of Art Garfunkel, so it’s a concert-style production featuring a lot of music of Simon and Garfunkel, so throughout the show we get to do a bunch of their songs and tell their story of how they met and how their relationship evolved over the years and eventually ended as many people know.
HNMAG: Did you have to learn a lot about the Simon and Garfunkel story to prepare?
Max Pinson: Yeah, I was familiar with a lot of their popular songs, I would say, but I’ve learned a lot more of their lesser known hits since during the show and just a lot of the trajectory of their careers. Things like that, and we watch a lot of videos of them performing live and interacting to emulate that on stage. It’s a really cool experience of trying to embody that when we’re doing a show and exploring all of the different content that exists: Recorded music and taped tv interviews and specials to get a sense of the bigger picture of their story.
HNMAG: You’ve done other things too, like be a part of an all-male a cappella group. But have you done a performance like this before?
Max Pinson: I haven’t, this is my first time touring so that’s been a lot of fun, so it’s a really interesting kind of show because it’s not exactly a musical or a concert fully. It’s more exactly where we’re in between the two, which I think provides a really cool experience, isn’t like a lot of other shows. There are several tribute bands which are strictly concerts, and also musicals that have a little bit more of a full script and there are lots more scenes. This kind of toes the line and it’s a great opportunity to hear a lot of the music and the story as well, but in a unique way.
HNMAG: And how did you learn music and singing?
Max Pinson: I was signed up for a theatre camp when I was 10 years old, and it started as a hobby and I just kept going with it and ended up becoming more of a career. A lot of my background has been more in the musical theatre side of things. But I also had that acapella experience in high school and college and found more of the joy and love in singing and this show’s really a cool blend of both singing and musicals getting me to play the character of Art Garfunkel while also having another guy play Paul Simon and four other guys who play a band behind us. They’re all really talented and some really amazing musicians and it’s been really cool this past while with the tour to get to experience that musician side of things and really focus on creating and recreating that sound we’re going for bringing that time and music specifically to audiences across the continent.
HNMAG: What did you learn about theatre acting at Otterbein University?
Max Pinson: I took a variety of singing classes, dancing classes, all of those different things and I think it just gave me a lot of tools about the ability to focus on the music while also thinking about playing a character and kind of keeping up the acting in the show. A big part of it is trying to learn how to emulate these people physically and so that was another thing. I think a lot of the skills I gained in college were how to observe a person, whether in-person or through a video and really build a physicality around it. I think that’s one of the comments we get on the show, that people weren’t expecting. They expected us to sound and look like Paul & Art, but then to kind of embody in the way we stand and gesture, it adds something extra to the show that maybe people aren’t expecting when they get there and I think that throughout school and learning different techniques was helpful for this show.
HNMAG: What else did you do to prepare for this travelling trip?
Max Pinson: There’s a lot of specific packing that goes into being on tour, because there’s 11 of us at any given time including the singers, the band, tech, merch, all of those kinds of things. We’re on a sleeper bus that has 12 beds and so you learn how to pack lightly and efficiently because we’re gone for long periods of time and there’s not a ton of space. The big thing is getting your packing system down right and some people who have been on several tours have the perfect bag and know exactly how to pack it. You kind of get to learn some tips and tricks from them, but it’s also very different from a show where you’re staying in the same place because it’s just a sort of different taxing on your body and voice with that kind of thing. With traveling so much, and we do the show, and we get on the bus to sleep at night, then get up the next morning to do it in another city. Sometimes we do that 5-7 times a week and so it can be really tiring.
HNMAG: Are there a lot of things to expect to learn and find out as you travel?
Max Pinson: Of course.
He pretty much learned the same stuff in his university years, as Max explained another lesson in Uni he learned was that he had to take care of himself in a way prepping for something as intense as this and he learned how to get through rough days with cold symptoms and quickly recover so he could keep doing a consistent show day and night from city to city.
HNMAG: And will you be looking into doing any film acting?
Max Pinson: I don’t know, I love movies, though it’s not something I have a lot of experience with. But I think it would be fun, it’s not necessarily my main focus right now, but I know a lot of friends who started branching into film and TV and people grow up and people of all ages are going to see movies, and it’s hard to not think wouldn’t it be cool to be in one. Maybe that’s something in store down the light.
HNMAG: Let’s get more into the Canadian aspect. Are you excited about what you might see at Vancouver?
Max Pinson: I am, I’ve never actually been to Vancouver. I’ve been to Canada before and seen some other parts, I’ve been to BC before and it was just beautiful. I’m really excited to get to explore Vancouver and Canada, sometimes I wake up while we’re still driving and it’s just so exciting to see the scenery outside the window. I am very excited to be in Vancouver for the first time.
HNMAG: So you have been to Canada before? Whereabouts did you travel to?
Max Pinson: Last Fall, I was with a different tour and we did several stops in Canada. We played in Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Nanaimo, and Abbotsford. We’ve been outside of Vancouver, but I got a little taste of Vancouver. I’m also excited to visit when hopefully it will be a little warmer, last time we were there things were starting to cool off.
HNMAG: How do you think Canadians will react to this show?
Max Pinson: I’ll say that throughout the time with the tour, that Canadian audiences are some of our best audiences. I think that it’s a really fun show, and I think it provides a really unique night at the theatre which just gives people the opportunity to hear the music they love or maybe those who aren’t familiar to learn of the music. Regardless if you know all the songs or just a couple, there’s something to be learned within it. I’m very excited to get to be back in Canada, we will be there for a little while leading up to the Vancouver show, going to some other places, I’m excited to get to do the show.
HNMAG: What do you think they’ll take away from this production?
Max Pinson: I think there’s something to learn for anyone. Someone who doesn’t know any of their music at all, there’s a lot to learn. I’ve had friends and family who’ve come that knew nothing, and they loved it. I’ve had friends and family who love Simon and Garfunkel and they also love it so I definitely say there’s something for everyone. I would also say that very often people who see the show say “I loved Simon and Garfunkel and I thought I knew all their songs, but yet there were songs I didn’t know” so it definitely is a cool experience that can be palatable or accessible for audiences regardless of their knowledge of the duo and I think just people coming to recollect and feel the nostalgia of this music the first time it came out in the 60’s and 70’s or whether it’s a new experience for someone whose parents or grandparents dragged them along to hear some of the most popular music from another generation.
HNMAG: And do you have a favourite song in this production?
Max Pinson: I would say that my favourite song to sing is America. It’s a really great song for Paul and Art, but also for the entire band and I feel like that moment in the night of every show is what I look forward to.
HNMAG: Do you hope to be in Canada again for another production?
Max Pinson: Yeah, I mean, we’ll see. It’s always fun getting to travel, it’s one of my favourite reasons for touring so much. I love seeing new places, meeting new people, trying new food, going to new restaurants, all kinds of things. I’d never pass on an opportunity to travel and Canada’s a big country and a lot I haven’t seen. I’m excited to continue traveling and singing and see where it goes.
It’s a fascinating concept for sure, and I’m tempted to attend the show and cheer for Max from the front of the audience seats. Join me, won’t you? Learn about Simon & Garfunkel, or take a trip on memory lane. The show will be at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on May 26th. Buy some tickets today. It’ll be an amazing show. Art Garfunkel himself attended once and he loved it, so you know it has to be worth checking out.