Jan. 10 -2002
on
Welcome to the dotmusic chat with David Gilmour
dotmusic: Time to kick off ...
Welcome to the dotmusic chat with David Gilmour
dotmusic: Time to kick off ...
Dyolf from Greece asks: How many guitars do you have?? Do you
keep collecting even now?
David: I don't know how many. its over 100. I'm planning on selling
most of them in the next year or so. I can't quite remember why I've got
so many
David: The very first guitar I had I borrowed off my neighbour.
He never quite got into guitar playing and I've still got it
Lars Sande from Oslo, Norway asks: Do you own any Pink Floyd
boots yourself? And if, what do you think about the sound quality in general?
David: The sound quality is usually dreadful, but I've got one
with hundreds of things on. Not quite sure where they've got it from
David: For people like us who've done a lot over the years its
not a major issue, whereas for people starting out its more difficult to
cope with bootlegs
Dan Pearce from Cambridge asks: I have tickets to one of your
semi acoustic concerts in January at the Royal Festival Hall, will you
be playing any of the Pink Floyd hits or will it be all your solo work?
David: More or less the same set list as I did last June. If
you know that, great, or you'll find out!
David: Quite a few pink floyd songs and one new song from the
bizet opera
Keith Jordan from England, UK asks: David, do you sing
in the shower and, if so, what do you sing most often? Is it available
from all good bootleggers??? :-)
David: I sing all the time, in the bath, I don't take showers
too often, I prefer baths - bathrooms have a nice little reverb in them
David: I like singing the Walker Brothers on karaoke
Charlie Franks from Montserrat asks: Are any Pink Floyd, or solo,
concert films going to be released onto DVD?
David: I am planning on releasing my last years meltdown concert
on DVD. When I'm not quite sure, hopefully quite soon if I can get it organised
David: And I think the Pulse recording we'll be releasing on
DVD, but its quite complicated, it has to be completely remixed
VoodooLord7 from Oklahoma, USA asks: I recall you saying in a
previous interview that your favourite single of the 90's was Leonard Cohen's
"Closing Time." Could you elaborate on this?
David: That was a great album by Leonard Cohen. I really liked
the whole album and that song. I spent a lot of time trying to analyse
what the lyrics meant
Parisian from Paris asks: is it true that you used your car-radio
to record the intro of "wish you were here" ?
David: Yes it is
David: We ran a lead out of Abbey Road studio into the car park
and I fiddled with the radio
Martin from Austria asks: Are you involved in other peoples work
at the moment ?
David: at the moment I'm not really involved in doing anything
with anyone else. It is something I enjoy doing, it can be great fun.
David: Playing with Paul McCartney at the Cavern was a highpoint
Chris Burrows from Plymouth, UK asks: Are any of your children
considering a career in music?
David: None of them seem to be at the moment
Xavierdown from CT, USA asks: What band had the biggest influence
on you and Pink Floyd?
David: I'm not really a big band sort of person. There are a
lot of individual artists I prefer more. Everything I've ever listened
to has had an influence on what I play. Its hard to be specific about that
sort of thing
floyd barber from edinburgh asks: Having recently been blown
away at an Australian pink floyd show i was wondering what you thought
of the group?
David: I myself have seen the Aus Pink Floyd show a couple of
times. Its enjoyable, its quite fun. Its hard to say exactly what it makes
me feel. There's an element of thinking its a joke, and an element of thinking
its damn good
David: The first time I went we booked a box at Fairfield Hall
in Croydon for a party night out. It was very entertaining
David: They have to pay to play Pink Floyd songs, but anyone
can play them
Mark Brown from Dell Rapids, South Dakota USA asks: David, this
is about your early band Bullitt. It was years before there was a movie
by that name. Was the band name actually spelled the same as the movie
title, or is that a mistake that's been made in band histories all these
years?
David: I think it was the same as the movie. I'm not sure when
the movie came out. I really don't know which was first. I don't think
we named it after the movie, but I could be proved wrong on that. It was
late 66 I think
David: I can't remember why we called it that. I was living with
my band in France and we just thought of a name, but as we approached the
summer of love it just didn't seem to be appropriate!
Theo Beckers from The Netherlands asks: Are there more than the
5 songs as known made by Jokers Wild?
David: Yes there are the 5 on the single sided LP thing which
we paid for ourselves and sold to friends. But then I have to confess we
recorded a few songs for Jonathan King. Two Tracks - the Sam and Dave song
and on the other side ..... That's How Strong my
David: ... Love is by Otis Redding
David: You might have trouble finding a copy!
Fred Smith from New York asks: How old is too old to be a rock
star?
David: Oooh ... about 30 I should think! I'm much too old to
be a rock star if that's what I am!
Maura from Cleveland, OH, USA asks: Mr. Gilmour, what response
do you have to people who criticize Pink Floyd for the recent "Best of"
album, saying that the Floyd has never been a hit/singles-oriented band,
and that therefore a "Best of" degrades its remarkable and unique history?
David: They have a point if they feel like that. I don't have
anything to say to them. Everyone's entitled to their view
David: I think its a good introduction, its a precise or overview
of our career
Vicky from Wales asks: I hear you're an Arsenal fan. What do
you think of the current Arsenal squad, and do you think they can win the
Premiership this season?
David: I did have season tickets at the Arsenal for quite a few
years. That was around the time they won the double
David: I'm sort of a really fickle football fan. I watch any
team that's doing well and become unfaithful when they're not. But I do
have a soft spot for Arsenal
Tammy Baldwin from Canada asks: Any plans for a North American
Tour? Please???
David: Its not a tour. All I'm doing is 5 dates, 3 in London
next week and 2 in Paris. I'm very sorry I'm not planning on taking it
anywhere else
fixxlevy from Perth, WA asks: David, have you heard of an Icelandic
band called Sigur Ros? There seem to be many comparisons made between their
sound and yours circa late '60's/ early '70's.
David: I haven't heard them. I've heard of them, so I don't know
Paulo R. Dallagnol from Florianopolis, Brazil - http://www.pinkfloydfan.ne
asks: What kind of music you have been listening to in the past years?
Has this caused an effect on you own music?
David: I'm constantly influenced by everything I hear. I haven't
concentrated on any new bands lately. I like the Lemonheads (when they
existed), I like some of Radiohead .... no I'm an old fogey I'm afraid
Donna Young from Kansas, USA asks: Hello David, nice to have
this opportunity. What is your proudest achievement musically?
David: The last one
Kayne Coulson from Moberly, Missouri asks: Do you have a name
for you favourite guitar and what kind of guitar is it
David: No ... I don't, I don't really have a favourite guitar
David: Actually I tell a lie, I do have a nickname for a favourite
old telecaster called "the workmate" as in the Black & Decker
Matt Leppard from nowhere asks: Have you sneaked into any of
Roger Waters' shows? If you did, would you
David: Not yet no... I'm tempted but I haven't actually done
it yet. If you see someone in a strange moustache, pull it off but careful
you don't get the wrong person!
Rodolfo Araujo from Belo Horizonte - BRAZIL asks: Do you think
that "Echoes - The Best Of Pink Floyd" will be the last album from Pink
Floyd?
David: Who knows what the future will bring for any of us
Robyn from San Diego asks: Are you still flying your planes?
I would definitely love to go up sometime, but that barrel roll I don't
know about!
David: I fly an aeroplane once in a while , yes .... I love it
skanda from bombay, india asks: having read from some reliable
sources that you began reading sheet music only a few years ago, one question
comes to mind: were you musically trained, or if not, how did you pick
up scales, chords and ultimately leads?
David: That's true ... I have not been musically trained, I picked
it up pretty much by myself. The first instruction I had was from Pete
Seger, he's a great American folk-singing chap
David: If you haven't heard of him, you should have
David: In the last few years I've picked up the saxophone and
I'm going for instruction with my son. I've passed grade 2 so far!
Terrence Reardon(NOTWGAMEDB@AOL.COM) from Whitman, Massachusetts,
USA asks: I am autistic and am a big Pink Floyd fan and had another
question to ask and that is what got you into doing charity work for the
Nordoff Robbins charity which works with people with autism
David: NR is a charity that's supported by a lot of people in
the music industry. We were persuaded into it by our insurance broker,
he first got us involved in it. It's a really worthwhile thing.
David: I have been for a visit to their centre in north London,
its very inspiring
Bryce from Dallas, TX asks: David, when it comes down to it,
what is the most important thing to you about making music? What lured
it you to it, and what keeps you lured to it? Do you feel that music is
one of the few medium's that can reach almost anyone, on any level? Thanks!
David: Its indefinable what lured me to it, some records that
came out in the 50s when I was a lad, just dragged me in. There wasn't
a choice. Its something you're hooked by or not
David: I couldn't really say what keeps me lured
Lynne from FloydianHemptress asks: Would you agree that the instrumental,
Let's get Metaphysical, on your About Face cd, was a precursor to the later
alleged phenomenon, known as Pink Floyd's Publius Enigma?
David: no it had nothing to do with it, there was no connection.
The second thing was some silly record company thing that they thought
up to puzzle people with
Col from Hull, England asks: If you walked into a pub and Roger
was casually leaning on the bar would you go over and have a drink with
him?
David: The last time that happened I was invited to a gig that
Paul Carrick was doing at the Half Moon in Putney, quite a long time ago
now. The person in front of me at the bar was Roger and I smiled and said
"hello" and he gathered up members of his ...
David: entourage and left!
Brent Ingalls from Ottawa, Canada asks: Are you still using your
houseboat "the Astoria" for much recording these days?
David: Yes! Indeed I am. Its a very good and well-used studio,
in fact for all sorts of people
David: My difficulty is getting a booking there myself! So I
actually now have a small home studio as well
Michael from Dallas, TX USA asks: Any career regrets?
David: Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention
syd's ghost from chile asks: there are going to be new floyd
cd's with old unreleased material?
David: No not really , there isn't. Anything we didn't use was
so unfinished that it just wouldn't be worth it
David: And there's a lot of tapes of jamming and things that
we did in '93 before the Division Bell. They are quite nice, some day perhaps
they'll be put out
David: We talked about it at the time, but we never got round
to it. They'd only be for major fans, serious jamming, you'd have to be
a hardcore fan to be interested!
Michael from Dallas, TX USA asks: What's the latest on Syd? Have
you heard anything?
David: The last I heard of Syd was when the producer of the documentary
that was on telly a few weeks ago had received a letter from Syd's sister
Rosemary saying Syd had enjoyed the program
mark dalton from yorkshire uk asks: i heard you were doing some
film soundtrack music, is this true ?
David: No its not
David: I did contribute a bit of guitar playing on a movie last
year called the Triumph of Love
David: It was only a guitar overdub on a couple of tracks
Florczak from Poland asks: Is there anybody out there?
David: That's for me to know and you to wonder about! This could
be one of the Australian Pink Floyd!!
dotmusic: Unfortunately only time for a few more questions...
brad smith from alexandria asks: how do you feel about the success
of echoes
David: Obviously I'm happy about it, very happy about it. Its
gratifying that people are still interested in us
Bailey from Maine, US asks: have you ever thought about what
you would have chosen for a career if you hadn't turned out to be such
a talented musician?
David: I've often thought about what would've happened if I hadn't
joined PF. Its hard to know what would've happened. I was determined to
make a living as a musician
David: But how I would've faired I couldn't know. The scale of
what we have achieved still staggers me
Brent Ingalls from Ottawa, Canada asks: I read that you had about
20 pieces of music on your computer do you plan another solo effort?
David: I've got many, over 100 pieces of music I've recorded
on a home recording system. But they're snippets of music, some are very
good, some aren't. I've got to play with them. To turn them into proper
songs
David: I don't have a plan for a new album, or a deadline, I'm
just sort of fitting it in when I can
dotmusic: And with that teaser, David is off to prepare for his shows next week. He thanks everyone for taking part and for all their questions
Thanks for all your questions, but our time is up. Thanks to David Gilmour for answering them. Visit dotmusic again for more webchats soon