WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 If you were to ask a roomful of music obsessives 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:06.940 to close their eyes and just describe the sound 00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:10.019 of a guitar, you'd get a thousand different answers. 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:12.300 Oh, a thousand at least. You'd get the aggressive, 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:14.599 you know, the jagged crunch of punk. You'd get 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:17.100 the technical, mathematical shredding of metal. 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.019 The rhythmic Woody Strom of folk. Exactly. But 00:00:20.019 --> 00:00:22.199 if you ask them to describe a sound that feels 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:26.820 like floating, a sound that feels like this distinct, 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:30.839 emotive cry that somehow just... defines the 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:33.420 emotional landscape of the 1970s. It's a very 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:35.960 specific texture. It really is. It's thick, it's 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:39.899 sustained, and it carries this weight of emotion 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:42.619 that very, very few musicians ever achieve. It's 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:45.140 not just notes. No. You aren't just hearing a 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:47.200 Fender Stratocaster. You're hearing a voice. 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:49.780 We are talking, of course, about the voice and 00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:51.899 the guitar of Pink Floyd. We are talking about 00:00:51.899 --> 00:00:54.840 David Gilmour. But today, our mission on this 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:57.359 deep dive is a little different. We aren't just 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.179 here to fanboy over the second solo and comfortably 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:02.920 numb. Which we could easily do for an hour. Oh, 00:01:02.939 --> 00:01:05.640 absolutely. Or, you know, the opening four notes 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.579 of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Although, let's 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:10.159 be honest, we are definitely going to get into 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:11.900 the nuts and bolts of how those sounds were made. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.739 It's impossible not to. But the goal today is 00:01:14.739 --> 00:01:18.280 to move beyond the legend status. Because when 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:20.599 you are part of a cultural monolith like Pink 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:23.379 Floyd, the individual tends to get swallowed 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:26.049 by the brand. That's a great way to put it. The 00:01:26.049 --> 00:01:28.890 Prism logo becomes bigger than the people. Exactly. 00:01:29.010 --> 00:01:32.629 And David Gilmour is a figure of immense complexity. 00:01:33.049 --> 00:01:36.090 I mean, we're exploring a 60 -year career here. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:38.959 And the source material we have today is fantastic. 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:41.280 It really is comprehensive. We're pulling from 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.319 a biographical profile that covers everything. 00:01:43.540 --> 00:01:46.480 His early life in Cambridge, the wild ascendant 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.260 Pink Floyd, a solo discography that goes right 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:52.739 up to 2024, and his really surprising personal 00:01:52.739 --> 00:01:55.000 life and philanthropy. And what stands out to 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.200 me in these sources is the sheer variety of his 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.299 life experience. Yeah. It's just wild. We aren't 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:01.819 just talking about a guy who stood on stage in 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:04.239 front of lasers. No, not at all. We are talking 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.459 about a man who discovered pop icons like Kate 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:10.699 Bush, navigated one of rock's most famously bitter 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:13.960 feuds, piloted vintage planes and air shows, 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:17.580 and this statistic always, always blows my mind, 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:22.580 sold a single guitar for nearly $4 million. For 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:25.439 charity. To give all the money to charity. That 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:28.259 number is just staggering. So if you're listening 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:30.639 and you want to understand the actual architecture 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:33.819 of Gilmore's career, how he went from a busker 00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:36.680 getting arrested in France to a commander of 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:39.400 the Order of the British Empire, this is the 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.199 deep dive for you. I think we have to start at 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:44.000 the beginning. We just have to because the context 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:46.479 of his upbringing is actually quite pivotal to 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:49.800 understanding the musician he became. It really 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:52.159 explains the precision. Let's unpack that because 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:53.919 usually when we talk about British rock stars 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:56.639 from the 60s, we picture these gritty working 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:58.900 class backgrounds. We think of Liverpool, the 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:01.199 industrial grind, you know, the escape from the 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:04.270 factory. But Gilmour's start. was, well, a bit 00:03:04.270 --> 00:03:06.370 more ivory tower, wasn't it? It really was. It 00:03:06.370 --> 00:03:08.870 was very different. Born in 1946 in Cambridge, 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:11.169 England. His parents weren't factory workers. 00:03:11.330 --> 00:03:14.729 They were academics. Right. His father, Douglas 00:03:14.729 --> 00:03:17.710 Gilmore, was a senior lecturer in zoology at 00:03:17.710 --> 00:03:20.729 the University of Cambridge. Zoology. And his 00:03:20.729 --> 00:03:23.669 mother was a teacher who later became a film 00:03:23.669 --> 00:03:27.650 editor for the BBC. So you've got this very intellectual, 00:03:27.830 --> 00:03:30.129 probably very structured household. You have 00:03:30.129 --> 00:03:31.889 to imagine. Dinner table conversation probably 00:03:31.889 --> 00:03:33.849 wasn't about football. It was about, I don't 00:03:33.849 --> 00:03:37.250 know, genetics or film theory. Precisely. And 00:03:37.250 --> 00:03:39.310 that environment is so interesting when you look 00:03:39.310 --> 00:03:42.150 at his later work. There is a thoughtfulness 00:03:42.150 --> 00:03:44.949 to Gilmore's playing. It's never chaotic. That's 00:03:44.949 --> 00:03:47.449 true. Even when it's loud and distorted, it's 00:03:47.449 --> 00:03:49.930 structured, it's architectural. I think that 00:03:49.930 --> 00:03:52.650 stems from an upbringing that valued clarity 00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:56.530 and education. But like so many kids in the 1950s, 00:03:56.530 --> 00:03:59.169 the academic path wasn't the spark that lit the 00:03:59.169 --> 00:04:02.150 fire for him. No, the spark was American rock 00:04:02.150 --> 00:04:04.750 and roll. It was Elvis Presley, Heartbreak Hotel. 00:04:04.990 --> 00:04:06.590 That was the moment. That was the moment. Everything 00:04:06.590 --> 00:04:08.689 changed. And Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock. 00:04:08.750 --> 00:04:10.550 That was the first single he ever bought back 00:04:10.550 --> 00:04:13.689 in 1954. But the sources point to a specific 00:04:13.689 --> 00:04:15.710 track that really piqued his interest in the 00:04:15.710 --> 00:04:19.300 guitar as an instrument. Bye Bye Love by the 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:21.220 Everly Brothers. Oh, that makes so much sense. 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:24.100 Because Gilmore is often underrated as a vocalist, 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:27.220 but he has that melodic, harmonic sensibility 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:30.000 that the Everly Brothers just mastered. He absolutely 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.040 does. He isn't just a blues player. He's a melody 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:34.500 player through and through. He is. And speaking 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:37.439 of acquiring that first instrument, I love this 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:39.259 detail from the source material. It's so good. 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:41.819 He didn't just walk into a shop with saved up 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:44.160 pocket money and buy a Stratocaster. He borrowed 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.529 a guitar from a neighbor. And never gave it back. 00:04:46.829 --> 00:04:49.970 Laughing. It's the classic possession is nine 00:04:49.970 --> 00:04:52.350 -tenths of the law approach to becoming a musician. 00:04:52.649 --> 00:04:54.730 It really is. I feel like that's the most future 00:04:54.730 --> 00:04:57.810 rock star move possible. Borrow the gear, never 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:00.649 return it. He taught himself using a book and 00:05:00.649 --> 00:05:03.189 record set by Pete Seeger. Which is another important 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:05.670 distinction. He didn't learn from a jazz master 00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:09.069 or a classical tutor. He learned from Pete Seeger 00:05:09.069 --> 00:05:13.509 folk music. Strumming. Chords. The basics of 00:05:13.509 --> 00:05:16.079 song construction. It's a pretty humble beginning 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.139 for someone who would become a guitar god. It 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:20.160 is. And it's so important to look at the geography 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:23.019 here. He attended the Peirce School in Cambridge. 00:05:23.540 --> 00:05:26.279 Now, the records say he didn't particularly enjoy 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:29.699 the schooling itself, but the location is crucial. 00:05:30.649 --> 00:05:33.189 Because who else is in this tight little circle 00:05:33.189 --> 00:05:36.230 in Cambridge at this exact time? This is where 00:05:36.230 --> 00:05:39.050 the stars align. It's just unbelievable, really. 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:42.329 He meets Sid Barrett and Roger Waters. They weren't 00:05:42.329 --> 00:05:44.410 just random musicians he met at an audition in 00:05:44.410 --> 00:05:46.990 London years later. No. These were childhood 00:05:46.990 --> 00:05:49.410 connections. Formative connection. Right. He 00:05:49.410 --> 00:05:51.589 and Sid Barrett attended Cambridgeshire College 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:53.750 of Arts and Technology. They used to spend their 00:05:53.750 --> 00:05:55.930 lunch times together. That paints such a vivid 00:05:55.930 --> 00:05:59.230 picture, doesn't it? Two teenagers probably skipping 00:05:59.230 --> 00:06:01.569 class or ignoring their homework, sitting in 00:06:01.569 --> 00:06:03.709 a canteen somewhere just jamming on acoustic 00:06:03.709 --> 00:06:06.850 guitars. Yeah. They have no idea that they're 00:06:06.850 --> 00:06:08.470 going to fundamentally change the sound of the 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:11.189 20th century. They're just two kids figuring 00:06:11.189 --> 00:06:13.819 out a chord progression. And before the massive 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:17.620 fame of Pink Floyd, Gilmore had his own starving 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:20.339 artist phase. I think people forget this. Oh, 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:22.040 completely. They think he stepped right into 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:24.740 the limelight of a successful band, but he paid 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:27.980 his dues in a very real, very uncomfortable way. 00:06:28.220 --> 00:06:31.000 The Bohemian years? This is my favorite part 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.220 of the early timeline because it's just so relatable 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:34.959 to anyone who's ever tried to make it in the 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:38.019 arts. He joins a band called Joker's Wild in 00:06:38.019 --> 00:06:41.980 1962. They record a one -sided album, only 50 00:06:41.980 --> 00:06:44.500 copies made. A holy grail for collectors now, 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:46.540 obviously. Obviously. But then comes the French 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:48.339 adventure. And this isn't a luxury vacation. 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:50.819 No, not at all. This is where the reality of 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:53.259 the music business just hits them like a truck. 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:57.339 At 19, he hitchhikes to San Tropez. On his own. 00:06:57.480 --> 00:06:59.779 Sid Barrett and some friends drive down to meet 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:01.779 him in a Land Rover. And what's the first thing 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:04.160 that happens? They get arrested? For busking? 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:06.899 Yeah. Can you imagine walking down a street in 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:10.379 San Tropez in the mid -60s and seeing David Gilmour 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:12.699 and Sid Barrett getting hauled off by the police 00:07:12.699 --> 00:07:15.800 for playing guitar on the street? It really establishes 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:17.660 that they were living hand -to -mouth. It was 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.500 not glamorous. Gilmour and Barrett later went 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:22.899 to Paris, camping outside the city, visiting 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:25.759 the Louvre not just for culture, but because 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:28.480 it was a cheap, warm place to be. The sources 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:31.279 emphasized the struggle. They were hungry. Genuinely 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:33.480 hungry. Yeah. Gilmore wasn't just sitting around 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:35.879 waiting for a record deal. He worked odd jobs. 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:38.420 He was a driver and assistant for the fashion 00:07:38.420 --> 00:07:40.639 designer Ozzy Clark for a bit. Which is just 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:42.660 another one of those amazing little side notes. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:45.560 And then there's the tour with the band Bullet. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:48.540 Oh, this story. It's a testament to resilience 00:07:48.540 --> 00:07:50.980 or maybe just sheer stubbornness. I think it's 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:53.839 stubbornness. He's touring France in mid -1967. 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:57.319 They are playing covers of chart hits, Sam and 00:07:57.319 --> 00:07:59.500 Dave, that kind of thing. But the French club 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:01.920 owners just don't want to pay them. Right. And 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:03.899 their equipment gets stolen in Paris. Of course 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:06.040 it does. And when they finally retreat to England, 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:07.860 they are so broke they can't even afford gas. 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:10.740 They literally have to push their tour bus off 00:08:10.740 --> 00:08:12.959 the ferry. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:08:13.139 --> 00:08:16.550 this period is just vital. It establishes Gilmore 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:19.029 not as a pampered rock star who got lucky, but 00:08:19.029 --> 00:08:21.110 as a working musician who knew what it was like 00:08:21.110 --> 00:08:24.129 to be hungry, to have his gear stolen, to push 00:08:24.129 --> 00:08:26.949 a broken down van. It grounds him. It completely 00:08:26.949 --> 00:08:28.870 grounds him. And I think that grounding, that 00:08:28.870 --> 00:08:31.589 pragmatism comes into play so much later when 00:08:31.589 --> 00:08:33.149 he's dealing with Roger Waters' high concept 00:08:33.149 --> 00:08:36.330 ideas. Gilmore was always the one asking, OK, 00:08:36.549 --> 00:08:38.850 but will it work? Is it professional? Can we 00:08:38.850 --> 00:08:41.370 actually pull this off? That pragmatism comes 00:08:41.370 --> 00:08:43.769 from pushing the bus. Absolutely. And that grounding 00:08:43.769 --> 00:08:45.200 was probably necessary. Necessary, because what 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:47.799 happens next is a complete whirlwind. We move 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:49.980 into section two of our outline, the reluctant 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:52.860 replacement. This is the pivot point. Yeah. Late 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:56.500 1967, Pink Floyd has released The Piper at the 00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:59.000 Gates of Dawn. A masterpiece. They are the darlings 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.200 of the London Underground. But Sid Barrett, the 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:05.159 genius, the songwriter, the face of the band 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:08.960 is deteriorating. Rapidly. The mental health 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:12.179 issues. exacerbated by a heavy psychedelic drug 00:09:12.179 --> 00:09:15.440 use. It's just a tragic, tragic story. And Gilmore 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:17.940 is brought in. But initially, he wasn't supposed 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:20.519 to replace Sid, was he? The plan was actually 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:23.039 quite similar to what the Beach Boys did with 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.360 Brian Wilson. Right, the non -performing plan. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:28.279 That was the idea. Sid was too erratic to be 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:30.480 on stage or do interviews, but he was still the 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.019 creative engine. So the management thought, let 00:09:33.019 --> 00:09:35.860 Sid stay home and write the songs and bring in 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:38.679 David, the reliable, talented friend, to play 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:41.460 the guitar live. It makes sense on paper. You 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:43.340 know, keep the genius songwriter, bring in the 00:09:43.340 --> 00:09:45.799 reliable hands. But there's that heartbreaking 00:09:45.799 --> 00:09:48.799 moment the sources mentioned that just shattered 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:51.519 that plan. The recording of See Emily Play, or 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:53.779 rather, a session shortly after that. Right. 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.539 Gilmore goes to watch them record, walks into 00:09:56.539 --> 00:09:59.279 the studio, probably excited to see his old friend 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.759 Sid, and he realizes that Sid doesn't even recognize 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:04.259 him. That had to be absolutely devastating. The 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:06.799 source material describes a look of total vacancy. 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.549 Of some gone. His friend, the guy he practiced 00:10:09.549 --> 00:10:11.409 with at lunch, the guy he went to St. Tropez 00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:13.990 with, just looked right through him. That was 00:10:13.990 --> 00:10:16.289 the moment Gilmore realized the Brian Wilson 00:10:16.289 --> 00:10:19.049 plan would never work. Sid wasn't just eccentric. 00:10:19.429 --> 00:10:23.509 He was gone. By March 1968, it became completely 00:10:23.509 --> 00:10:26.009 unworkable and the band agreed he had to leave. 00:10:26.330 --> 00:10:29.110 And just like that, Gilmore is no longer the 00:10:29.110 --> 00:10:31.970 backup. He's the guitarist. He's the lead singer 00:10:31.970 --> 00:10:34.950 on many tracks. He's the co -frontman. And this 00:10:34.950 --> 00:10:37.970 changes the band's DNA fundamentally. Nick Mason, 00:10:38.070 --> 00:10:40.149 the drummer, had a really interesting assessment 00:10:40.149 --> 00:10:42.870 of this shift. He said Gilmore was the difference 00:10:42.870 --> 00:10:45.929 between light and dark. That's such a profound 00:10:45.929 --> 00:10:48.950 observation from Mason. He elaborated that Sid 00:10:48.950 --> 00:10:52.009 was all about abstraction, wild improvisation, 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:54.909 whimsy, the dark of the unknown, the unpredictable. 00:10:55.570 --> 00:10:58.070 Gilmore brought form and shape. He brought the 00:10:58.070 --> 00:11:00.690 light of structure. It goes back to that academic 00:11:00.690 --> 00:11:02.850 upbringing, doesn't it? The son of a lecturer. 00:11:03.169 --> 00:11:05.899 It does. Gilmore, perhaps going back to that 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:07.899 Pete Seeger instruction and just his own nature, 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.340 brought melody and structure. He made the avant 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:12.799 -garde accessible. He took the weirdness and 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:14.779 gave it a skeleton so it could stand up in a 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:16.679 stadium. You made it so you could enjoy the trip 00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:18.379 because there was a beautiful melody to hold 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:21.580 on to. And throughout the 1970s, he finds his 00:11:21.580 --> 00:11:24.840 voice literally and figuratively. But before 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:27.159 we get to the master albums of the 70s, there's 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:29.259 a really cool footnote in the source material 00:11:29.259 --> 00:11:32.389 about the Isle of Wight Festival. in 1970 oh 00:11:32.389 --> 00:11:34.590 i love this it just shows how embedded he was 00:11:34.590 --> 00:11:36.750 in the scene not just in his own little bubble 00:11:36.750 --> 00:11:39.549 david gilmore member of pink floyd is just hanging 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:41.509 out at the festival and he doesn't just watch 00:11:41.509 --> 00:11:43.970 he ends up helping mix the live sound for jimi 00:11:43.970 --> 00:11:46.289 hendrix just a casual day at the office mixing 00:11:46.289 --> 00:11:48.990 for hendrix can you imagine the pressure but 00:11:48.990 --> 00:11:52.029 it shows he was a gearhead from the start he 00:11:52.029 --> 00:11:54.370 understood sound he wasn't just a performer he 00:11:54.370 --> 00:11:56.549 was a technician which is a perfect segue to 00:11:56.549 --> 00:11:58.820 talk about his ear for talent not just his own. 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:01.419 This brings us to one of the biggest aha moments 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:03.860 in the entire research packet, the Kate Bush 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:06.960 connection. This is a fascinating and crucial 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:09.559 piece of music history. If you are a fan of Kate 00:12:09.559 --> 00:12:12.340 Bush, and frankly, who isn't, you technically 00:12:12.340 --> 00:12:15.200 have David Gilmour to thank for her entire career. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.500 So let's set the scene. It's the mid -70s. Gilmour 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:21.259 receives a demo tape from a mutual friend. Kate 00:12:21.259 --> 00:12:24.519 Bush is only 16 years old at the time. And here 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:27.740 is the key detail. The tape quality was poor. 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:31.240 It was scratchy, you know, home recorded. A lot 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:32.960 of established rock stars might have listened 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:35.080 to 10 seconds of hiss and just tossed it in the 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:37.740 bin. Oh, absolutely. Too busy. But Gilmore heard 00:12:37.740 --> 00:12:40.179 something. He heard the genius through the noise. 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:42.320 And he didn't just pass it along with a good 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:45.440 luck note. He actively intervened. He put his 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:47.960 money where his mouth was. He paid for her to 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:50.860 record three professional demo tracks. He didn't 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:52.899 just give her cash. He brought in his friend 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:55.679 Andrew Powell to produce. He brought in Jeff. 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:58.600 Emmerich, the engineer for the Beatles, to run 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:00.399 the board. Think about that. He gave her the 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.899 absolute best resources to show what she could 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:05.080 actually do. And then he arranged for the EMI 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:07.799 executives to hear that professional pape. That 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:10.360 led directly to her signing. He is credited as 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:12.480 executive producer on two tracks on her debut 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:14.960 album, The Kick Inside. And he played on her 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:16.899 later albums, too. He was on Pull Out the Pin 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:19.259 from the Dreaming and Love and Anger from the 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:22.000 Sensual World. It really shows a side of Gilmore 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:25.159 that isn't just about his own ego. He was a scout. 00:13:25.629 --> 00:13:28.570 He recognized this singular talent and nurtured 00:13:28.570 --> 00:13:30.090 it without trying to make it sound like Pink 00:13:30.090 --> 00:13:32.909 Floyd. It speaks to his love of music, period. 00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:35.289 Not just his music, he just loves great songs. 00:13:35.529 --> 00:13:37.409 Which is a perfect segue to talk about his music, 00:13:37.470 --> 00:13:40.169 or rather, how he makes it. We need to talk about 00:13:40.169 --> 00:13:44.450 the artistry. Section 3. The tone. The gear. 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:47.029 The Gilmore sound. You know, Gilmore himself 00:13:47.029 --> 00:13:49.129 admits something very surprising in the text, 00:13:49.230 --> 00:13:50.990 something that might shock a lot of guitar players. 00:13:51.190 --> 00:13:53.909 He says his fingers aren't very fast. Which is 00:13:53.909 --> 00:13:56.879 so refreshing. In a world of shredders, think 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:59.279 of his contemporaries like Jimmy Page or Ritchie 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:01.940 Blackmore, Gilmore saying, I'm not a speed demon. 00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:04.580 He isn't. His style is characterized by blues 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:07.559 -influenced phrasing, huge expressive note bends, 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:11.299 and sustain. Just... endless sustain the times 00:14:11.299 --> 00:14:14.500 described it as languid grandeur languid grandeur 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:17.080 that is the perfect description it's lazy in 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:19.759 the best possible way it takes its time it's 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:22.100 confident enough to leave space which is often 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:25.240 harder than playing fast phil taylor his longtime 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:27.940 guitar technician the guy who knows the gear 00:14:27.940 --> 00:14:31.360 better than anyone really summed it up best he 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:34.179 said And I'm paraphrasing. You can duplicate 00:14:34.179 --> 00:14:36.559 the equipment, but you can't duplicate the personality. 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:39.820 It's in the fingers. It's in the vibrato. It's 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:41.919 in how he physically touches the string. We have 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:44.059 to talk about the equipment anyway, because we 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:46.799 promised a deep dive. And the gear is a huge 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.730 part of the story. To get that sound. It's not 00:14:49.730 --> 00:14:52.250 just a guitar plugged into an amp. No, it's a 00:14:52.250 --> 00:14:55.669 very specific and influential chain of effects. 00:14:55.870 --> 00:14:58.429 You've got the high watt amplifiers. Let's explain 00:14:58.429 --> 00:15:01.389 why that matters. Because most rock guys in the 00:15:01.389 --> 00:15:03.850 70s were using Marshalls. That was the sound. 00:15:03.950 --> 00:15:05.850 Right. Marshalls, when you turn them up, they 00:15:05.850 --> 00:15:08.490 crunch. They distort naturally. That's the sound 00:15:08.490 --> 00:15:10.960 of Led Zeppelin. But Gilmore used high watts. 00:15:11.179 --> 00:15:14.200 High watts have massive headroom. Meaning? That 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.620 means you can turn them up incredibly loud and 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:18.659 they stay clean. They don't distort on their 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:20.700 own. They just get louder and louder. So where 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:22.440 does all the distortion and the fuzz come from? 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:25.700 It comes from the pedals, the big muff, the fuzz 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:28.759 face. He creates the dirt with the pedals, but 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.340 then he amplifies that sound with a clean, powerful 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:34.259 amp. That gives him that clarity, that articulation, 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:36.860 even when the sound is absolutely massive. And 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:39.009 the echo. We have to mention the Binson. The 00:15:39.009 --> 00:15:41.610 Binson Echorach. This is key. It wasn't a tape 00:15:41.610 --> 00:15:43.529 delay like the Echoplex that everyone else used. 00:15:43.690 --> 00:15:47.350 It used a rotating magnetic metal drum. A spinning 00:15:47.350 --> 00:15:50.450 drum. Yeah. And it gave this sort of metallic. 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:54.259 pulsing, almost rhythmic throb to the repeats. 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.320 That is the sound of live at Pompeii. It's iconic. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:00.340 And the vessel for all of this, the machine that 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:02.759 all these signals flow through, the black strat. 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:06.019 The black stratocaster. This instrument is almost 00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:08.379 as famous as the man playing it. The history 00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:10.960 of this thing is wild. He bought it at Manny's 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:14.399 Music in New York City in 1970. Why? Because 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:16.240 the band's gear had been stolen in New Orleans. 00:16:16.750 --> 00:16:18.470 Again with the stolen gear. It's a recurring 00:16:18.470 --> 00:16:20.370 theme in his early life. It's incredible. Seriously, 00:16:20.429 --> 00:16:22.750 you'd think they'd invest in better locks. But 00:16:22.750 --> 00:16:25.629 this guitar, it wasn't a museum piece he kept 00:16:25.629 --> 00:16:27.570 behind glass. It was a workhorse. It was a test 00:16:27.570 --> 00:16:30.350 bed. It really was the ship of Theseus of guitars. 00:16:30.649 --> 00:16:32.929 He changed the pick guards, he swapped the necks 00:16:32.929 --> 00:16:35.070 multiple times, he changed the pickups constantly. 00:16:35.389 --> 00:16:37.590 The famous one is the short scale whammy bar 00:16:37.590 --> 00:16:39.789 he put on it. Right, and he even drilled holes 00:16:39.789 --> 00:16:42.409 in it to install custom switches so he could 00:16:42.409 --> 00:16:44.330 turn on the neck and bridge pickups at the same 00:16:44.330 --> 00:16:46.690 time, something a normal Strat can't do. It gives 00:16:46.690 --> 00:16:49.470 you this fuller, almost Telecaster -like sound. 00:16:49.690 --> 00:16:52.429 It was a tool. A means to an end. Exactly. It 00:16:52.429 --> 00:16:55.509 was used on almost everything from 1970 to 1983. 00:16:56.129 --> 00:16:58.450 Dark side of the moon, wish you were here, animals, 00:16:58.809 --> 00:17:01.250 the wall. If you're humming a solo from that 00:17:01.250 --> 00:17:03.769 era, it's almost certainly the black Strat. And 00:17:03.769 --> 00:17:06.329 then there's the mystery of the hashtag 0001 00:17:06.329 --> 00:17:09.490 Strat. Ah, yes. The white Stratocaster with the 00:17:09.490 --> 00:17:14.089 gold hardware. It has the serial number 00001 00:17:14.089 --> 00:17:16.150 on the neck plate. Which implies it's the very 00:17:16.150 --> 00:17:18.670 first one ever made. The Genesis. Well, the sources 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:22.329 say... Maybe not. Seymour Duncan, the legendary 00:17:22.329 --> 00:17:24.890 pickup specialist, examined it. He calls it a 00:17:24.890 --> 00:17:26.690 partscaster. Meaning it was pieced together. 00:17:26.930 --> 00:17:29.549 Yeah. He believes it was assembled from different 00:17:29.549 --> 00:17:31.890 guitars at the factory, maybe for a trade show 00:17:31.890 --> 00:17:34.869 or as a prototype. But regardless of whether 00:17:34.869 --> 00:17:37.529 it was truly the first off the line, it's a mythical 00:17:37.529 --> 00:17:40.349 object. He used it on another Brick in the Wall 00:17:40.349 --> 00:17:43.119 Part 2. And we shouldn't pigeonhole Gilmore as 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:45.680 just a guitarist. He's a multi -instrumentalist. 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:49.640 He plays bass, saxophone, banjo, drums. And he 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:52.599 played bass on a lot of Pink Floyd tracks. This 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:54.059 is an interesting detail that gets overlooked. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.980 This is a point of contention, or maybe playful 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:00.220 friction, between him and Waters. He played that 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:04.049 beautiful fretless bass part on Hey You. He played 00:18:04.049 --> 00:18:06.309 the bass on the iconic opening of One of These 00:18:06.309 --> 00:18:08.970 Days. And the sources say he often played bass 00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:10.710 on the records because he could do it faster 00:18:10.710 --> 00:18:13.069 or more efficiently than Roger Waters. Which 00:18:13.069 --> 00:18:15.190 Yomar noted Roger used to thank him for, in a 00:18:15.190 --> 00:18:17.369 sort of backhanded way. He'd say, thanks for 00:18:17.369 --> 00:18:19.710 winning me all those bass pulls. It was a joke, 00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:21.809 but it's a joke that hints at the dynamic that 00:18:21.809 --> 00:18:24.470 would eventually just tear them apart. Roger 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:27.569 was the concept guy, the lyricist. David was 00:18:27.569 --> 00:18:29.970 the musician, the one who could execute the ideas 00:18:29.970 --> 00:18:32.509 with precision. The instrumental powerhouse. 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:34.859 Which brings us to the elephant in the room, 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:38.819 section four, The Great Schism, Gilmore versus 00:18:38.819 --> 00:18:41.680 Waters. This is the narrative arc that dominates 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.880 the second half of the Pink Floyd story, and 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:46.059 the breakdown really started to accelerate in 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:48.299 the early 80s. During the wall, and especially 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:51.859 the final cut, tension was peaking. Gilmore felt 00:18:51.859 --> 00:18:54.059 his talents were being completely underused. 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:56.160 He felt like he was being treated like a session 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:59.420 musician in his own band. He was a writer, but 00:18:59.420 --> 00:19:01.779 his name wasn't getting on the credits. He actually 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:05.109 released his first solo album simply titled David 00:19:05.109 --> 00:19:09.150 Gilmour in 1978 just to have an outlet for his 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:12.069 own musical ideas. And here is a key fact that 00:19:12.069 --> 00:19:14.289 I think explains everything about their creative 00:19:14.289 --> 00:19:17.029 relationship. The music for Comfortably Numb, 00:19:17.190 --> 00:19:19.329 arguably their greatest collaborative moment, 00:19:19.490 --> 00:19:22.250 maybe one of the greatest songs ever, was originally 00:19:22.250 --> 00:19:24.750 written for Gilmour's solo album. But it didn't 00:19:24.750 --> 00:19:26.809 make the cut for his own record. It was a leftover 00:19:26.809 --> 00:19:29.289 demo. He didn't have lyrics for it. So when they 00:19:29.289 --> 00:19:31.549 were struggling for material for the wall, Gilmour 00:19:31.549 --> 00:19:34.440 brought it out. Waters took that beautiful, melancholic 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:36.859 music and wrote the lyrics about the doctor and 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.920 the rock star. And Gilmore added those two monumental 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:43.500 solos. It shows how their best work often came 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:45.599 from this friction, this merging of Gilmore's 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:48.500 melodic sense and Waters' conceptual rigor. The 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:50.339 whole was greater than the sum of its parts. 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:54.920 But by 1985, the rope just snapped. Waters resigns. 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:57.680 He declares Pink Floyd a spent force creatively. 00:19:57.799 --> 00:20:00.900 He basically says, It's over. Without me, the 00:20:00.900 --> 00:20:03.279 conceptualist, there is no Pink Floyd. He tried 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.380 to dissolve the partnership. But Gilmore and 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:07.579 Nick Mason said, no, it's not. This was the power 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:10.640 move. They decided to continue without him. And 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:13.299 this leads to the creation of a new era of Floyd 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:16.619 and a huge legal battle. To make that new music, 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:20.220 Gilmore buys the Astoria. The houseboat. A beautiful 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:23.140 historic houseboat on the Thames. He turns it 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:25.619 into a recording studio. This is where they record 00:20:25.619 --> 00:20:28.509 a momentary lapse of reason. It sounds idyllic 00:20:28.509 --> 00:20:30.750 recording on the river, but the legal and personal 00:20:30.750 --> 00:20:32.690 pressure must have been immense. Oh, absolutely. 00:20:33.049 --> 00:20:35.390 Waters was suing them to stop them from using 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:37.730 the name Pink Floyd. The press was calling them 00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:40.390 a fake Floyd. And Gilmore had a very specific 00:20:40.390 --> 00:20:42.730 philosophy here, a mission statement for this 00:20:42.730 --> 00:20:46.849 new version of the band. He felt that underwater... 00:20:47.180 --> 00:20:49.940 The band had become too lyric driven, too much 00:20:49.940 --> 00:20:52.880 about the words, the politics, the ranting. He 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:55.160 said he wanted to restore the balance. He wanted 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:57.420 to bring back the music, the atmosphere, the 00:20:57.420 --> 00:20:59.440 floating quality we talked about at the start. 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:01.779 He wanted sound and lyrics to be equal partners 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:04.059 again. And that balance definitely shifted back 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:06.980 toward the atmospheric. But the feud, I mean, 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:09.640 it didn't end in the 80s, did it? No. And sadly, 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:11.839 the sources indicate it has flared up significantly 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:14.920 in recent years. It's not just old men grumbling, 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:17.410 it's active hostility. We have to address the 00:21:17.410 --> 00:21:19.630 2023 incident. This was all over social media, 00:21:19.710 --> 00:21:22.750 all over the news. Polly Sampson, Gilmore's wife, 00:21:22.930 --> 00:21:25.390 and the band's primary lyricist for the post 00:21:25.390 --> 00:21:28.349 -Waters era, tweeted some incredibly strong words 00:21:28.349 --> 00:21:30.490 about Roger Waters. She accused him of being 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:33.930 anti -Semitic, a Putin apologist, and a megalomaniac, 00:21:33.930 --> 00:21:36.089 among other things. It was a very public, very 00:21:36.089 --> 00:21:38.730 harsh condemnation. There was no ambiguity. And 00:21:38.730 --> 00:21:41.069 Gilmore's response wasn't to stay silent or play 00:21:41.069 --> 00:21:43.630 peacemaker. Yeah. He quoted her tweet and added, 00:21:43.769 --> 00:21:46.269 every word demonstrably true. That's about as 00:21:46.269 --> 00:21:49.009 definitive a statement as you can make. It shows 00:21:49.009 --> 00:21:51.569 that the wounds haven't healed. In fact, they 00:21:51.569 --> 00:21:53.750 may have deepened because of these modern political 00:21:53.750 --> 00:21:56.829 differences. It's sad to see Nick Mason has weighed 00:21:56.829 --> 00:21:58.990 in on this, too, from a more historical perspective. 00:21:59.349 --> 00:22:02.369 He notes that he felt Waters never really respected 00:22:02.369 --> 00:22:05.250 Gilmour's writing. That's the core of it. Waters 00:22:05.250 --> 00:22:08.430 believed writing, the lyrics, the concept was 00:22:08.430 --> 00:22:11.150 everything. And guitar playing, no matter how 00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:13.410 brilliant, was secondary. It was just decoration. 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:16.319 Which is such a fundamental clash of artistic 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:19.500 values. One values the message, the other values 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:21.859 the sound and the feeling that delivers the message. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:25.220 Exactly. And that clash is tragic, but as we 00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:26.940 said, it also produced some of the greatest music 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:29.559 ever made. It's the classic paradox. So let's 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:32.519 move to section five, because life goes on. Gilmour 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:34.779 didn't stop making music just because the Hude 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:38.220 continued. He has had a robust, if not prolific, 00:22:38.339 --> 00:22:41.539 solo career. His solo trajectory is really interesting 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:43.680 because it's so sporadic. He doesn't just turn 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:46.859 out albums every two years. About Face in 1984 00:22:46.859 --> 00:22:49.299 directly addressed the murder of John Lennon 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:52.079 and his fractured relationship with Waters. And 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:55.529 then he waits 22 years. 22 years. On an Island 00:22:55.529 --> 00:22:59.029 in 2006, released on his 60th birthday, went 00:22:59.029 --> 00:23:01.450 to number one in the UK. It was a huge success. 00:23:01.630 --> 00:23:03.130 And he's collaborated with everyone. I mean, 00:23:03.130 --> 00:23:05.650 the list is endless. The Orb, Paul McCartney, 00:23:05.710 --> 00:23:08.730 Supertramp, Brian Ferry at Live Aid. He's a musician's 00:23:08.730 --> 00:23:11.529 musician. If you need that specific Gilmore sound, 00:23:11.829 --> 00:23:14.049 there is only one guy to call. You can't replicate 00:23:14.049 --> 00:23:16.829 it. We also have to mention the final bows of 00:23:16.829 --> 00:23:19.009 Pink Floyd because they did come back in a way. 00:23:19.130 --> 00:23:22.069 The Endless River in 2014 was built from instrumental 00:23:22.069 --> 00:23:24.690 sessions with the late Richard Wright, the keyboardist. 00:23:24.750 --> 00:23:26.769 Right. It was a tribute to Rick. It was. And 00:23:26.769 --> 00:23:29.509 Gilmore was very, very clear at the time. This 00:23:29.509 --> 00:23:31.369 is the end. This is the last thing we'll do. 00:23:32.029 --> 00:23:33.609 It wasn't quite the end. There was Hey, Hey, 00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:37.920 Rise Up in 2022. Yes, the protest song. A complete 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:41.480 surprise. Gilmore and Mason reunited the Pink 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:44.420 Floyd banner for a one -off single to protest 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:46.940 the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This was deeply 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:49.000 personal for Gilmore, wasn't it? The sources 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:51.700 are clear on that. Very. His daughter -in -law 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:54.220 is Ukrainian. His grandchildren have that heritage. 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:57.720 He was motivated by a genuine anger and a desire 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:00.460 to support the country. It sampled a Ukrainian 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:04.180 musician, Andrei Klivnik, singing a protest song 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:07.019 in Kyiv. It wasn't about reviving the band for 00:24:07.019 --> 00:24:09.839 money or a nostalgia tour. It was about using 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:13.119 the massive platform of the Pink Floyd name for 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:15.980 a specific cause right now. Exactly. A tool for 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:19.619 protest. And now we're in 2024. Gilmore has released 00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:22.680 Luckin' Strange. This album is fascinating. Recorded 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:25.220 in Brighton, London during the lockdowns. The 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:28.039 themes are heavy mortality, aging, looking back 00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:30.279 on a long life. And it's a family affair, which 00:24:30.279 --> 00:24:32.099 is really interesting. His wife Polly wrote the 00:24:32.099 --> 00:24:34.059 lyrics. His daughter Romany plays harp and sings 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:36.380 beautiful harmony vocals. His son Charlie even 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:38.859 contributed lyrics. It feels very intimate. And 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:41.440 Gilmore made a very, very bold claim about it. 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:43.779 He called it his best work since The Dark Side 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:46.359 of the Moon. Wow. That is a high bar. That's 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:48.880 putting it above the wall. Above what you were 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:51.960 here, above his other solo work. It is. But it 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:54.059 shows he's not just resting on nostalgia. He 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:56.160 believes in what he's doing right now. He's still 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.700 chasing that perfect sound, that perfect song 00:24:58.700 --> 00:25:01.240 he's not done creating. Which brings us to the 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:04.599 final section of our profile. The man as a private 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:06.880 citizen and a philanthropist. Because if you 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:09.039 think his guitar collection is impressive, wait 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:11.059 until you hear what he did with it. The auction. 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:13.980 This is the moment that I think truly defines 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:17.650 his character in the later years. 2019, Christie's 00:25:17.650 --> 00:25:20.390 in New York. Gilmore auctions off 120 of his 00:25:20.390 --> 00:25:22.509 personal guitars. Including the Black Strat, 00:25:22.609 --> 00:25:24.809 the actual guitar we talked about earlier. The 00:25:24.809 --> 00:25:26.750 one that played Comfortably Numb. The one that 00:25:26.750 --> 00:25:29.349 played Money. The one that played Shine On. Imagine 00:25:29.349 --> 00:25:31.769 owning that piece of history. The sound of the 00:25:31.769 --> 00:25:35.910 70s. It sold for nearly $4 million. $3 .975 million 00:25:35.910 --> 00:25:38.750 to be exact. A world record -breaking sale for 00:25:38.750 --> 00:25:41.019 a guitar at the time. But the total raise for 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:44.759 the whole collection was $21 .5 million. And 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:47.119 here is the kicker, the most important part of 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:51.359 the story. He didn't keep a dime. 100 % of the 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:53.900 proceeds went to Client Earth, an environmental 00:25:53.900 --> 00:25:56.759 charity that uses lawyers to fight climate change 00:25:56.759 --> 00:25:59.599 through legislation and court cases. It really 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:01.839 says something profound about his priorities. 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:05.420 He's willing to part with these talismans of 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:07.799 his career, these objects that literally define 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:10.299 him in the public eye to fight for the future 00:26:10.299 --> 00:26:13.660 of the planet. He basically said, I don't need 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:16.059 these anymore. The world needs the help more. 00:26:16.279 --> 00:26:18.740 It wasn't the first time either. This is a pattern. 00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:22.660 He sold his London house in 2003 for 3 .6 million 00:26:22.660 --> 00:26:25.859 pounds and gave all the proceeds to the charity 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:27.940 crisis for a housing project for the homeless. 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:30.680 He seems to walk the walk. Politically, he describes 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:33.819 himself as a socialist, a proper Manchester Guardian 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:35.859 reader. And he's an atheist. Yeah. He's very 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:37.720 clear about his worldview. He believes in the 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:39.259 here and now and our collective responsibility 00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:42.039 to it. And we can't forget the planes, intrepid 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:44.480 aviation. Yes. This is the other side of the 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:46.980 coin. Yeah. The boy with the toys. It's not all 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:49.599 serious philanthropy. He had a company, Intrepid 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:52.000 Aviation. He collected vintage aircraft. He's 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:55.039 an experienced pilot. He flew a P -51 Mustang 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:58.099 in air shows. I mean, that's just cool. But true 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:00.880 to form, when it became too commercial, when 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:03.819 it became a business instead of a hobby, he sold 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:06.019 it. He said it became too corporate. He just 00:27:06.019 --> 00:27:08.299 wanted to fly old planes, not run a corporation. 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:11.319 I respect that so much. He knows what he loves, 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:13.720 and he knows when the joy is gone. He's not afraid 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:16.750 to walk away. So let's wrap this up. We've gone 00:27:16.750 --> 00:27:19.269 from the boy in Cambridge borrowing a guitar 00:27:19.269 --> 00:27:21.910 and never giving it back. To the starving busker 00:27:21.910 --> 00:27:24.589 pushing a van in France. To the reluctant replacement 00:27:24.589 --> 00:27:27.609 who became a global rock legend. And finally, 00:27:27.650 --> 00:27:30.250 to the elder statesman selling that very same 00:27:30.250 --> 00:27:33.349 guitar for millions to save the planet. It's 00:27:33.349 --> 00:27:36.069 an incredible life arc. David Gilmour stands 00:27:36.069 --> 00:27:39.279 as this incredible bridge. He bridges the blues 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:42.140 roots of the 50s and 60s with the atmospheric, 00:27:42.380 --> 00:27:45.000 progressive future of music. He was the reluctant 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:47.440 frontman who ended up leading one of the world's 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:50.079 biggest bands for decades after its primary songwriter 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:52.680 left and took it to even greater commercial heights. 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.559 And if we look at the final provocative thought 00:27:55.559 --> 00:27:58.680 here, Kumar has repeatedly said Pink Floyd is 00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:01.740 done. He believes his new work, Luck and Strange, 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:05.619 is his best in 50 years. He raises a huge question. 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:09.539 Does an artist's legacy rely solely on the band 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:12.900 that made them famous? Or can they truly transcend 00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:15.480 it in their final act? And considering that friction 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:17.819 with waters, that fire that burned between them 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:20.759 for so long, was that tension actually the secret 00:28:20.759 --> 00:28:23.819 ingredient? Was the misery and the conflict necessary 00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:26.279 for the magic? That is the eternal question of 00:28:26.279 --> 00:28:28.799 rock and roll, isn't it? The harmony on the record 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:30.720 comes from the discord in the studio. It seems 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:33.160 to be a common theme. Indeed. So here is our 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:35.740 sign -off challenge to you, the listener. Go 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:37.559 back and listen to Comfortably Numb or Time. 00:28:38.180 --> 00:28:41.059 But don't just listen to the notes. Listen to 00:28:41.059 --> 00:28:44.119 the bends. Listen to the space between the notes. 00:28:44.460 --> 00:28:47.579 And think about the man, the pilot, the philanthropist, 00:28:47.579 --> 00:28:50.339 the busker, the father who is making that sound. 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:52.759 It changes how you hear it. It adds a whole new 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:55.500 dimension of meaning to it. It really does. Thanks 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:56.980 for diving deep with us. We'll see you on the 00:28:56.980 --> 00:28:57.279 next one.