NICK MASON, ROGER WATERS & DAVID GILMOUR « Les Pink Floyd en studio », PopMusic SuperHebdo, April 1972
Interviewer: « What's your story?».
Mason: « Our story doesn't matter ».
Interviewer: « Yes, but the listeners, the readers, all the fans, they're interested in your story. They've asked us for it ».
Mason: « No, I don't think so. Why do you think our story matters? »
Interviewer: « On the show, the sequence of a band's or artist's story remains the most popular »
Mason: « I don't understand why. It's always the same way that bands form and start playing »
Interviewer: « Why are you here? »
Mason: « We're recording a new album, the music for the film « La Vallée » The director of 'More' shot it. Last month, we composed the music here, and recorded it. Now we're mixing it. ».
Interviewer: « What is this film about? »
Mason: « It's about some guys who are looking for a new paradise in New Guinea »
Interviewer: « What kind of paradise? »
Mason: « Something different from what they know »
Interviewer: « So this music will form the basis of your next album? »
Mason: « Yes, but it has nothing to do with the annual album we've been releasing since we started. This one will be out in the autumn and will include the new songs we've been playing live. ».
Interviewer: « You no longer play songs like A Saucerful Of Secrets »
Mason: « No, we abandoned them last year. A Saucerful Of Secrets is like the story of Pink Floyd. For those of you who have heard it often, it's still there. We've played it too long. We prefer to look to the future, to play new songs. It's very dangerous to play the same records for four years. »
Interviewer: « Do you play your "non-electric" songs live on stage? »
Mason: « No, it's not the right time »
Interviewer: « In Lyon, a lot of people didn't like your show »
Mason: « We've only played Atom Heart Mother once in France. It was a very bad show ».
Interviewer: « Your last concert, in Paris, took place during the Fête de l'Humanité ... »
Mason: « It wasn't very good either »
Interviewer: « Hasn't anyone asked you to play in Paris? »
Mason: « Yes, but we can't find venues. I hope we'll play there in October. We're doing a 10-day tour of France in the autumn. We'll be playing in Paris, Lyon, Nice and other cities. »
Interviewer: « We read in a French magazine that you were going to record all your songs in quadraphony. Is that true?».
Mason: « No. But we intend to record our next albums in quadraphony. Echoes (from the 30cm Meddle) is recorded in quadraphonic. But we only mixed half the tape, because the record is stereophonic. But for the stage, we have a quadraphonic sound system ».
Interviewer: « You don't record in quadraphonic here? »
Mason: « No, you need a 32-track console. At the château, theirs isn't quite finished yet. No studio is sophisticated enough for us. We need 32 tracks. For the drums, for example. In stereo, we use two microphones, so two tracks. In quadraphony, we need four tracks. With sixteen, there are only 12 tracks left. That's not much for the other instruments »
Interviewer: « When are you going to the US? »
Mason: « In three weeks ».
Interviewer: « A lot of bands go to the States to make money..»
Mason: « That’s true. We do too, but, but we don't go as often ».
Interviewer: « How many songs do you record? »
Waters: « Nine (he counts on his fingers). We record from two in the afternoon to five in the morning »
Interviewer: « Are the songs short, like on « More »? »
Waters: « It depends, some are long, some are short »
Interviewer: « I'd like you to tell me about your history, starting with Syd Barrett's departure? »
Waters: « We're not interested in that split »
Interviewer: « Afterwards, then? »
Waters: « I’d rather »
Interviewer: « Why did you rework some of the old songs for the « Ummaguma » live album? »
Waters: « We didn't play any other songs on stage at the time »
Interviewer: « When did you record « Meddle » ? »
Waters: « From January to August 1971 ».
Interviewer: « One of your songs is called San Tropez ... »
Waters: « We wrote it there. We gave an open-air concert there »
Interviewer: « Don't you play much in France? »
Waters: « No, but generally speaking we don't play many gigs, even in the UK. Last year we did a tour, our first for two years. It lasted ten days. We don't like long tours, it's too tiring.».
Interviewer: « Do you have any plans to release any new singles? »
Waters: « No, not at the moment. None are planned ».
Interviewer: « Not even a track from your album? »
Waters: « That's the problem with our record company. The one thing we don't want is for us to release a single and then a few months later the company includes that record on one of our albums. That forces people to buy the same song twice »
Interviewer: «When did you join the group?»
Gilmour: « I joined the group at the end of 67. Just after Christmas. They phoned me one day ».
Interviewer: « Did you already know them? »
Gilmour: « The bass player was a friend of mine, since we were fifteen. We went to the same college in Cambridge for two years.»
Interviewer: « Before that, you were in a band that played in the South of France...»
Gilmour: « Yep. It wasn’t a big deal »
Interviewer: « What kind of music did you play then ? » (Someone interjects: « Jimi Hendrix. I saw you in St-Raphaël »).
Gilmour: « It's not that interesting. I was having a good time at the time »
Interviewer: «What happened between Syd Barrett and the other three? »
Gilmour: « It became impossible to work with him, he went crazy »
Interviewer: « Insane, clinically speaking ? »
Gilmour: « That's what I said. I don't know about me, but... Anyway, he's someone you can't really communicate with. I think he's a genius, and so do the others. It's impossible to work with him in an orchestra. To make albums, I... It was really hard every time. I had a nervous breakdown almost every day. I don't know why I did it... well, yes, I do ... »
Interviewer: « By friendship ? »
Gilmour: « No, I don't have a friendship with him. He was a friend when I was 15, and until I was 19-20. He doesn't have any friends. The reason I made these two albums with him is because he's a genius, and because I want people to hear his songs »
Interviewer: « What has he been doing between recordings, and since he left? »
Gilmour: « Nothing ».
Interviewer: « He had a jam session with Twinkle recently at a university ... »
Gilmour: (In French) « I don't know about me, but... I don't think these things with Twink are very good. It's Twink, who I think, had to go to Cambridge to that university to play with the genie. He knows it'll get him publicity. Syd can't say no. He can't say yes either. All the people I know who saw the concert said it was disgusting ».
Interviewer: « If he asked you to produce his next album, would you do it? »
Gilmour: « If he wants to, I'm all for it, but he doesn't dare ask me ».
Interviewer: « How did the replacement come about? You played five-a-side for a while ...»
Gilmour: « Yes, for a fortnight... When I started, I had to play things that didn't come naturally to me. I didn't improvise for the first six months I played with the Floyd. I'd learnt the songs. »
Interviewer: « When did you start really collaborating y on the band's recordings? »
Gilmour: « Starting with A Saucerful Of Secrets, I've come up with a few good ideas, but that's about it. ».
Interviewer: « Did Syd Barrett take part in the recording of this album, as I read recently? »
Gilmour: « Oh, no. Not at all. There's only one song by Syd. It was recorded with Apologises (sic), which came out in November 1967. No, Syd left just before Apologises was recorded. A Saucerful Of Secrets ».
Interviewer: « then, you recorded « More » ... »
Gilmour: « It took us six days to record it.It was easy for me, I'm a very quick learner. My presence is more sensitive ».
Interviewer: « We find one of your compositions; Spanish Piece ».
Gilmour: « It's nothing.Not a piece, not a song. I don't know a guitarist who can't do shit like this Spanish music. There's a mistake on the cover. I played it, but no one wrote it »
Interviewer: « this is aimprovisation ».
Gilmour: « If you like... no, it's a plagiarism of a Spanish song. It came out of a transistor in the film.That's why »
Interviewer: « Thanks to « More », you've become more popular in France and the UK ... »
Gilmour: « We were better known in England than in France. In England, popularity is much more frank. In France, it's provoked very quickly and it can go down just as quickly. I don't think that's true. »
Interviewer: « Yes, but it's been three years since the record was made, and you still have the same flattering reputation ... »
Gilmour: « I think England is more loyal. That's my opinion. After six months in the band, all our gigs have sold out ».
Interviewer: « And in the States? It took longer, I think? »
Gilmour: « In America, it hasn't changed much in the last two or three years. Since then, all our concerts have been sold out ».
Interviewer: « At the Amougies festival, in November 1969, you jammed with Frank Zappa? (In french, the interview said « faire un boeuf ») »
Gilmour: « Boeuf ! ... He played a song with us because he was employed by the organisers. He had to play one song with each band. ».
Interviewer: « What song did you perform? »
Gilmour: « Interstellar Overdrive. He played during the improvisation on a chord for 20 minutes ».
Interviewer: « Two films were shot during this festival, and you banned them. Why? »
Gilmour: « We didn't like the sound. Before the festival, we told people that if they made a good recording, and we mixed it, it would be OK. We saw the film and it wasn't bad. But then we heard the music. It went « Bzzz… » all the time. They put a single mic in front of the vocal amp »
Interviewer: « What was the outcome? »
Gilmour: « I don't know. They had to stop playing our footage and our music. We need a minimum of eight tracks ».
Interviewer: « How many tracks did you use for the live recording of « Ummagumma » ? »
Gilmour: « Four tracks. »
Interviewer: « The sound is good».
Gilmour: « Not so much ».
Interviewer: « Some people have said that the live tracks on « Ummagumma » are better than the originals. ».
Gilmour: « I don’t think so ».
Interviewer: « With « Meddle », you seem to have gone back to the style of « Ummagumma » that you abandoned with « Atom Heart Mother » ... »
Gilmour: « We have no real direction. We do one thing and then another. There's no continuity. We play what we want to play, what we like to play. Atom Heart Mother is just one track. ».
Interviewer: « The last time you played in Paris was at the Fête de l'Humanité, in September 1970 ... »
Gilmour: « Yes, a concert like we've had thousands of. I remember there were the Voices of East Harlem, and two French singers. ».
Interviewer: « Marcel Amont (sic!) and Michel Polnareff. Do you like what Michel does? »
Gilmour: « Um, not too much. Jacques Dutronc is not bad. He does something original in French. The worst thing about France is that the people who do things in French in France are at least right... It doesn't do much for me, because I don't understand it well enough for it to affect me ».
Interviewer: « Can you tell me about the film for which you recorded the music?»
Gilmour: « Ask the director»
Interviewer: « You've seen it, though »
Gilmour: « Yes, but I don't want to talk about that. ».
Interviewer: « Aren't you interested in the film? »
Gilmour: « I’m not a film critic ».
Interviewer: « But can you tell me whether you liked it or not? »
Gilmour: « It amused me »
Interviewer: « You've done other film scores « The Committee », « Zabriskie Point », for instance ».
Gilmour: « We saw « Committee » somewhere in England. The music didn't amount to much. For « Zabriskie Point », we recorded 20 tracks and there are only three in the film ».
Interviewer: « What happened to the others? »
Gilmour: « I have tapes at home »
Interviewer: « I find Zabriskie Point's finale: Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up very similar, perhaps because of the scream, to Careful With That Axe, Eugène »
Gilmour: « Ah, yes, that's right. It's almost the same song, slightly different because of money problems »
Interviewer: « What happened to London's Rainbow, which has just closed? »
Gilmour: « There were a lot of problems, because they spent too much money and there were too many people working there. The closure had nothing to do with the price the orchestras asked for. For the sound and lighting, they paid at least £25,000, and it was shit. Ours was a hundred times better, and cost us less than £10,000. The millstones were ridiculous. They had 65 technicians instead of fifteen. It was done by idiots. It was still a good idea »
Interviewer: « Another problem is currently shaking England. It's the law banning all demonstrations of more than 1,000 people after midnight. This law also abolishes festivals ... »
Gilmour: « It's a piece of shit. We're going to overturn this law. We're against it if it passes, but we'll still be holding festivals with 2,000 people. ».
