Which
was your favourite venue/gig during the 'On
An Island' tour? (Ken F.)
— All of them. Although Gdańsk was
a bit special...as was Venice.
What were the stand-out
moments from the 'On An Island' tour? (Victor)
— It was one big stand-out moment. I really
can't express just how great it was, the combination
of friends, family, great crew, great music,
lovely venues and great audiences.
Did the rest of the
band have any input to the set list for the
'On An Island' tour or did David decide? (Andy)
— We were asked for suggestions but then
basically ignored...
On the Summer Tour
2006, David took the train from Linz (Austria)
to Munich (Germany). Did you and the other band
members also travel by train? (Werner)
— We did, and were none too happy when
we found out that our six-hour, two-train journey
only took two hours by road...
Where can I get me
a "Didn't They Do Well?" T-shirt?
(Julie Gunn Davies)
— Savage London on Portobello Road knocked
them up for me.
How can you sum up
the 'On An Island' Tour journey? (Patoch')
— Too short.
Guy Pratt Q&A: David
and Pink Floyd.
How did you happen
to meet David? (Gian Luca)
— Through Dream Academy and then Bryan
Ferry.
Were you a Pink Floyd
fan during your teenage years? (I. McK.)
— I went to The Wall shows at Earl's Court,
front row, every night, both years, once on
Acid. I knew then it was the best show I would
ever see and it's quite sad that 26 years later
I was right.
What's your absolute
favourite Pink Floyd or David Gilmour song?
(Bas Swanenberg)
— 'Comfortably Numb'; 'I Can't Breathe Anymore'.
Do you have a favorite
DG guitar solo? (Gus)
— 'Comfortably Numb', although 'Young Lust'
is surprisingly my second. I bet I'm the only
person in the world who thinks that.
Which is the Pink Floyd
song you most enjoy playing? (Lucia)
— 'Echoes'.
On 'Time', was it your
idea to mute the bass strings during the drum
sequence? (Frank Par)
— No. What do you think they did for the
14 years between recording it and me turning
up?
Do you play original
bass lines to Pink Floyd songs or do you create
your own interpretation? (Beau)
— I used to mess with them occasionally,
just to keep busy you understand, but the wisdom
of age has taught me otherwise, and I cringe
hearing some of the things I used to do. I've
actually been more faithful to the originals
on this tour than I ever was with Pink Floyd.
What's the most difficult
David Gilmour or Pink Floyd track for you to
play live? (I. McK.)
— I used to hate 'Us And Them' because
the bass line was sooooo boring, but then David
gave me a harmony to sing and I was happy.
Do you think nowadays
there could be any new band with such unique
sound and ideas like Pink Floyd? (GianLuca)
— No.
Since touring since
the mid '80s with the Floyd, which tour has
been the most memorable and why? (Andy)
— The 87-88 tour probably because I'd never
been part of anything like it. It was every
young man's dream. Although I probably remember
more of this last one as I go to bed these days.
Although I did have to be dragged out of bed
in Manchester.
Would you do another
Pink Floyd tour? (Bill S.)
— Yes.
What is your most memorable
gig and why? (Tim C.)
— Venice with PF. Because we were on a
bloody great oil rig in the lagoon.
Guy Pratt Q&A: Music.
What are listening
to right now (or if not right now, what's your
current listening)? (Nickster)
— Right now? 'Celia Cruz, Queen of Latin
Rhythm'. (That's the album title, not an opinion.)
You have played with some
of the most famous bands in the world since
you were just a boy. Has the young Guy ever had
the anxiety of performance, playing close to
those geniuses of music and in so many different
styles (from Pink Floyd to Roxy Music and so
on)? How much have you studied for doing that,
or did you do that just using your heart?
(Lucia)
— Young, maybe. Old, no. I didn't really
study for either of those artists as it was
music I knew and loved anyway. That's if I understood
the question.
Guy Pratt Q&A: Bass.
Who inspired you to
pick up the bass? (Bas Swanenberg)
— John Entwistle.
Who is your favourite
other bass player? (Tim C.)
— Bernard Edwards.
If you had to choose
just one, which is your absolutely favourite
bass line of all time? (Nickster)
— 'Good Times', or 'Forget Me Nots' by Patrice
Rushen. Or any number of Disco classics, which
I'm afraid to say is where I think all the greatest
basslines are. Or 'Teentown' by Weather Report,
or 'What's Goin' On', or any number of Studio
1 Reggae classics, or practically any Bob Marley
song, or 'The Real Me' by The Who, or...
Do you like playing
guitar the same way as bass? (GianLuca)
— No, I'm not as good. I really like playing
guitar, but not the same way at all.
Was the bass your first
instrument? (TomiSue)
— I did briefly wrestle with the clarinet
previously.
What's you preferred
bass guitar? (Dom)
— Fender Jazz.
Guy Pratt Q&A: Guitars
& Effects.
Do you play any acoustic
basses? (Peter McConnell)
— I'm going to get a Double Bass as I enjoyed
the Standup on tour so much. I do have a Bass
Balalaika which I played on the soundtrack for
'The Wings of a Dove'.
Standup acoustic bass
or electric bass? I know different songs have
different requirements but just kicking about.
(John)
— I love the Standup because it limits
me so much, and it's a basically new experience,
even though I've had the bloody thing for 24
years.
What FX (Pete Cornish
board?) did you use during the 'On An Island'
tour? (Ernest Peske)
— No, I don't have one of David's castoffs
if that's what you mean. But I do have...
Avalon DI, Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, Demeter
Compulator Compressor, Ashdown Bass Overdrive
Plus, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2B Bass Chorus,
Boss OC-2 Octave, Boss DD-5 Digital Delay, Boss
CS-3 Compression Sustainer, Boss T4-2 Tuner
(2), Boss SCC-700 Pedal Controller, Roland SDE
3000 Digital Delay, and Melody Evidence Audio Guitar
cables. God bless cut and paste!
What is the deal with
the alembic preamps – do they really make
that much of a difference? I know the big D
uses them but I was wondering if they really
make that much of a difference. (Shawn Madden)
— I've never played through one, but I
did used to have a Trace Elliot thing that was
a copy, although to be honest I don't like too
much of a "Valvey" sound on my Bass.
Peter Hook swears by them too.
I know what basses
you use, what amps and cabs you use, but I'd
like to know what do you have on you pedalboard?
(Alex)
— See above.
