How
did the 'On An Island' creative process work?
Did you and David jam together a lot, or did
you work individually layering on each other's
material? (GianLuca)
— No jamming. A period of layering on material,
then trying out tracks with different configurations
of musicians.
You were able to develop
your "conceptual thinking and with the
making of little soundscapes" once the
title for the album was decided. How did David
(and Polly) arrive at the title for the album?
(Ken F)
— Not sure, but it worked brilliantly and
the title track is one of my favourites, especially
the amazing harmonies of Crosby and Nash with
David!
I would be interested
to know how you managed to whittle down the
"150 pieces, enough for three albums"
that David supplied you with, to a produce a
manageable amount of tracks to conceive 'On
An Island'? (Ronny)
— How long have you got?? It's the subject
of a dissertation at Oxford...mine! Just joking.
A lot of listening, patience, development and
green pea soup.
Could you give us one
or two examples of which direction an 'On An
Island' track(s) could have gone in were it
not for your influence during the album research/demo-ing/recording?
(Angelo Ortiz)
— Good question, but impossible to answer.
We're all delighted with how it came out.
If you could change
anything on the album, what would it be? (Paul
Sexton)
— I'm one of the producers. NOTHING, of
course. You can't get better than a Number One
album and a platinum disc!
Chris Thomas joined
David and you for the "final push for the
last 3 months", and at that stage the album
was very acoustic and very orchestral. David
didn't add any electric guitar until the final
month!!! Did you and Chris have to do much coercing
to persuade David to add the electric stuff?
(Ken F)
— No, David wanted to leave his electric
playing until the songs and melodies were fully
developed, although the electric on 'Where We
Start' was there from the original demo.
In your opinion, is
any of the material not used for the 'On An
Island' sessions strong enough to be released?
(Peter McConnell)
— Definitely.
What was your process
for learning the songs for the tour? Did you
sit down with David and run through things,
or listen to recordings and learn on your own?
(George Gipe)
— Tried to learn from the CDs, then asked
David how (as I was meant to double some of
his parts, exactly how he played them). Then
an intensive rehearsal period.
How much fun was it
doing this tour? (Paulo)
— It was a very special, unique tour and
there are so many great memories...some of which
you will be able to see on the forthcoming DVD.
Before the tour, we put in a lot of hours rehearsing
and working on the shape of the concert, so
from the beginning of the tour, we were a tight
unit. We had many great times on and off stage.
Lots of laughter in dressing rooms across the
world.
I believe the tour
was a family affair with most of the band bringing
their children, etc., but who in the band did
you get on with best while on tour? (Tom B)
— Claire, the tour publicist (my wife).
What were your two
favourite tracks to play on this tour (one from
'On An Island' and one from the Floyd back catalogue)?
(Geoff Duffy)
— 'Take A Breath' and 'Echoes'.
What is the most challenging
'On An Island' or Gilmour composition for you
to play? (Andrew)
— 'Where We Start', because the chords
require continually extending your fingers.
Although, ironically, trying to play a simple
tune like 'Wish You Were Here' EXACTLY as David
plays it, proved to be a challenge! After a
few lessons in his kitchen, I'm almost there!
What were the stand-out
moments from the 'On An Island' tour for you?
(Victor)
— So many. Playing the Royal Albert Hall
with all those guests...
I noticed huge grins
on your face both nights at Massey Hall as David
did extended solo flights during a few numbers.
If you recall at all, what was going through
your mind at the time? (Buffalo Phil)
— That he was giving it a bit of welly
and enjoying himself.
I loved watching you
perform because you have such a groovy "wiggle"
when you play. Are you able to let go and enjoy
the music or are you focused on the piece at
hand – or are the two not mutually exclusive?
(Nickster)
— Steady on there, Nickster. The resident
PR is reading the answers! It's good to lose
yourself in the music, provided that you don't
lose your place in the music.
You and the band seemed
very relaxed during the 'On An Island' tour:
a lot of laughing during the concerts, a lot
of eye contact between you and David. He always
watched over to you when you played your solo
for the 'On An Island' track. Is there one funny
moment you remember with pleasure? (Werner)
— Yes, when he performed 'On the Turning
Away', a track that Stevie and I had never rehearsed
and that Guy hadn't played for 14 years. Not
exactly a pleasurable moment, but one that certainly
I'll remember!
I'd like to know what
do you think of the band, especially of Stevie
and Guy? (Emilio)
— I love them all.
Do you do any kind
of warm up before going on stage? I know you
do a sound check, but I mean just before you
step out. (Robyn S)
— Highly recommended, but don't. The group
hug that Madonna does is not really our style!
What was your favourite
destination on the Gilmour tour and why? (Simon
J)
— Venice. It's like going back in time
and there is something very 'otherwordly' about
it – and appropriate for the tour, as we
were literally 'On An Island'.
If every band member
on the tour was given the opportunity to suggest
a venue/city for the tour schedule, where would
you have suggested (regardless of the venue
capacity)? (Tom B)
— The Malekon, Havana – next to the
Nacional Hotel.
If you could have any
one of David's guitars, which one would you
choose and why? (Kris)
— Obviously 001, as it's iconic. However
the black Strat is pretty damn good.
I am a big Stratocaster
fan: so, what pickups are you using in your
black Strat and do they come close to the Fender
'54 custom shop pickups? (I use those.) (Ernest
Peske)
— The Strat I use on stage is one of David's,
as I wanted to get a similar sound when duplicating
parts he played on the records. Only Phil Taylor,
David's guitar tech, knows exactly what pick-ups
are used.
It's well documented
on the modifications David made to his black
Strat. What kind of mods if any have you made
to your main Strat? (Andrew)
— None, because it's David's. (Sorry, there'll
have to a be a separate Phil Taylor Q&A
for guitar geeks.)
Using so many powerful
amps on stage, is the sound comfortable to play
with or do you battle against each other? (5
Times)
— The stage is so big and the amps quite
directional, so monitoring is not a problem
– due in large part to the excellence of
the stage crew.
The involvement of
digital technology in (nearly) every form of
sound processing is one of the factors that
has changed making music compared with, say,
20 years ago. As a musician, what do you see
as major advantages and drawbacks of this development?
(Ronny)
— The advantages are it speeds up the whole
'capturing' process and what you can do with
it. The disadvantage is that technology can
become an end in itself, and not the music.
Out of all the guitars
you have played, what is your favourite? (Julie
Davies)
— 1957 Black Les Paul custom.
If you were only able
to bring one guitar on tour, which would it
be? (Tomi Sue)
— The red Gibson Firebird VII.
Please tell us about
the translucent guitar you sometimes play: is
it an aesthetic, or a sound, preference? (Peter
McConnell)
— It's a lovely Yamaha guitar, which sounded
very good on stage, which happened to be see
through. Some fans thought it was polka dot
to match my shirts!
Why do you think there
are so few 'emerging' guitarists – unlike
your good self and David to name two personal
favourites – who capture the public's attention?
(You may disagree, of course!) (Martin D)
— There are lots of very good guitarists
around, but because the way the media industry
is now, it's difficult for them to get noticed.
Also the guitar solo became unfashionable, so
restricting the guitarist's creative development.
However, if you listen to my new radio series
on Planet Rock, 'A is for Axe: The A-Z of Great
Guitarists', starting on August 5th for 12 weeks,
you will hear some great young ones as well
as the vintage players...two of which are your
'personal favourites'.
How much of an album
is experimentation and how much is instinct?
(Lucia)
— Instinct combines with experimentation
in the creative process, but inspiration is
the key factor.
Which did you prefer
producing: '50 Minutes Later' or 'On An Island'?
(Simon J)
— Two very different, but enjoyable, challenges
– one of which was my own album. Go figure.
Your last two studio
albums were great, but your performance of '6pm'
at the Strat Pack concert in Wembley made the
track shine in a way the studio couldn't. Any
chance we'll get a live CD from you anytime
soon? (Ed)
— Hopefully next year. On 'A Million Reasons
Why' is my live playing from Guitar legends,
Seville – album from www.manzanera.com.
As your neighbour,
does David offer thoughts about your solo work,
as you have done for him? (Gus)
— Sometimes.
Looking back at Roxy
Music and the great music they made, which album
of theirs would be a Desert Island Disc for
you? (Peter)
— 'For Your Pleasure'.
As a musician, which
would be more interesting for you: Gilmour plays
Roxy Music, or Ferry sings Pink Floyd? (Dan)
— Neither!
Describe David Gilmour
in five words. (Victor)
— No, this man deserves more than five
words!
Do you subscribe to
the current trend of reforming famous 'older'
groups when they offer no new material? (Martin
D)
— From a punter's point of view, I don't
mind, as most people just want to hear the old
stuff. But, artistically, it's always better
to have a few new songs.
Have you ever replied
to the fans through a blog/site before? (Elisabetta
Corsi)
— No.
Who named you El Magnifico?
(Emilio)
— Los Gilmoures.
What is your proudest
professional moment? (Tim C)
— Rehearsing and playing with Bob Dylan
at the Guitar Legends Festival in Seville, of
which I was the musical director.
Have you achieved everything
you wanted to achieve with music? Any regrets?
(Hysteron Proteron)
— The wonderful thing about music is that
it's an enjoyable journey of discovery that
lasts a lifetime with no particular destination.
I particularly appreciated
your solo works reissued on CD. Will you be
touring again soon? (GianLuca)
— Am working on an instrumental album called
Firebird VII. See www.manzanera.com for more
details.
How did your hands
make it into an episode of Red Dwarf? (So cool!)
Are you a fan? (Nickster)
— Always a fan of Red Dwarf and a friend
of mine's company used to make the programme.
They needed a pair of guitarist's hands, so
I went down to the set and literally stood off
camera behind Craig, stuck my arms through and
played the guitar, much to the amusement of
the studio audience. Another career high!
Do you have any unusual
requirements/rituals? (Dr Phang)
— Bollinger and egg sandwiches...all shared
with the band, of course.
I'd read in an interview
last year that you met David through your older
brother. David agreed to meet to lend advice
on getting started in the music business. What
are your memories of that meeting and your initial
impressions of him? (Buffalo Phil)
— It was 1968 and I'd just turned 17. I
distinctly remember the Italian restaurant and
this person that looked identical to the David
sitting on the stool on the cover of Ummagumma.
Neither of us can remember what we spoke about
but David says it must have been good because
I ended up in Roxy Music four years later.
Were you a fan of the
Floyd 25 years ago? (Sylvie)
— Damn right...and well before.
When did you work with
David for the first time? (Ina)
— 1987. We worked together writing on a
couple of tracks for Pink Floyd's 'Momentary
Lapse of Reason' album. One track, called 'One
Slip', ended up on the album.
I was wondering if
there was any particular reason why you didn't
dig out 'One Slip' for the tour, as you co-wrote
it with David? (Jonathan)
— No room on the list.
Could you compare the
making of 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' with
the making of 'On an Island'? I mean, how is
it different to work with Floyd's Gilmour and
solo Gilmour? (Adriano Capeto)
— No different, it's the same person.
I heard on an interview
that if David was not a musician, he might be
flying planes?! How about you, if you were not
a musician, what would you be doing? (Veronica
from Miami)
— A Cuban revolutionary, like my mate Che!
What was your inspiration
to pick up the guitar? (AxPxM88)
— Spanish guitar was inspired by my mother's
playing, and electric to get girls!
When did you first
start playing guitar? (Chris Hampton)
— Age seven in Havana, Cuba, on my mum's
Spanish guitar, learning Cuban folk songs.
Did you know how to
read music when you took up guitar? (Jan)
— I didn't want to learn how to read music.
I sent off from Venezuela to London for a book
that I thought would show me pictures of where
to put my fingers on the fretboard, but instead
they sent me a Course on blue carbon paper about
music theory, so any port in a storm, I inadvertently
learnt something about it. Of course, reading
the dots is a complete hindrance to rock and
roll.
How have your Latin
roots influenced your music? (Renee B)
— Very much so from a rhythmic point of
view, the groove. And my love of the cumbia
makes me very partial to a 6/8 rhythm, which
I invariably play against a 4/4 rhythm.
Is there a guitarist
from your homeland that you especially like
the work of? (Jan)
— The guitarist I most admire is Jimi Hendrix
What's your favourite
song to play live? (Chris Hampton)
— 'Ladytron'.
If you listened to
'Ladytron' vocals by Thom Yorke, can you tell
me if you liked his way to sing your song? (Lucia)
— Yes, anything by Thom Yorke is fine by
me.
Given the success of
the bands from the 60s & 70s, like Roxy
Music, Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin, how do think
they would fare if they were just starting out
today? (Tom B)
— A unique band is always a unique band,
e.g. Radiohead, Arcade Fire, White Stripes,
Arctic Monkeys... There's a connection between
today's bands and the great bands of the '60s
and '70s. It's about the chemistry between the
individual and the quality of the ideas.
Which one album or
song could you not live without? (Luis G)
— 'Rubber Soul' and 'Strawberry Fields'.
Do you feel that knowing
how to read music is the best way to get started?
(Jan)
— No, I feel the notes get in the way for
rock and roll. You need to train your ear.
What is the most valuable
piece of information you have learned working
in the music industry? (Cemet Nosce)
— Remember to keep the music at the centre
of everything.
