David Gilmour will join his writing partner and wife, Polly Samson, in making three appearances to promote Samson’s new book, “A Theatre for Dreamers.”
Billed as “an evening of words and music,” Gilmour tweeted, “I’ll be performing a few songs, including a new one — ‘Yes, I Have Ghosts’ — which we wrote together, inspired by the book.”
Samson has been Gilmour’s go-to lyricist beginning with Pink Floyd’s 1994 album “The Division Bell.”
Journalist Rosie Boycott will moderate the conversation with Samson at Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, March 30; Town Hall, Birmingham, March 31; and Central Hall Westminster, London, April 2.
Tickets range from £38-£44 and go on sale 10 a.m. GMT Friday, Feb. 14:
Tickets include a signed first edition of the book; and a photo of Samson and Gilmour taken on the Greek island of Hydra, where the story takes place, signed by them both.
Bloomsbury Circus will publish “A Theatre for Dreamers” on April 2.
BBC Radio 6 Music’s Matt Everitt will speak with David Gilmour during a four-part podcast series to promote “The Later Years” box-set coming in December.
“The Lost Art of Conversation” will premiere Monday, Nov. 25, on all podcast platforms. Remaining episodes will appear the three following Mondays.
Each episode will focus on a particular theme:
The studio The band’s return to jamming in the recording studio and embracing new technology when faced with new advances in synthesizers and other instruments.
Artwork Gilmour explains his ideas for the band’s artwork including how his sketch of a single, empty bed was transformed by Storm Thorgerson into the image of 500 beds for the cover of 1987’s “A Momentary Lapse of Reason.”
Live performances How the band prepared for the prospect of an upcoming tour, and the enormous pressure facing them while rehearsing in a massive aircraft hangar in Toronto.
Unreleased new material from the box-set Gilmour talks about the loads of new and rare material included in “The Later Years.” His memories are jogged by watching footage of the band flying over Miami Beach, watching swimmers surrounded by sharks.
The band is billing this podcast as Gilmour’s only interview surrounding the launch of the 16-disc box that focuses on post-Roger Waters era Floyd.
This winter David Gilmour will play at The London Palladium as part of a sold-out tribute to Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green.
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood organized the event, which will also include Billy Gibbons, Jonny Lang, Andy Fairweather Low, John Mayall, Christine McVie, Zak Starkey, Steven Tyler, Bill Wyman and others yet to be announced.
“The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it’s important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music,” Fleetwood says.
“Peter was my greatest mentor and it gives me such joy to pay tribute to his incredible talent. I am honored to be sharing the stage with some of the many artists Peter has inspired over the years and who share my great respect for this remarkable musician.”
The show takes place Tuesday, Feb. 25. Ticket pre-sale started Nov. 13 with general sale starting two days later. The show has sold-out.
Yesterday’s much-anticipated auction of David Gilmour‘s guitars raised $21,490,750 for charity.
The highlight of the Christie’s auction held in New York City was the Pink Floyd frontman’s fabled “Black Strat,” which sold for $3,975,000, way beyond the official estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
Gilmour bought that Fender Stratocaster in New York City in May 1970, and played it extensively through the ’70s and into the ’80s on such recording as “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), “Wish You Were Here” (1975), “Animals” (1977) and “The Wall” (1979).
The winning bid for the Black Strat came from Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts. Larry Hall, vice president of special projects for the NFL team, attended the auction as Irsay’s proxy.
Other highlights include Gilmour’s ’54 Stratocaster, serial number 0001, used for the rhythm track on “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2,” which went for $1,815,000; a ’69 Martin D-35 used on “Welcome to the Machine” and “Wish You Were Here,” (also sold to Irsay) for $1,095,000; and his 12-string Martin D12-28, used to write and record the opening riff for “Wish You Were Here,” sold for $531,000.
According to Christie’s, the Black Strat breaks the record for a guitar sold at auction, and is the most ever paid for a Stratocaster. Previously, the most expensive guitar sold at auction was the “Reach Out to Asia” Stratocaster, auctioned to support victims of the 2004 tsunami.
That item sold in 2005 for $2.7 million. It had been signed by Gilmour, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, and others.
Irsay has a few other notable guitars in his collection, including an orange ’63 Gretsch once owned by John Lennon and purchased for $530,000 in 2015; and the “Yellow Cloud” guitar played by Prince, which Irsay purchased for $137,500 in 2016.
The day before the auction, Gilmour announced all proceeds would benefit ClientEarth, an organization that funds attorneys and other experts to fight climate change.
“The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible,” Gilmour said.
“I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their action to use the law to bring about real change. We need a civilized world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.”
The auction lasted eight hours with bidders from 66 countries participating.
Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour will publish “Three Different Ones,” a three-part podcast series beginning tomorrow.
The podcast is a prelude to the upcoming auction of 120 of Gilmour’s guitars taking place in New York on June 20.
Episode 1, dropping May 31, focuses on his legendary black Stratocaster. The June 7 episode covers the 6- and 12-string Martin acoustic guitars he used in writing and recording “Wish You Were Here” (1975). And the series concludes June 14 with a final episode about his white Strat, serial #0001.
Auctioneers Christie’s announced the Gilmour auction in January. All proceeds will go to charity.
The entire collection was on display at Christie’s on King Street, London, March 27-31. Selected guitars were displayed in Los Angeles May 7-11. Your final chance to see them will be in New York as part of the sale preview that runs June 14-19.
In March, Christie’s will auction more than 120 of David Gilmour‘s guitars, including his legendary “Black Strat.”
The auction will take place at Christie’s in New York City on June 20. All proceeds will go to charity.
The entire collection will be on display at Christie’s on King Street, London, March 27-31. Selected guitars will then be displayed in Los Angeles May 7-11 before the New York sale preview June 14-19.
Gilmour’s highly-modified 1969 black Fender Stratocaster is the auction’s highlight. Expected to fetch $100,000-$150,000, Gilmour used it extensively between 1970 and 1986 on albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).
The only explanation offered as to why he’s liquidating his collection comes from this statement provided by Christie’s:
“Many of the guitars in this sale are guitars that have given me a tune,” says Gilmour. “So a lot of them have earned their keep, you might say.
“These guitars have given so much to me, and it’s time for them to move on to other people who hopefully will find joy, and perhaps create something new.”
Presumably, Gilmour has many other instruments to keep him strumming along.
Also included in the sale: his 1954 white Fender Stratocaster #0001 (estimated at $100,000-150,000); a 1955 Gibson Les Paul played on “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) ($30,000-50,000); a rare Gretsch White Penguin 6134 ($100,000-150,000); and many others.
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) Studios in London is up for sale.
Founded by Beatles producer Sir George Martin in 1969, Pink Floyd recorded portions of its “Meddle” album (1971) there. David Gilmour also recorded at the facility during his work with Unicorn, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, John Martyn, Pete Townshend and others.
AIR co-owner Paul Woolf told Billboard, “We’re a pair of old farts, basically. We’ve worked very hard over a number of years to get business in really solid shape, but there’s always a future path and it’s time to go.
“There’s someone out there who’s younger and who has got the tenacity that we had when we were 40,” he added.
The property, housed at London’s Lyndhurst Hall since 1991, contains approximately $6 million worth of equipment.
