Pink Floyd has a long and colourful history: founded in 1965, they have had multiple band leaders, released many albums, and are considered one of the most acclaimed acts in music history.
But it seems one member made a slight faux pas when predicting the future of the group’s career during an interview in 2001, proving you should never say never.
Guitarist and singer-songwriter David Gilmour, 78, has been with the band since 1967, just before the departure of Syd Barrett and contributed to their huge success. However, it seemed in the early 00s he was ready to call it a day.
In a resurfaced interview he did with Mojo magazine, the star was asked about the English rock band’s future and whether the rumours circulating at the time about a potential split were true.
The reason for the rumours was that founding member Roger Waters left in 1985, and while David, Richard Wright and Nick Mason continued the legacy of the band, releasing A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 and The Division Bell in 1994, their last tour was that same year.
By the time David sat down for an interview with the news outlet in 2001, seven years had passed, and there was still no indication the group was reuniting. While we know now that the rockers had not officially disbanded, at the time David did little to encourage fans’ hopes.
‘I can’t see anything in the near future myself,’ he revealed. ‘I’ve been enjoying doing things on a different scale, downsizing a bit.’
The star continued to say: ‘I feel no need to do a big tour again- if ever, at my hugely advanced age.’
He reiterated his words again in 2006 following his reunion with Richard, Nick and Roger for the Live 8 benefit concert in London and the quartet’s refusal of a £136 million final tour.
Speaking to Italian news outlet La Repubblica, David announced Pink Floyd was ‘over’. He and Roger both confirmed there were no plans to reunite. However, their words would soon come to bite them.
Later that year, founding member Syd tragically died, and the band would once again come together on stage to perform at the tribute concert for him.
In 2008, they were hit with another loss when Richard died. This time the remaining members did not reunite.
Over the years, despite David’s comments in 2001, there were multiple Pink Floyd performances, mostly for charity reasons. They have also released The Endless River, a tribute album for their late friend, Richard, and have reportedly sold all their music rights to Sony for a whopping $400million (£300million).
Despite stating he didn’t feel the need to ‘do a big tour again’ in 2001, David is currently embarking on a rather large one, with shows across Europe, the UK, and the US.
One thing he doesn’t seem to have changed his mind on though is his feelings about the band’s fifth studio album, Atom Heart Mother, which he claimed in his 2001 interview was possibly ‘our lowest point artistically’.
The record was released in 1970 and was a success with fans, debuting at number one in the UK and spending 18 weeks on the charts. But David and Roger both agree it was their worst.
‘Atom Heart Mother was a good idea, but it was dreadful. I listened to that album recently: God, it’s s**t, possibly our lowest point artistically. It sounds like we didn’t have any idea between us, but we became much more prolific after it.’
Roger has also criticised the record, telling The Times that it was ’embarrassing’.