"Nick went ahead without telling anyone, and perhaps a drummer is not necessarily involved with what happens in a group. For instance, Dave worked with the musicians in preparing albums and Nick put in the drums later. The book is now not happening," I am told.
Although Virgin was claiming just last week that the book is ahead this year, "Nick has agreed not to proceed, and the best way forward would be to get a proper writer which would ensure The book rather than A book. The ideal would also be to get Roger involved."
Co-founder of Pink Floyd, Waters, 51, split from the group ten years ago but failed with a High Court action to prevent former colleagues Gilmour and Mason from continuing to use the Pink Floyd name - he wrote The Wall which sold 15 million double albums and was made into an Alan Parker movie starring Bob Geldorf.
Reprinted from England's Daily Mail, Tuesday, January 30, 1996
In a recent interview of Mason, published in Brain Damage, when asked whether the book had been stopped, Nick replied, "No, it's been
According to many reports since then, Nick Mason now has stated that the book has not been shelved and is indeed going to be published. It should be out sometime at the end of Summer.
Perhaps Nick is giving Roger Waters too much credit, at least more than is to Dave's liking. Perhaps Dave Gilmour is so caught up in his own ego that it has blinded him as to who the real leader and creative genius of Pink Floyd really was, and he has deluded himself as to the events and what actually and historically took place.
Even though Mason and Waters were heated foes during the court battles that ensued as the Gilmour/Mason duo reformed as Pink Floyd, Nick, who was the closest to Roger of any of the other band members, should be able to tell what really happened within the band in the most unbiased way. Hopefully we will all be able to get a chance to see for ourselves when the book is finally released. I for one, can't wait to read it.
But will the book ever be published? Will Gilmour take Nick to court? Will Dave write his own book? Will this split up the band again? Will Dave and Nick ever mend their feud? Stay tuned for more on ...Which one's Pink or...As the pages turn.
Nettie has been busy renovating and refurbishing - has been shelved after concern from colleague David Gilmour.
It appears that Nick alone was preparing "Pink Floyd - The Official History," when singer and guitarist Dave approached the publishers, part of Richard Branson's Virgin (Publishing) group, after they announced an October release date and a £20 cover price. "He was not impressed with the accuracy of what he read."
'Definitive' book on super group Pink Floyd by its drummer Nick Mason - who last summer bought the Wiltshire mansion of Camilla Parker Bowles, which his wife
delayed, but it's rolling along..." As to when the book would be out, he said that it would be coming out at some point next year (1996). Saying that the book will contain "all those stories you've always wondered about," Nick further pontificated when asked if it would lay some of the rumors and famous tales to rest, "...there is still alot of confusion about a lot of the stories. Everyone has a different version of the stories and tracking down some of them has been extraordinary, I mean yes there will be a few things which will hopefully be either exorcised as being nonsense, or if they're true, perhaps shown as they really happened from the horse's mouth of whom ever they happened to... I've hoped to achieve one or two things, particularly relating to Syd. But it's not an exposŽ - apart from anything, the rest of the band are bigger than I am."
Looking somewhat estranged at Pink Floyd's induction ceremonies to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nick Mason accepting the award on stage with Gilmour and Wright, left the stage and did not perform "Wish You Were Here" with the others. At the end of the event Gilmour and Wright walked out together, with their wives, and Mason walked out separately, alone. A representative of Brain Damage Magazine who talked with Mason at the event, asked about his book and his response was only that it had been delayed further still, and that he doesn't know when it will see the light of day.