During a conversation with AZ Central, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason talked about how being tired of waiting for a reunion was one of the factors behind the launch of his new group, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.
The musician said:
“Finally, even I gave up. After 20-something years, I was absolutely tired of waiting for the phone to ring with Roger [Waters] or David [Gilmour] going, ‘C’mon guys, let’s get the band back together.’
“I thought, ‘Forget that. It’s not gonna happen.’ I really got to the point where I thought I could never work again.”
Mason explained that the unveiling of 2017’s “Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains” exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum also played a role in the process. He said:
“It was very successful. A lot of people came. But it suddenly just made me feel like the Tower of London or something. It was all about this ancient history.
“And there was that feeling that the one thing that was lacking was actually playing music. So that was a catalyst for me, I think.
“I ended up talking quite a lot about the history of the band and so on but the reality is what I really wanted to do was play some music.”
As for the reaction of his bandmates of the Saucerful of Secrets project, which features Nick and his group playing early Floyd material, the drummer said:
“I thought it would be sort-of a courtesy to tell them both what I was doing. And they were great.
“Roger threatened to come down and play sometime. I think one day David might do the same. He lent me loads of equipment that we needed to go out. So they were both great, actually.”