Like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd is one of those bands; you cannot not know about them. Their songs are the stuff of classic rock lore and their tours and album sales are still considered legendary feats. But now the dreams are gone and the songs are over for Pink Floyd, and all that remains are bitter battles among members.

Sure they got together at Live 8 for a half hour set, but all anyone heard after was that none of the members spoke to each other before or after the show. Fortunately for Milwaukee Pink Floyd fans, Roger Waters graced our fine city with an acclaimed show at Summerfest.

Fortunately for Milwaukeeans who missed Waters, and for every starved Pink Floyd fan everywhere, the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd - David Gilmour - has released a stellar two disc concert DVD titled “Remember That Night: Live at the Royal Albert Hall” which chronicles a show that Gilmour performed in London in support of his “On an Island” album.

In anticipation of the DVD release, Gilmour gave college journalists across the country a chance to ask him a slew of questions in regards to the DVD, his musical career in general, and of course, Pink Floyd. Throughout the interview several things became abundantly clear about David Gilmour.

First, Gilmour is a patient, kind and ultimately very likeable man. One of the interviewers was a student at New York University, and before she could get her question off, Gilmour was talking about his father being a professor there, and where his father lived while teaching.

In addition to sounding genuinely interested in regards to where the students were from, Gilmour genuinely acknowledged every star-struck fan who thanked Gilmour for inspiration, guidance, etc.

Secondly, Gilmour is comfortable and very happy with his current position in life. He spoke of enjoying this solo tour more than any tour throughout his career, but more importantly he spoke of the freedom that comes along with not touring as Pink Floyd.

“The thing about me being out on my own and not with Pink Floyd is that it is more reactionary in that I can do whatever I like. For instance, I would feel uneasy inviting David Bowie onstage during a Pink Floyd concert, but with me my audience seems to trust my judgment and they are there to hear what I am interested in hearing.”

Third, Gilmour is very concerned with making his fans happy. When asked about artistic control he exerted over the DVD Gilmour replied, “I do keep my hand on everything. It becomes hard to keep tabs on everything, but I do.” Although Gilmour did comment on the fact that his music reception has gotten better since he has been older, he also said it is become very hard to tour like he used to.

Gilmour kept tabs on everything related to the DVD, the track listing, the production, the sound, the design, the photos, etc. Gilmour sees “Remember That Night” as the second best thing to being at a live gig, since in his later years, Gilmour does not tour as aggressively as he once did. Numerous times throughout the interview, Gilmour advised everyone to enjoy the DVD on a TV with a great sound system and a great bottle of wine to go along with the music.

“Remember That Night” includes a full performance of Gilmour’s new record “On an Island” and also includes classic Pink Floyd songs, including a fan favorite which had not been played live in decades.

When asked if he would consider performing albums in their entirety again Gilmour replied, “I definitely will not perform ‘On an Island’ in its entirety again. I like to cherry-pick my favorites and keep things interesting. Although we have been getting great responses live.”

“I was 21 when I joined Pink Floyd and it was the best of times for a while. We had a stellar string of albums through the 1970s and a pretty damned good run through 1994. However, I really have no interest in working in a Pink Floyd like setting again, with or without Roger.”

The hope for a Pink Floyd reunion tour may remain strong for years to come; however, as long as Gilmour continues to tour and release DVDs on his own there is really no rush.

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