David Gilmour Performs for the First Time in 8 Years & Debunks Crazy Pink Floyd Rumors
David Gilmour made a rare appearance on American television and debunked some rumors while he was at it. Gilmour appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday and performed “Dark and Velvet Nights” with The Roots. Gilmour was there to promote his new album called Luck and Strange. He was also in New York City to play a few shows at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
The former Pink Floyd member sat down with Fallon to talk about his new album as well as the past. Fallon mentioned many fans talk about the Pink Floyd song “Wish You Were Here,” which is one of their most popular hit songs. The song from 1975 begins with some ambient sounds, radio noise and a cough. The rumor was that it was Gilmour’s cough and hearing it convinced him to finally quit smoking. Gilmour said that the rumor simply isn’t true because he never smoked at all.
He shared a story about how when he was 14 years old, his father made a deal with him: If he never smoked, he would teach him how to drive when he was 17. Gilmour said that it inspired him to not pick up smoking, but his dad forgot about the deal and never taught him to drive!
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He joked, “You might think that would send me immediately off to buy a pack [of cigarettes]. But it didn’t. I never smoked.” While he doesn’t smoke cigarettes, he did admit that he might dabble in something else you can smoke from time to time. Gilmour also addressed the rumor that Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album and the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz will sync up when played at the same time. He said it is just a strange coincidence and admitted to having tried it himself.
He also spoke of his wife of 30 years, Polly, and how he was once asked to model. Watch the interview as well as his performance below:
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