It’s been almost a decade since David Gilmour officially said Pink Floyd was ‘over’, but his bandmate believes they could get back together despite the fallout.
Nick Mason is optimistic that Roger Waters and Gilmour could put their differences aside and return to make new music — well, AI versions of them, at least.
The 80-year-old drummer is hopeful that artificial intelligence replicas of his feuding bandmates could bury the hatchet on behalf of their real-life counterparts.
After clashing over creative differences in the 80s, Roger and David went toe-to-toe after the bassist attempted to dissolve Pink Floyd in a legal dispute.
Years later the disagreement continues to bubble with Roger claiming he was ‘banned’ from the Pink Floyd website in 2020.
Nick isn’t waiting for a reunion from the real-life duo and instead is pinning his dreams of performing again to a computer-generated version of them all.
Speaking to The Sunday Mirror (via Music News), Nick said: ‘It would be fascinating to see what AI could do with new music. If you tried to run it as a sort of “Where did Pink Floyd go after?”‘
As a founding member of the iconic group, Nick expressed disappointment that their legacy had been somewhat tainted by this fallout.
He continued: ‘The thing to do would be to have an AI situation where David and Roger become friends again. We could be like ABBA by the time we’ve finished with it.’
Abba’s Voyage venue sees the Swedish pop sensation reunite as holograms of their younger selves and perform their top hits at a purpose-built London stadium.
Despite seeing the potential, Nick wasn’t enamoured with the Abbatars saying he didn’t get swept up in the magic and believe they were real.
He praised the live band playing Does Your Mother Know away from the replicated Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
The musician said it was in the interest of the band to keep things going and tap into that rose-tinted nostalgia fans feel towards older music.
AI-generated music has become a huge issue within the industry, with some artists embracing new technology while others claim it kills creativity.
As for whether there will be Pink Floyd avatars, Nick added: ‘If someone came up with all the money and all the brilliant ideas – and then once we’ve agreed to a series of very, very difficult and onerous conditions – I’d say, “Yeah, OK.”’
While Nick may be hopeful, it doesn’t look like David and Roger will be reconciling any time soon in the real world as they continue to clash.
Last year, David’s wife accused Roger of harbouring anti-Semitic views, something which has been levied at the musician from a few separate people.
When he dressed in a German uniform that was described as a Nazi SS officer on stage in Berlin there was public outcry, including from the wife of David, Polly Samson, 60.
In an open letter on social media, she called him a ‘Vladimir Putin apologist’ which he has always vehemently denied.
In 2022, Pink Floyd released their first new single in more than 25 years in support of the people of Ukraine.
Hey, Hey, Rise Up! did not include involvement from Roger, although re-released songs from Dark Side of the Moon still credit him.