INSIDE OUT
A Personal History of Pink Floyd
by Nick Mason
'I laughed out loud so many times my wife thought I had Tourette's. It's so well written, full of detail, self-deprecating and funny. A seminal book - an intelligent, literate rock and roll memoir full of candour and wit.' Alan Parker
'There cannot be many stories left in rock that are as big as Pink Floyd's. And I doubt whether anyone could tell this story so well as the patient, witty man who watched it all unfold from his perch behind the drum kit.' Paul du Noyer
Published in hardback by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 7th October 2004, at £30
Weidenfeld & Nicolson are delighted to be publishing Nick Mason's long-awaited inside story of life in one of the most creative, successful and enduring - as well as one of the most fascinating - groups of all time: Pink Floyd.
A cast of brilliant but sometimes turbulent characters has carved its own very distinctive niche in musical history. Nick Mason, one of the founders of Pink Floyd, is the only member to have been part of the band throughout its life. He has written his own account of the events of those memorable years: INSIDE OUT: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, an account which is by turns wry, touching and often hilarious.
The book jacket has been specially designed by Storm Thorgerson, designer of many of the cult Hipgnosis Pink Floyd album covers, and the book is fully illustrated with photographs, images and memorabilia - many both rare and previously unpublished - from all the seminal moments in the life of the band, some of which have come from Nick Mason's personal archives.
Nick Mason says: 'I started making notes for this book in 1994. We had just finished a world tour, and for the first time in many months I was not involved in trying to stuff another bundle of free T-shirts, tour jackets, hotel soaps and towelling robes into my suitcase. With a certain amount of leisure time beckoning, I thought it might be time to start dealing with the questions I'd been asked for thirty-odd years - "How did the band get its name?", "Where's Syd?" and "What's it really like?". It's only taken ten years to come up with some answers.
'I eventually decided to avoid a rundown of every gig, venue, weather condition and moustache. To be frank that seemed exquisitely dull, and threatened to become drudgery. What I hope has emerged is a personal take on the band's history, with help from some intense fans, virtuous friends and helpful colleagues.
'Everyone, inevitably, has a different - often very different - view of what really took place. I've simply tried to capture the elements that I think give a picture of what I thought was happening at any one time, and to try to be honest about both the triumphs and the complete shambles that make up a band's existence.
'Above all, INSIDE OUT is about being part of a band - shared experiences that stretch across four decades, the whole of my adult life.'
