Nick Mason on Fuelling Around Podcast
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, best known for his time with Pink Floyd and more recently his Saucerful of Secrets band, recently made a guest appearance on the Fuelling Around podcast, providing listeners with insights into his multifaceted interests and career. The episode delved into his upcoming musical endeavours, particularly Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, alongside his passion for cars and his legendary car collection.
You can watch the podcast at the bottom of this page.
Mason’s appearance on the podcast coincides with the excitement surrounding the Saucerful of Secrets’ forthcoming 14-date UK tour scheduled for this summer. The supergroup, formed in 2018, features Mason alongside talented musicians Guy Pratt, Gary Kemp, Lee Harris, and Dom Beken. The tour promises to delight audiences with renditions of iconic early Pink Floyd hits, igniting nostalgia and showcasing Mason’s enduring musical prowess.
Not Quite Retired
During the episode, Mason humorously reflected on his supposed retirement, quipping, “I thought I’d retired about 20 years ago.” His jovial demeanour and witty remarks added charm to the conversation, as he shared anecdotes about the intergenerational appeal of their performances. Mason playfully remarked on the diverse audience, noting the presence of younger fans alongside their “old granny” counterparts, jokingly cautioning about the “clatter of Zimmer-frames in the mosh pit.”
“I think my doctor said: ‘If you haven’t grown out of showing off by the time you’re 70, you’re probably incurable’. It’s really terrific when you do get a younger fanbase. Sometimes they bring their old granny along – the clatter of Zimmer-frames in the mosh pit is something to watch out for.”
While music remains a cornerstone of Mason’s career, his passion for automobiles also took center stage during the podcast. As an avid car enthusiast and collector, Mason discussed his extensive car collection and shared anecdotes about his lifelong love affair with automobiles. Despite celebrating his 80th birthday earlier this year, Mason’s enthusiasm for both music and motors shows no signs of waning.
Beyond the podcast, Mason and his band are gearing up for their European tour following the UK leg, culminating in a performance at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Reflecting on the band’s repertoire, Mason highlighted their focus on capturing the atmosphere of Pink Floyd’s early music, allowing for creative reinterpretations of classic tracks.
Nick Mason said, “It’s a great venue. We didn’t actually start playing there but we certainly, in 1966, did a charity event playing there. It’s somewhere we’ve been revisiting for 60-odd years,” he added during the 45-minute episode of the automotive show where he talked about music and motors.
“We play Floyd songs because first of all it was a repertoire which I could just about remember, which helped. The other thing was that feeling that we wanted to capture the atmosphere of the early music. That meant it actually freed us up a bit because we didn’t have to play Comfortably Numb exactly as it was played on the record. We were playing the earlier songs where it was much more about the atmosphere that went with it rather than the accuracy.
“It wasn’t me who formed the band. It was initially Lee’s suggestion and the rest of the band sort of formed itself around us. We certainly didn’t do anything as crude as hold any sort of tests or auditions. It was actually, in a way, exactly how bands always used to be put together, which was a few like-minded people getting together and saying ‘well let’s give it a go’. And that’s exactly what we did.”
The formation of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, according to Mason, was an organic process driven by shared musical interests and camaraderie among the band members. Rejecting conventional audition processes, the group’s inception harkened back to the spirit of old-school band formations, emphasizing collaboration and experimentation.
Listeners of the Fuelling Around podcast were treated to an engaging dialogue that showcased Nick Mason’s enduring creativity, humour, and passion for both music and motors. As Mason and his band prepare to embark on their tour, fans can anticipate an unforgettable journey through the soundscape of Pink Floyd’s early years, led by one of rock music’s most iconic figures.
