Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour Opens up About the “Deference” That Plagues Him Today

Since the 1960s, David Gilmour showcased his amazing talents on the stage. Able to sing, play the guitar, and write music, the star became a top name in the iconic rock band Pink Floyd. Although gaining entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thanks to Pink Floyd, Gilmour also built a promising solo career. And in September, he will expand his solo career with another album, Luck and Strange. Hitting shelves on September 6, the singer recently explained how difficult it is for him to get honest feedback given his stardom. 

Speaking with The Sun, Gilmour revealed a different side to stardom. He said, “After you achieve these dizzying heights, people tend to show you way too much deference. It becomes hard to retrieve the setup you had when you were young. In the earlier stages of Pink Floyd, we could be as rude and insulting to each other about our personalities and our music as we wanted — and yet everything would be all right in the end.”

Looking at his solo career, Gilmour praised his work with producer Charlie Andrew. He was also thankful the producer didn’t know much about Pink Floyd. “I looked at all the people I knew but I’d got to a point in life where I wanted to move things forward in a different way… I made contact with Charlie and he came down to the house. He had total lack of knowledge of Pink Floyd and the side of the music industry that I come from.”

[RELATED: David Gilmour Talks Collaborating with Wife Polly Samson on His New Album, ‘Luck and Strange’]

David Gilmour Found More Than A Wife With Polly Samson

When inside the studio, the two found common ground. Gilmour continued, “Charlie was refreshingly blunt with some of his opinions. He was brilliant’’. But it wasn’t just Andrew who helped give Gilmour feedback as his wife, Polly Samson, also a promising songwriter, brought a unique skill when marrying Gilmour. “As a married couple, we discuss our fears and our joys. She knows my preoccupations. It’s a great skill that she can inhabit my head.”

Although helping into the studio, Gilmour insisted Samson’s advice go far beyond the writing. “But her input is not limited to the lyrics. She has solid opinions on every aspect of what we do and is not scared to voice them.”

(Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images)