Nick Mason, the drummer of legendary rock band Pink Floyd, was posed an interesting question on Wednesday: Where would the UK-based band see themselves if they had to start afresh in the 21st century? Rock band aficionados would not think twice before stating that Floyd would have gone on to become the legendary music band it was supposed to, no matter what time of the decade it is.
Mason, 72, however, had an interesting reply. "I don't think we'd even get on The 'X Factor' [popular reality TV music show]," he told Reuters at the launch of the "The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains" in London's Victoria and Albert museum.
Apart from David Gilmour, who remained the frontman of the band for many years as well as the lead guitarist, Mason is the only active Pink Floyd member right now in 2016. Roger Waters, the former bassist as well as one of the key founding members of the band, parted ways with the setup long back. Keyboardist Richard Wright and former Syd Barrett have also passed away.
Time has passed steadily but the legacy of Pink Floyd never came to an end. If everyone thought Pulse (1995) was the final Pink Floyd album, the band's 2014 release The Endless River made people think otherwise.
To celebrate the rich heritage and the never-ending legacy of the band that produced absolutely-unforgettable songs over the years like "Another Brick in the Wall", "Time", "Money", "High Hopes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) decided to host the exhibition celebrating the legacy of Pink Floyd.
The event will start at the museum in May 2017 and will go on till October 2017. It was actually 50 years back in 1967 that the psychedelic-cum-progressive rock band released its first single, Arnold Layne. From celebrating their achievements over the years in graphics and documentaries as well as photographs and lighting extravaganza, the exhibition is expected to be a sheer treat for the youngsters of today who have shown interest in Pink Floyd, but have never really caught up with the band live on stage.
"It's the fact that we still sort of exist and we still seem to interest people after 50 years in an industry that was seen as entirely ephemeral by all of us when we first started," stated Mason, who rendered the only line in the instrumental track, "One of these days" from the Pink Floyd album Meddle in 1971.
It remain to be seen whether Gilmour will join Mason during the exhibition next year. Nevertheless, a pink inflatable pig, one of the majorly recognised emblems of Pink Floyd, along with prisms and marching hammers, was seen floating above the Victoria and Albert museum in London on Wednesday during the launch of the exhibition.
