NICK MASON – Inside Out (a personal history of Pink Floyd)

Reviewed by Hugues Chantraine

As opposed to Emerson’s book (out a few months before Mason’s), the major feeling pervading from this book is that the writer looks for bringing peace among his old mates rather than throw firecrackers at them. The writing style is completely different, calm, almost shy, respectful, humble, but straightforward and taking no detour. He does not seem to escape any sticky issues – and believe me there are  - even answering the questions you thought he would avoid. Funnily, he describes the inside moods of Floyd rather accurately, and somehow we get the same awkward feeling that was pervading in Genesis, where the members knew each other very well but not able to communicate with each other (he blames the schooling system as well as the middle-class microcosm for this lack of communication skills); except maybe to get on their nerves. The questions about Syd Barrett are all answered and the ones about Rick Wright’s eviction are all met with the same neutrality. Mason always describes his role with humility and never claims responsibility in the success of his group, and does claims a share in the collective breakdown in the early 80’s as he was more busy playing business and racing cars than helping out Floyd. The book goes all the way to the Live 8 reunion although in a last minute addendum. Clearly mason does address some reproaches to Waters and clearly states that all he did was actually driving them to continue rather than stop Floyd. However too much time is spent talking of Momentary Lapse Of Reason and the gigantic tour and does the same for Division Bell. Everything he says about the former only confirms that they were not ready to do the album, but went ahead just for the sake of proving Waters wrong.

One must know that Mason send a copy of the script to all parties concerned (barred Steve O’Rourke recently deceased and Syd for obvious decency reasons) so they could make comments – he amusingly mentions that both Waters and Gilmour made their remarks with a green high-liter and Wright with a green pen.

Although the Floyd story is quite well known, there are numerous times when you are happy to read it from the horse’s mouth and the bonus being added that there is much humour into his thoughts. A very enjoyable read that will probably not get an answer from other members (I think even Waters has no qualms about it) which is far from what a certain KB man did with his book.