"Things came to a head in February [1968] on the day we were due to play a gig in Southampton," Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason recalls in his new book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. "In the car on the way to collect Syd, someone said, 'Shall we pick up Syd?' and the response was 'No, f--- it, let's not bother.'" Thus, the mythical Syd Barrett was dumped from Pink Floyd and the classic line up of the band--Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason--was born. This incarnation of the band lasted about thirteen years, finding their way after letting go of their permanently LSD-affected lead singer/songwriter/guitarist and then acheiving mainstream success with Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. Next month at Live 8 the classic line up of Pink Floyd, after nearly a quarter century apart, reunites.

Sir Geldof has some pull. I like Pink Floyd, but not necessarily the Pink Floyd ‘scene’ and I am a fan of Roger Waters, so I am pleased to see this. I like Waters songwriting, but the post-Waters, Gilmour-driven Pink Floyd also offered up a pretty unique distorted, ethereal sound somewhat reminiscent of the sound Lanios gave U2, Robbie Robertson, and Dylan in certain songs. I hope this will parlay into a tour. This definitely makes up for the torture of The Eagles getting back together.