David Gilmour - Doing His Bit For Charidee
All the following pictures, or more accurately screengrabs, are culled from Gilmour's parallel career as a keen participant in shows of a nature which are for the purposes of raising money or awareness (and in some cases, both) for various charities over the years. For the interested, who almost recognise the events from their grainy anthology videotapes, they are Live Aid, the Amnesty International Big 3-0, Hysteria 2, Knebworth-The Event, the Secret Policeman's Third Ball, the Comic Relief 1991 single "The Stonk", Rock Aid Armenia, the Colombian Volcano Concert, Deep End Live, Hysteria 3, Rock-A-Baby and The Prince's Trust 1996 extravaganza.

 

One of Gilmour's finest abilities as a guitar player - the pulling of faces which suggest he's about to vomit.

The battered 'Workmate' Telecaster, some eight years before Paul McCartney came calling. 

 

 

 Not quite what some have chosen to term the guitar masturbation face, but not far off...

 Yes! Now this IS the face, seen from an angle at which only his nearest and dearest would usually be able.

 

 

Here's a treat. It's David Gilmour. The happy, smiley one. Remember?

 Rarer than Roger Waters laughing, it's Gilmour and a bass guitar.

 

 

And this is rarer still. Gilmour and a keyboard. Why, the anarchy. He'll be playing a euphonium next.

Alright then. Maybe not. This'll have to do instead. A singularly foul Eighties thing with no bit on the end. 

 

 

Gilmour at Knebworth '90, showing the world what happens when you wash the strength back in with Loreal Elvive.

 The 1987 experiment with designer stubble proved unwise....

 

This comes from the official Secret Policeman's Third Ball book, which I never knew existed up until I bought it at a used bookshop today (1/8/2001). Given my comments for the picture above, can you guess what this picture's caption said?

That aside, you're witnessing a reunion of sorts between Geldof and Gilmour. Pink and Floyd, if you will. And the final wonder: it's a bass guitar, not a Stratocaster... 

And this silvery-black shirt was obviously vaguely inspired by the markings on a mackerel. 

Despite lending his services to the 1991 Comic Relief record, Gilmour isn't finding it very funny. 

"Does anybody know where the toilets are?"

 

 

"They're out there? Why didn't you tell me four hours ago, you bastards?"

Say hello to the camera, David. There's a good chap.  

More close-up determined looks from Mr Gilmour. I wish I had hair like that. 

Now you're really going to have to trust me on these next three pictures. This is David telling the crowd to be quiet so he can begin Wish You Were Here...

 

 

 ...and this is him telling them to make some noise at the customary point during Comfortably Numb.

 Poor though the image quality is, that is our man, and he is performing Steely Dan's Reelin' In The Years. Honest.

 

The mid-90's saw Gilmour finally cave in to the persistent campaign by friends and family to make him get a proper haircut. 

Aside from the fact his head looks like a plastic cyborg's, is he just taking time out to, ahem, breathe in the air? Or can he detect Roger Waters loitering nearby? 

All things considered, I should think you'd be terribly glad to see the back of David bloody Gilmour by now. So here it is. Enjoy. 

And finally...what of those nearly-Pink Floyd-but-not0quite people that have sometimes stood by him in the noble task?

 

 

Aaahh. It's Sam Brown. And Gary Wallis too, showing us just what an improvement the pony tail really was.

 

 

Aaahh again. Miss Saxuality herself, Candy Dulfer. And a most impressive, if not terribly clear, line-up: Clare Torry, Durga McBroom, Vicki Brown, Tim Renwick and (once again) Sam Brown.

 

 Finally, it's Jon Carin, with eyes closed and shaking his head gently. Not that I'm suggesting he's on another planet, mind.

Another piss-poor presentation from the withered hand of CJH, who is in no way is obsessed with Gilmour. Dear me, no.