David Gilmour Insists Pink Floyd Are Really, Truly Over

David Gilmour will probably never stop hearing questions about the possibility of another Pink Floyd album or tour — and it seems equally certain that he'll never change his mind about closing the book on that part of his past.

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine (via Billboard), Gilmour reiterated his insistence that Pink Floyd are truly finished, explaining, "I'm done with it. I've had 48 years in Pink Floyd — quite a few of those years at the beginning, with Roger [Waters]. And those years in what is now considered to be our heyday were 95 percent musically fulfilling and joyous and full of fun and laughter. And I certainly don't want to let the other five percent color my view of what was a long and fantastic time together. But it has run its course, we are done — and it would be fakery to go back and do it again."

This is hardly the first time in recent memory that Gilmour has dismissed the possibility of further Floyd, but for some fans, the release of last year's The Endless River sparked hopes of an eventual follow-up project of some sort. As Gilmour pointed out to Classic Rock, the River tracks were based on performances recorded when keyboardist Rick Wright, who died in 2008, was still alive, and Wright's absence means the band couldn't continue even if he wanted it to.

"To do it without Rick would just be wrong," he noted, adding, "I absolutely don't want to go back. I don't want to go and play stadiums ... under the [Pink Floyd] banner. I'm free to do exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it. Obviously I accept there are people who want to go and see and hear this legend that was Pink Floyd, but I'm afraid that's not my responsibility."

Gilmour's current responsibilities include overseeing — and touring behind — his next solo album, Rattle That Lock. His former Floyd partner Waters, who has his own new record in the pipeline, has also put the band firmly behind him — although fans can take solace in the possibility that there might be more unreleased material in the band's vaults.

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