title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury was given a rousing reception by the crowd as he made his way to the ring in an attire of red and white, paying homage to Saint George's Day to the backdrop of "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. and "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon, in contrast to the boos received by his opponent Whyte during his own ring-walk. Whyte unexpectedly boxed the first round in the southpaw stance, which was unusual for the primarily orthodox fighter. After a cautious first three minutes, Fury returned the favour at the start of the second round by switching between the southpaw and orthodox stances. The champion found success with the jab and check hook. In the fourth round, Whyte was cut over his right eye after a clash of heads. Fury continued to dominate the fight, landing a straight right in the fifth round which appeared to momentarily stun the challenger. With around ten seconds left of the sixth round, Fury landed a left jab, followed by a right uppercut which sent Whyte sprawling to the canvas. Although Whyte was able to beat the count and rise to his feet, the referee deemed it unsafe for him to continue, halting the fight after two minutes and fifty-nine seconds of the sixth round, declaring Fury the winner by sixth-round technical knockout. At the time of the stoppage, Fury was winning the bout on all three scorecards with 49–46, 48–47, and 50–45.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In his post-fight ring interview, Fury claimed that the fight against Whyte was the last of his professional boxing career: "I've been in this game 20 years, I'm 34 in a few months. I said the third Wilder fight would be my last but I felt I owed the fans one last homecoming. This is definitely the end of the Gypsy King and I went out with a bang. Tonight was amazing but this is the end." Fury appeared to have no regrets, stating, "I fulfilled everything I've ever wanted to fulfil. I will retire as only the second heavyweight in history, after Rocky Marciano, to retire undefeated. I was unbeatable at this game."


title: Tyson Fury

text: On 20 October 2022, it was announced that Fury would defend his WBC title against Chisora in a trilogy bout on 3 December at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, live on BT Sport Box Office.


title: Tyson Fury

text: On the night of the fight, Fury defeated Chisora via 10th-round TKO. After the fight, Fury called on Usyk, who was seated ringside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to join him between the ropes. Usyk obliged, stepping up to the ropes before facing a barrage of abuse from Fury.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury made an appearance in an angle on WWE's debut of "SmackDown" on Fox on 4 October 2019. Appearing as a fan, he stared down Braun Strowman during his match, and Strowman later threw one of his opponents, Dolph Ziggler, at Fury. After the match, Fury jumped the barricade, but was stopped by security. On 11 October, it was confirmed that Fury and Strowman would have a match at WWE Crown Jewel. At Crown Jewel on 31 October, Fury defeated Strowman via countout. Fury reportedly earned £11.9 million ($15 million) for his participation. Fury later made an appearance on the 8 November episode of "SmackDown" at the Manchester Arena, shaking hands with Strowman and suggesting they form a tag team together before both being challenged by the B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel), who they left laying in the ring.


title: Tyson Fury

text: On 3 September 2022, Fury was in the audience of WWE Clash at the Castle. During the main event between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre, Fury prevented Austin Theory from interfering by knocking him out. After the match, Fury helped the defeated McIntyre up, then after assuring him that he did well, the two led the crowd into some songs.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In September 2019, Penguin Random House imprint Century secured the publishing rights to Fury's autobiography, titled "". It was released on 14 November 2019 and reached the number-one bestseller position on Amazon with 24 hours of its release.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury appeared in a four-part ITV documentary named "Meet the Furys", which followed the Fury family while Tyson was preparing to fight in Las Vegas for the first time. ITV later commissioned another documentary about Fury, titled "Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King", which showed Fury and his family during the build-up to the Wilder rematch.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Known for his habit of impromptu singing, Fury regularly gained media attention for singing songs in the boxing ring after matches and during promotional events. In 2019, Fury appeared as a guest vocalist on English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams' studio album "The Christmas Present", for the song "Bad Sharon".


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury has expressed an interest in competing in mixed martial arts. In November 2019, he had a training session with Darren Till, who said there is a 70% chance that Fury will compete in MMA. Fury also mentioned that Conor McGregor has offered to train him should he crossover to MMA.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In November 2020, Fury's second book entitled "The Furious Method" was published. A self-help book, it is "full of inspirational advice for readers on how we can all improve our physical and mental health". The book was a commercial success, and is a "Sunday Times" bestseller.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In February 2022, Fury launched a new range of energy drinks named Furocity Energy to rival market leaders Red Bull and Monster Energy.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In August 2022, Fury and Netflix announced that a new multi-part documentary featuring Fury and his family had begun production with the working title "At Home With The Furys."


title: Tyson Fury

text: On 11 November 2022, Fury released his first official single, a version of "Sweet Caroline". All proceeds raised from the single are to go to men's mental health charity, Talk Club.


title: Tyson Fury

text: After Fury became world champion in 2015, the British media began to scrutinise what he had said in the past. He received criticism for having said that he would "hang" his sister if she was promiscuous, as well as comments made in an interview before the Klitschko fight in which he denounced abortion, paedophilia, and homosexuality, saying that the legalisation of these behaviours would bring forth a Biblical reckoning.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury was nominated for the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award but around 140,000 people signed a petition claiming that his equation of homosexuality with paedophilia should disqualify him. When asked about the petition by a BBC journalist, Fury quoted religious phrases, including "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved," along with : "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life and shall not perish." Fury ultimately came fourth in the SPOTY award and said at the ceremony, "I've said a lot of stuff in the past and none of it is with intentions to hurt anybody. I apologise to anyone that's been hurt by it." He also was criticised for comments on bestiality, transgender people, and "Zionist Jewish people who own all the banks, all the papers, all the TV stations" in a May 2016 interview. The interview was later deleted and Fury apologised: "I said some things which may have hurt some people, which as a Christian man is not something I would ever want to do. Though it is not an excuse, sometimes the heightened media scrutiny has caused me to act out in public and then my words can get taken out of context. I mean no harm or disrespect to anyone and I know more is expected of me as an ambassador of British boxing and I promise in future to hold myself up to the highest possible standard."


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury was formerly known for his attention-grabbing antics, such as arriving at a press conference in a Lamborghini and wearing a Batman costume. After his hiatus, he has said that he does not want to "play a character anymore". He stated in November 2017, "I feel I have a story to tell, a massive one. The stuff I've been through, depression, mental health problems. It can help and inspire others. From 18 stone to 27. From a clean living man to drugs and alcohol and back to the heavyweight world champion again. I hope the legacy and story I leave behind will help others in the future of what to do and not to do." Although Fury has vowed to rein in his entertaining behaviour, he is still known for his vibrant personality, with promoter Bob Arum stating that he "hasn't seen a fighter with that much charisma since Muhammad Ali". Since his return to the ring and his strong performance against Wilder, Fury has been dubbed "The People's Champion" due to his open and honest discussion about his mental health struggles. He is currently an Ambassador for the former British world champion Frank Bruno's mental health charity, The Frank Bruno Foundation.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In June 2020, Fury publicly thanked Daniel Kinahan for his role in brokering a potential Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight. In 2018, an Irish High Court judge stated that Kinahan, who has no previous criminal convictions, is a senior figure in organised crime on a global scale. The Irish government expressed its "outrage" over the involvement of Kinahan in the brokering of the proposed fight. On 24 June 2020, it was announced that Fury had parted ways with Kinahan as an advisor. However, in June 2022, Fury was refused entry to the United States, apparently a result of his links with Kinahan.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury met his wife Paris (née Mullroy) when she was 15 and he was 17. They began dating the year after they met, and married in 2008 at St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The couple have six children together: three sons (all named Prince) and three daughters. When Fury was asked why all of his sons had the first name Prince, he said, "I'm a king and they're princes until they earn their rightful name." He named his first son Prince after Prince Naseem, his favourite British fighter. Paris suffered a miscarriage before Fury's cancelled bout with Ustinov in 2014, and lost another child on the day of his comeback fight against Seferi in 2018.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury's mother was a Protestant and his father is a Catholic, though neither actively practised their religions; he was instead introduced to religion by his uncle, a born-again Christian and Pentecostal preacher in the Irish Traveller community. "The Guardian" described Fury's beliefs as "a mixture of traditional Roman Catholic... and a particularly literal interpretation of evangelical Christianity". His wife is a practising Catholic and was also raised in an Irish Traveller family.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury and his family reside in Morecambe, Lancashire. He also owns a home in Las Vegas, but decided to let his boxing trainer live there because he is unsure about spending more time in the US. In September 2015, he expressed an interest in running to be an independent MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, stating that the government was too focused on providing services for immigrants and not enough on homeless people and those with drug and alcohol problems.


title: Tyson Fury

text: In April 2016, Fury spoke about the racial abuse he receives as an Irish Traveller, stating that "no one wants to see a Gypsy do well". He stated, "I am a Gypsy and that's it. I will always be a Gypsy, I'll never change. I will always be fat and white and that's it. I am the champion yet I am thought of as a bum." Since his return from his hiatus, Fury has stated that he still feels bias against his community.


title: Tyson Fury

text: Fury is a fan of Manchester United FC and attends football matches at their home ground Old Trafford. He also supports the England national team.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Colson Baker (born April 22, 1990), known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is noted for his genre duality across alternative rock with hip hop.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Machine Gun Kelly released four mixtapes between 2007 and 2010 before signing with Bad Boy Records. He released his debut studio album, "Lace Up", in 2012, which peaked at number four on the US "Billboard" 200 and contained his breakout single "Wild Boy" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame). His second and third albums, "General Admission" (2015) and "Bloom" (2017), achieved similar commercial success; the latter included the single "Bad Things" (with Camila Cabello), which peaked at number 4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. His fourth album, "Hotel Diablo" (2019), included rap rock.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Machine Gun Kelly released his fifth album, "Tickets to My Downfall", in 2020; it marked a complete departure from hip hop and entry into pop punk. It debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, the only rock album to do so that year, and contained the single "My Ex's Best Friend", which reached number 20 on the Hot 100. He achieved similar commercial success with its follow up "Mainstream Sellout" (2022).


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Machine Gun Kelly had his first starring role in the romantic drama "Beyond the Lights" (2014), and since appeared in the techno-thriller "Nerve" (2016), the horror "Bird Box" (2018), the comedy "Big Time Adolescence" and portrayed Tommy Lee in the biopic "The Dirt" (both 2019).


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker was born on April 22, 1990, in Houston to missionary parents. Baker and his family moved all around the world and he lived in Egypt for the first 4 years of his life. He also moved to Germany as well as throughout the United States, in Chicago, Denver, and Cleveland. Baker's mother left home when he was nine years old and he and his father moved to Denver to live with Baker's aunt. Baker's father fought depression and unemployment. Baker says he had just two school outfits and that he endured bullying from children in his neighborhood.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: He began listening to rap in the sixth grade, when he attended Hamilton Middle School, a school with an ethnically diverse student body in Denver. While he lived in Cleveland, Baker attended Shaker Heights High School.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: The first three rappers that got him into the genre of hip hop as a child were Ludacris, Eminem and DMX, with Baker gaining interest in the genre after listening to DMX's "We Right Here" from the album "The Great Depression" (2001).


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In March 2009, while he was on the verge of getting evicted, Baker traveled to Harlem's Apollo Theater, where he had consecutive victories, making him the first ever rapper to win at the Apollo Theater. He recorded music in his home studio, which he refers to as the "Rage Cage", and started to gain exposure when he was featured on MTV2's Sucker Free Freestyle, where he freestyled numerous verses from his "Chip off the Block" single. In February 2010, he released his second mixtape "100 Words and Running", where he derived his catchphrase, "Lace Up", which started as a mixtape interlude, before making it a prominent reference in his music. Despite his rising popularity, Baker found himself working at Chipotle to afford rent, as well as being kicked out by his father after high school. Baker soon also became a father.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In May 2010, he made his national debut with the single "Alice in Wonderland", which was released on iTunes and accompanied a music video along with the song. It was released via Block Starz Music. The single earned Baker the "Best Midwest Artist" at the 2010 Underground Music Awards and his "Alice in Wonderland" clip won Best Music Video at the 2010 Ohio Hip-Hop Awards. He released his second mixtape in November 2010 titled "Lace Up" which featured the hometown anthem "Cleveland", which was then played at Cleveland Cavaliers home games and went on rotation on Z107.9 in Cleveland. The mixtape was recorded in three months in 2010 during a creative burst. Following the release of the mixtape, he was featured in the magazine "XXL" in 2011. He then appeared on the Juicy J track "Inhale", which also featured Steve-O from the television series "Jackass", in the music video.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In March 2011, Baker participated in his first SXSW show in Austin, Texas, and at the show, he was approached by Sean Combs, who had offered Baker a recording contract with Bad Boy Records, which is associated with and has its content distributed by Interscope. Prior to the contract, he was featured on the XV song "Finally Home".


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker announced that his debut album would be titled "Lace Up", and would have an intended release on October 9, 2012. "Wild Boy" served as the lead single for the album and the song peaked on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 at number 98. It was soon certified gold by the RIAA. The song "Invincible" was released on iTunes on December 16, 2011, featuring co-writer and singer Ester Dean as the second single of the album. The song is featured in a commercial for the HTC ReZound as well as the official theme song of WrestleMania XXVIII. WWE also used the song to highlight John Cena in his match with at the event, with Baker also performing at WrestleMania prior to the main event. "Invincible" is also currently the theme for Thursday Night Football on the NFL network. WWE also used the song "All We Have" to again highlight Cena on his rematch with The Rock at next year's event. On December 14, 2011, Baker was named the "Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2011" by MTV. On March 18, 2012, Baker won the MTVu Breaking Woodie award before being featured on the cover of "XXL" as part of their annual "Top 10 Freshmen list" along with fellow rappers Macklemore, French Montana, Hopsin, Danny Brown, Iggy Azalea, Roscoe Dash, Future, Don Trip and Kid Ink. On August 13, 2012, Baker self-released a mixtape titled "EST 4 Life", which contained both old and recently recorded material.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: "Lace Up" was released on October 9, 2012. The album featured guest appearances from Bun B, Cassie, DMX, Ester Dean, Lil Jon, Tech N9ne, Twista, Waka Flocka Flame, Young Jeezy and Dub-O. The album debuted at number 4 on the US "Billboard" 200, with first-week sales of 57,000 copies. It slid down to No. 22 in its second week, giving it a total of 65,000 copies sold. As of September 2015, the album has sold 263,000 copies.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In early 2012, Baker announced that he would be releasing a new mixtape. Pusha T and Meek Mill were the first artists to be featured on the mixtape, both appearing on the track "Pe$o". Baker also announced that Wiz Khalifa will be featured on the mixtape. On February 18, 2013, Baker announced the name of the mixtape as "Black Flag" and revealed the cover. He also released a music video for "Champions" which features Diddy and samples The Diplomats song "We are the Champions", as the music video release served as a promotional video for "Black Flag". On June 26, Baker released "Black Flag" without prior announcement. The mixtape also featured guest appearances from French Montana, Kellin Quinn, Dub-O, Sean McGee and Tezo. On June 4, 2013, Baker posted a picture of a letter on his social media accounts which read: This project is dedicated to love, because for my entire life it has been taken from me. Granted, when it was given, I pushed it right back. I couldn't handle it. This was until I experienced the loss of love for what I love doing most: music. That was the one thing worth fighting for, even more-so then[sic] the love of my father. I've found that love again. And I plan on never surrendering it. Find what you love and fight!! Black Flag.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Following the release of "Black Flag", rumors surfaced that Baker had begun working on his second studio album. In January 2014, he confirmed that he was in the early stages of working on the album, with 2015 being the scheduled year of release. On January 5, 2015, Baker released the song "Till I Die", which was accompanied with a music video on his VEVO account. Months later, a remix of "Till I Die" with hometown fellow hip-hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony was confirmed and released on June 5, 2015. The song aired via WorldStarHipHop and featured French Montana, Yo Gotti and Ray Cash. On May 18, 2015, the music video for another song titled "A Little More" was released, with the single featuring vocals from Victoria Monet. Baker soon had an interview with MTV, describing the reason as to why he wrote "A Little More". Stating in the interview: "People always came up to me after the first album and a lot of my friends back home said 'we need something for the streets' and then I did "Till I Die". Months later, when I look back at the video [for Till I Die] I [was] like 'Okay, he's in jail, he's shot, he's dead, he snitched' and just to the point where it's sad and I wrote the song to describe how I see the world as a much mature person." He also updated the status on his second studio album, noting that the album is finished, and stating that the album would contain "more lyricism and [would be more] stylistically [influenced by] hip-hop but musically, sonically [would contain] more live instrumentation."


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On June 25, Baker released the title of his second album as "General Admission", due to be released in late September 2015.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In February, Baker appeared at Fastlane, which was hosted at the Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland. Baker released "Bad Things" in late 2016, a joint single with Camila Cabello, which has reached a peak of number four on the US "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker was going to be the opening act on the North American leg of Linkin Park's One More Light Tour before the tour was cancelled due to Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's suicide. Baker would subsequently pay tribute to Bennington by releasing an acoustic cover of the Linkin Park song "Numb".


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On September 3, 2018, Baker released the song "Rap Devil". The track was a response to Eminem's diss track "Not Alike" off of his album "Kamikaze". Playing on Eminem's own "Rap God" single, the track accuses Eminem of trying to sideline Baker's career after a comment Baker made in 2012 about Eminem's teenage daughter, Hailie. Baker publicly stated on his Twitter account that on the response track he was "standing up for not just myself, but my generation. [I'm] doing the same shit you did back in your day." "Rap Devil" topped the iTunes Chart on September 10, 2018. On September 14, 2018, Eminem responded to "Rap Devil" with his own diss track, "Killshot".


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On September 21, 2018, Baker released the EP "Binge", which had first week sales of 21,519 units and debuted at 24 on the Billboard 200.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In April 2019, "Billboard" reported that Baker's upcoming album would be titled "Hotel Diablo". The first single, "Hollywood Whore", was released on May 17, 2019. The second single, "El Diablo", was released on May 31, 2019. On June 7, 2019, Baker released the third single, "I Think I'm Okay", with Yungblud and Travis Barker, a pop punk song. "Hotel Diablo" was released on July 5, 2019. On July 9, 2019, he released the official music video for "Candy" featuring Trippie Redd. He released the final single, "Glass House" featuring Naomi Wild on the same day. The album debuted at number 5 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, becoming his fourth top ten album.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On December 18, 2020, Baker released the single "Why Are You Here", another pop punk song. Later on in the same month, he began teasing an upcoming project with Travis Barker producing, it was then later revealed that the album would be an entirely pop punk, stating he was inspired to pursue a whole release in the style because of his two previously released in the genre.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On January 14, 2020, Baker announced the title of the project as "Tickets to My Downfall", and that it would be released on September 25, 2020. On March 17, 2020, he released the song "Bullets with Names", featuring Young Thug, RJMrLA and Lil Duke, a rap track not associated with the album. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Baker began to release daily recordings, covers, and collaborations as part of his "#LockdownSessions" series. Releases included covers of "Misery Business" by Paramore (with Travis Barker), "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis (with Yungblud), and a remix of "My House" by PVRIS. Some tracks were later re-released on special editions of "Tickets to My Downfall". "Tickets to My Downfall"'s first single "Bloody Valentine" was released on May 1, 2020, followed by "Concert for Aliens" on August 5 and "My Ex's Best Friend" featuring Blackbear on August 7.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In August 2020, Baker opened his own coffee house called 27 Club Coffee in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. On September 29, 2020, a music video was released for the "Tickets to my Downfall" song "Drunk Face", directed by Mod Sun, which was followed on October 22, 2020, by a music video for "Forget Me Too". Throughout October 2020, the four episodes of "Halloween in Hell", a fictionalised musical horror podcast that Baker created and starred in, were released. The series also starred Iann Dior, 24kGoldn, Dana Dentata, Phem and Tommy Lee. The podcast was accompanied by the album "Audio Up presents: Original Music from Halloween In Hell" a soundtrack performed collaboratively by all the actors involved, and written and composed by Jared Gutstadt. Baker directed the music video for Mod Sun's song "Karma", which was released on November 12, 2020.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On November 22, 2020, after his performance at the AMAs, Baker announced his album "Tickets to My Downfall" was going to be turned into a ""first if it’s kind musical film experience"" titled "Downfalls High" which will air in January 2021. On November 30, 2020, Yungblud announced on Twitter he'll be releasing a new collaboration featuring Baker and Travis Barker titled "Acting Like That". On January 15, 2021, Baker released "Downfalls High" on his Facebook page followed by a release to YouTube on January 18. Directed by Baker and Mod Sun and narrated by Baker and Barker, the film stars Chase Hudson and Sydney Sweeney as teenage lovers in what Baker described as a "pop-punk [version of] "Grease"". Iann Dior, Phem, Jxdn, and Trippie Redd, also make appearances.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On March 12, 2021, he released the single "DayWalker" featuring Corpse Husband. On April 29, he released the single "Love Race" featuring Kellin Quinn, the pair's third collaboration.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On August 9, 2021, he announced that his next album would be titled "Born with Horns", and would be another collaborative project with Barker. The first single, "Papercuts", was released on August 11. On January 30, 2022, he posted a preview of a collaboration with singer Willow titled "Emo Girl".


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On August 26, 2021, it was announced that he would star in and co-direct the film "Good Mourning", alongside Mod Sun, Dove Cameron, Megan Fox and Becky G. On February 5, 2022, Machine Gun Kelly performed during the 2022 NHL All-Star Game halftime show in Las Vegas.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: His fifth album, "Tickets to My Downfall", marked a change in sound and has been described as pop punk and alternative rock.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker cites DMX and Eminem as music influences, as well as listening to rock bands Guns N' Roses and Blink-182 during his youth. Baker cites these rap and rock artists as major musical influences. In an interview discussing his collaboration with DMX, Baker called the rapper his idol. He also stated that DMX's music helped him through his troubles while growing up, especially bullying.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker made his film debut in the 2014 romantic drama "Beyond the Lights", where he played a "shallow, self-important" rapper named Kid Culprit. In 2016, he co-starred and co-executive produced the drama film "The Land", a Cleveland-set drama produced by fellow rapper Nas. The same year, he had a minor role in the techno-thriller adventure film "Nerve" with Emma Roberts and Dave Franco; and had a recurring role on the Showtime comedy-drama series "Roadies" as Wes, a former Pearl Jam roadie.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: He played Felix in the 2018 Netflix post-apocalyptic horror thriller film "Bird Box" with Sandra Bullock, and portrayed drummer Tommy Lee in "The Dirt", a 2019 Netflix biographical comedy-drama about Mötley Crüe. He played the role of Newt in the 2020 superhero film "Project Power" opposite Jamie Foxx, and the following year, he co-starred with Bruce Willis and Megan Fox in the crime thriller film "Midnight in the Switchgrass"; and starred in the action western film "The Last Son" with Sam Worthington. Baker played the role of "London Clash" in the self-directed film "Good Mourning," released in 2022.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In his teens, Baker was in a relationship with Emma Cannon, with whom he has a daughter, who was born in July 2009.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: He is open about his use of cannabis and has claimed in many interviews that he smokes daily, describing it as a "source of happiness and a way people can feel a little more love [in their own right]". He has frequently mentioned cannabis references within sources of his music and rap persona, making it a forefront of both his rap and personal character. For a period prior to the release of "Lace Up" he had an addiction to heroin. He was also a heavy user of cocaine and alcohol prior to 2020. In November 2020, Baker revealed that he had formed an addiction for Adderall, and is seeking treatment.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker was in a relationship with model and actress Amber Rose for two months beginning in April 2015. He dated model Sommer Ray from March to April 2020. Since May 2020, he has been in a relationship with actress Megan Fox after the two met while filming "Midnight in the Switchgrass". On January 12, 2022, Fox announced that the two were engaged.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker's feud with Eminem began on May 7, 2012, when he wrote a tweet saying that Eminem's daughter Hailie was "hot as fuck", despite her being 16 at the time. In an interview with WQHT on October 19, 2015, Baker alleged this led to Eminem blacklisting him from a number of radio stations. On May 16, 2017, Baker performed a freestyle for KPWR, which featured a line referencing Eminem's supposed banning of him from Shade 45. On March 1, 2018, Baker featured on a verse of Tech N9ne's song, "No Reason". Shortly after, on August 31, 2018, Eminem released his diss track, "Not Alike" where he claimed that Baker's verse on the song was about him. On September 3, 2018, Baker responded to this with his own diss track "Rap Devil". On September 12, 2018, Eminem released an interview with Sway Calloway through his YouTube channel where he discussed his reason behind the feud. On September 14, 2018, Eminem released "Killshot", in response to "Rap Devil".


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: On January 17, 2020, Eminem released the song "Unaccommodating", which featured a verse directed at Baker. On March 17, 2020, Baker released the song "Bullets with Names", featuring Young Thug, RJMrLA and Lil Duke, which featured a verse directed at Eminem. On December 18, 2020, Eminem released the song "Gnat". In this song, Eminem dissed Baker in the chorus. On December 15, 2021, Dr. Dre released a song titled "Gospel" off his new EP "The Contract" featuring Eminem and The D.O.C. In this song, Eminem dissed Baker again.


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Baker's feud with G-Eazy began after the end of G-Eazy's relationship with Halsey, when photographs of Baker and Halsey together surfaced. On July 18, 2018, G-Eazy revealed that he had bleached his hair blond, which Baker alleged on Twitter was in an attempt to look like him. On August 30, 2018, G-Eazy released the diss track "Bad Boy" against Baker, who responded the next day in a freestyle performed for Hot 97. The same day, Baker tweeted side-by-side photos of the two, with the caption "I fucked his girl now he looks like me this shit overbearing". In the track "Killshot", Eminem defended G-Eazy and the two ended the feud in April 2019, through what "NME" described as an "intervention by Eminem".


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In 2021, Baker engaged in a feud with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor after being alluded to in an interview where Taylor stated: "I hate all new rock for the most part — well, the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock. And I think he knows who he is, but that’s another story." At Riot Fest in September 2021, Baker and Slipknot were scheduled to play on the same day and time, albeit on different stages. Baker took the opportunity to respond to Taylor's comments, beginning his set by asking the crew to light the crowd so he could "see who chose to be here instead of with all the old weird dudes with masks." He later insulted the band again by stating, "You wanna know what I’m really happy that I'm not doing? Being 50 years old, wearing a fuckin’ weird mask on a fuckin’ stage, talking shit."


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Later on, Baker revealed on Twitter that Taylor was originally meant to feature on "Can't Look Back", a song for "Tickets to My Downfall", but the collaboration did not come to fruition because Baker thought the verse was "fucking terrible" and accused Taylor of being bitter about not being featured on the album. Taylor responded to the tweet by sharing screenshots of emails between himself and Travis Barker, producer of "Tickets to My Downfall", that showed he was the one who respectfully declined to appear on the track due to creative differences. In response, Baker stated that he had simply wanted Taylor to rewrite his verse, reiterating his previous assertion that it was "really bad."


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: Taylor later addressed the feud during a fan Q&A in January 2022 where he claimed that Baker had started it. He went on to insult Baker's change in musical direction and told him to "suck every inch of my dick."


title: Machine Gun Kelly (musician)

text: In July 2022, Baker admitted in his "Life in Pink" documentary that he regretted his feud with Taylor and wished that both of them handled the situation better instead of acting "ridiculous."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Under Barrett's leadership, they released two charting singles and the successful debut album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind the band's peak success with the albums "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973), "Wish You Were Here" (1975), "Animals" (1977) and "The Wall" (1979). The musical film based on "The Wall", "Pink Floyd – The Wall" (1982), won two BAFTA Awards. Pink Floyd also composed several film scores.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced two more albums—"A Momentary Lapse of Reason" (1987) and "The Division Bell" (1994)—and toured in support of both before entering a long hiatus. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a one-off performance at the global awareness event Live 8. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, "The Endless River" (2014), was based on unreleased material from the "Division Bell" recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release the song "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" in protest of the Russo-Ukrainian War.


title: Pink Floyd

text: By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and these albums and "Wish You Were Here" are among the best-selling albums of all time. Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200, and five topped the UK Album Chart. Pink Floyd's hit singles include "See Emily Play" (1967), "Money" (1973), "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (1979), "Not Now John" (1983), "On the Turning Away" (1987) and "High Hopes" (1994). They were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, Pink Floyd were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Roger Waters and Nick Mason met while studying architecture at the London Polytechnic at Regent Street. They first played music together in a group formed by fellow students Keith Noble and Clive Metcalfe, with Noble's sister Sheilagh. Richard Wright, a fellow architecture student, joined later that year, and the group became a sextet, Sigma 6. Waters played lead guitar, Mason drums, and Wright rhythm guitar (since there was rarely an available keyboard). The band performed at private functions and rehearsed in a tearoom in the basement of the Regent Street Polytechnic. They performed songs by the Searchers and material written by their manager and songwriter, fellow student Ken Chapman.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In September 1963, Waters and Mason moved into a flat at 39 Stanhope Gardens near Crouch End in London, owned by Mike Leonard, a part-time tutor at the nearby Hornsey College of Art and the Regent Street Polytechnic. Mason moved out after the 1964 academic year, and guitarist Bob Klose moved in during September 1964, prompting Waters's switch to bass. Sigma 6 went through several names, including the Meggadeaths, the Abdabs and the Screaming Abdabs, Leonard's Lodgers, and the Spectrum Five, before settling on the Tea Set. In 1964, as Metcalfe and Noble left to form their own band, guitarist Syd Barrett joined Klose and Waters at Stanhope Gardens. Barrett, two years younger, had moved to London in 1962 to study at the Camberwell College of Arts. Waters and Barrett were childhood friends; Waters had often visited Barrett and watched him play guitar at Barrett's mother's house. Mason said about Barrett: "In a period when everyone was being cool in a very adolescent, self-conscious way, Syd was unfashionably outgoing; my enduring memory of our first encounter is the fact that he bothered to come up and introduce himself to me."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Noble and Metcalfe left the Tea Set in late 1963, and Klose introduced the band to singer Chris Dennis, a technician with the Royal Air Force (RAF). In December 1964, they secured their first recording time, at a studio in West Hampstead, through one of Wright's friends, who let them use some down time free. Wright, who was taking a break from his studies, did not participate in the session. When the RAF assigned Dennis a post in Bahrain in early 1965, Barrett became the band's frontman. Later that year, they became the resident band at the Countdown Club near Kensington High Street in London, where from late night until early morning they played three sets of 90 minutes each. During this period, spurred by the group's need to extend their sets to minimise song repetition, the band realised that "songs could be extended with lengthy solos", wrote Mason. After pressure from his parents and advice from his college tutors, Klose quit the band in mid-1965 and Barrett took over lead guitar.


title: Pink Floyd

text: The group rebranded in late 1965, first referring to themselves as the Pink Floyd Sound. They would later be referred to as the Pink Floyd and later simply Pink Floyd. Barrett created the name on the spur of the moment when he discovered that another band, also called the Tea Set, were to perform at one of their gigs. The name is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose Piedmont blues records Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. By 1966, the group's repertoire consisted mainly of rhythm and blues songs, and they had begun to receive paid bookings, including a performance at the Marquee Club in December 1966, where Peter Jenner, a lecturer at the London School of Economics, noticed them. Jenner was impressed by the sonic effects Barrett and Wright created and, with his business partner and friend Andrew King, became their manager. The pair had little experience in the music industry and used King's inheritance to set up Blackhill Enterprises, purchasing about £1,000 () worth of new instruments and equipment for the band. It was around this time that Jenner suggested they drop the "Sound" part of their band name, thus becoming Pink Floyd. Under Jenner and King's guidance, the group became part of London's underground music scene, playing at venues including All Saints Hall and the Marquee. While performing at the Countdown Club, the band had experimented with long instrumental excursions, and they began to expand them with rudimentary but effective light shows, projected by coloured slides and domestic lights. Jenner and King's social connections helped gain the band prominent coverage in the "Financial Times" and an article in the "Sunday Times" which stated: "At the launching of the new magazine "IT" the other night a pop group called the Pink Floyd played throbbing music while a series of bizarre coloured shapes flashed on a huge screen behind them ... apparently very psychedelic."


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 1966, the band strengthened their business relationship with Blackhill Enterprises, becoming equal partners with Jenner and King and the band members each holding a one-sixth share. By late 1966, their set included fewer R&B standards and more Barrett originals, many of which would be included on their first album. While they had significantly increased the frequency of their performances, the band were still not widely accepted. Following a performance at a Catholic youth club, the owner refused to pay them, claiming that their performance was not music. When their management filed suit in a small claims court against the owner of the youth organisation, a local magistrate upheld the owner's decision. The band was much better received at the UFO Club in London, where they began to build a fan base. Barrett's performances were enthusiastic, "leaping around ... madness ... improvisation ... [inspired] to get past his limitations and into areas that were ... very interesting. Which none of the others could do", wrote biographer Nicholas Schaffner.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 1967, Pink Floyd began to attract the attention of the music industry. While in negotiations with record companies, "IT" co-founder and UFO club manager Joe Boyd and Pink Floyd's booking agent Bryan Morrison arranged and funded a recording session at Sound Techniques in Kensington. Three days later, Pink Floyd signed with EMI, receiving a £5,000 advance (). EMI released the band's first single, "Arnold Layne", with the B-side "Candy and a Currant Bun", on 10 March 1967 on its Columbia label. Both tracks were recorded on 29 January 1967. "Arnold Layne"'s references to cross-dressing led to a ban by several radio stations; however, creative manipulation by the retailers who supplied sales figures to the music business meant that the single peaked in the UK at number 20.


title: Pink Floyd

text: EMI-Columbia released Pink Floyd's second single, "See Emily Play", on 16 June 1967. It fared slightly better than "Arnold Layne", peaking at number 6 in the UK. The band performed on the BBC's "Look of the Week", where Waters and Barrett, erudite and engaging, faced tough questioning from Hans Keller. They appeared on the BBC's "Top of the Pops", a popular programme that controversially required artists to mime their singing and playing. Though Pink Floyd returned for two more performances, by the third, Barrett had begun to unravel, and around this time the band first noticed significant changes in his behaviour. By early 1967, he was regularly using LSD, and Mason described him as "completely distanced from everything going on".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Morrison and EMI producer Norman Smith negotiated Pink Floyd's first recording contract. As part of the deal, the band agreed to record their first album at EMI Studios in London. Mason recalled that the sessions were trouble-free. Smith disagreed, stating that Barrett was unresponsive to his suggestions and constructive criticism. EMI-Columbia released "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" in August 1967. The album peaked at number 6, spending 14 weeks on the UK charts. One month later, it was released under the Tower Records label. Pink Floyd continued to draw large crowds at the UFO Club; however, Barrett's mental breakdown was by then causing serious concern. The group initially hoped that his erratic behaviour would be a passing phase, but some were less optimistic, including Jenner and his assistant, , who commented: "I found [Barrett] in the dressing room and he was so ... gone. Roger Waters and I got him on his feet, [and] we got him out to the stage ... The band started to play and Syd just stood there. He had his guitar around his neck and his arms just hanging down".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Forced to cancel Pink Floyd's appearance at the prestigious National Jazz and Blues Festival, as well as several other shows, King informed the music press that Barrett was suffering from nervous exhaustion. Waters arranged a meeting with psychiatrist R. D. Laing, and though Waters personally drove Barrett to the appointment, Barrett refused to come out of the car. A stay in Formentera with Sam Hutt, a doctor well established in the underground music scene, led to no visible improvement. The band followed a few concert dates in Europe during September with their first tour of the US in October. As the US tour went on, Barrett's condition grew steadily worse. During appearances on the Dick Clark and Pat Boone shows in November, Barrett confounded his hosts by giving terse answers to questions (or not responding at all) and staring into space. He refused to move his lips when it came time to mime "See Emily Play" on Boone's show. After these embarrassing episodes, King ended their US visit and immediately sent them home to London. Soon after their return, they supported Jimi Hendrix during a tour of England; however, Barrett's depression worsened as the tour continued.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In December 1967, reaching a crisis point with Barrett, Pink Floyd added guitarist David Gilmour as the fifth member. Gilmour already knew Barrett, having studied with him at Cambridge Tech in the early 1960s. The two had performed at lunchtimes together with guitars and harmonicas, and later hitch-hiked and busked their way around the south of France. In 1965, while a member of Joker's Wild, Gilmour had watched the Tea Set.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Morrison's assistant, Steve O'Rourke, set Gilmour up in a room at O'Rourke's house with a salary of £30 per week (). In January 1968, Blackhill Enterprises announced Gilmour as the band's newest member, intending to continue with Barrett as a nonperforming songwriter. According to Jenner, the group planned that Gilmour would "cover for [Barrett's] eccentricities". When this proved unworkable, it was decided that Barrett would just write material. In an expression of his frustration, Barrett, who was expected to write additional hit singles to follow up "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", instead introduced "Have You Got It Yet?" to the band, intentionally changing the structure on each performance so as to make the song impossible to follow and learn. In a January 1968 photoshoot of Pink Floyd, the photographs show Barrett looking detached from the others, staring into the distance.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Working with Barrett eventually proved too difficult, and matters came to a conclusion in January while en route to a performance in Southampton when a band member asked if they should collect Barrett. According to Gilmour, the answer was "Nah, let's not bother", signalling the end of Barrett's tenure with Pink Floyd. Waters later said, "He was our friend, but most of the time we now wanted to strangle him." In early March 1968, Pink Floyd met with business partners Jenner and King to discuss the band's future; Barrett agreed to leave.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Jenner and King believed Barrett was the creative genius of the band, and decided to represent him and end their relationship with Pink Floyd. Morrison sold his business to NEMS Enterprises, and O'Rourke became the band's personal manager. Blackhill announced Barrett's departure on 6 April 1968. After Barrett's departure, the burden of lyrical composition and creative direction fell mostly on Waters. Initially, Gilmour mimed to Barrett's voice on the group's European TV appearances; however, while playing on the university circuit, they avoided Barrett songs in favour of Waters and Wright material such as "It Would Be So Nice" and "Careful with That Axe, Eugene".


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 1968, Pink Floyd returned to Abbey Road Studios to complete their second album, "A Saucerful of Secrets", which they had begun in 1967 under Barrett's leadership. The album included Barrett's final contribution to their discography, "Jugband Blues". Waters developed his own songwriting, contributing "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", "Let There Be More Light", and "Corporal Clegg". Wright composed "See-Saw" and "Remember a Day". Norman Smith encouraged them to self-produce their music, and they recorded demos of new material at their houses. With Smith's instruction at Abbey Road, they learned how to use the recording studio to realise their artistic vision. However, Smith remained unconvinced by their music, and when Mason struggled to perform his drum part on "Remember a Day", Smith stepped in as his replacement. Wright recalled Smith's attitude about the sessions, "Norman gave up on the second album ... he was forever saying things like, 'You can't do twenty minutes of this ridiculous noise. As neither Waters nor Mason could read music, to illustrate the structure of the album's title track, they invented their own system of notation. Gilmour later described their method as looking "like an architectural diagram".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Released in June 1968, the album featured a psychedelic cover designed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. The first of several Pink Floyd album covers designed by Hipgnosis, it was the second time that EMI permitted one of their groups to contract designers for an album jacket. The release peaked at number 9, spending 11 weeks on the UK chart. "Record Mirror" gave the album an overall favourable review, but urged listeners to "forget it as background music to a party". John Peel described a live performance of the title track as "like a religious experience", while "NME" described the song as "long and boring ... [with] little to warrant its monotonous direction". On the day after the album's UK release, Pink Floyd performed at the first ever free concert in Hyde Park. In July 1968, they returned to the US for a second visit. Accompanied by the Soft Machine and the Who, it marked Pink Floyd's first major tour. That December, they released "Point Me at the Sky"; no more successful than the two singles they had released since "See Emily Play", it was their last single until "Money" in 1973.


title: Pink Floyd

text: "Ummagumma" represented a departure from Pink Floyd's previous work. Released as a double-LP on EMI's Harvest label, the first two sides contained live performances recorded at Manchester College of Commerce and Mothers, a club in Birmingham. The second LP contained a single experimental contribution from each band member. "Ummagumma" was released in November 1969 and received positive reviews. The album peaked at number 5, spending 21 weeks on the UK chart.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In October 1970, Pink Floyd released "Atom Heart Mother". An early version premièred in England in mid January, but disagreements over the mix prompted the hiring of Ron Geesin to work out the sound problems. Geesin worked to improve the score, but with little creative input from the band, production was troublesome. Geesin eventually completed the project with the aid of John Alldis, who was the director of the choir hired to perform on the record. Smith earned an executive producer credit, and the album marked his final official contribution to the band's discography. Gilmour said it was "A neat way of saying that he didn't ... do anything". Waters was critical of "Atom Heart Mother", claiming that he would prefer if it were "thrown into the dustbin and never listened to by anyone ever again". Gilmour once described it as "a load of rubbish", stating: "I think we were scraping the barrel a bit at that period." Pink Floyd's first number-one album, "Atom Heart Mother" was hugely successful in Britain, spending 18 weeks on the UK chart. It premièred at the Bath Festival on 27 June 1970.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd toured extensively across America and Europe in 1970. In 1971, Pink Floyd took second place in a reader's poll, in "Melody Maker", and for the first time were making a profit. Mason and Wright became fathers and bought homes in London while Gilmour, still single, moved to a 19th-century farm in Essex. Waters installed a home recording studio at his house in Islington in a converted toolshed at the back of his garden.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In January 1971, upon their return from touring "Atom Heart Mother", Pink Floyd began working on new material. Lacking a central theme, they attempted several unproductive experiments; engineer John Leckie described the sessions as often beginning in the afternoon and ending early the next morning, "during which time nothing would get [accomplished]. There was no record company contact whatsoever, except when their label manager would show up now and again with a couple of bottles of wine and a couple of joints". The band spent long periods working on basic sounds, or a guitar riff. They also spent several days at Air Studios, attempting to create music using a variety of household objects, a project which would be revisited between "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here".


title: Pink Floyd

text: "Meddle" was released in October 1971, and reached number three, spending 82 weeks on the UK chart. It marks a transition between the Barrett-led group of the late 1960s and the emerging Pink Floyd; Jean-Charles Costa of "Rolling Stone" wrote that "not only confirms lead guitarist David Gilmour's emergence as a real shaping force with the group, it states forcefully and accurately that the group is well into the growth track again". "NME" called it "an exceptionally good album", singling out "Echoes" as the "Zenith which the Floyd have been striving for". However, "Melody Maker's" Michael Watts found it underwhelming, calling the album "a soundtrack to a non-existent movie", and shrugging off Pink Floyd as "so much sound and fury, signifying nothing".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd recorded "The Dark Side of the Moon" between May 1972 and January 1973 with EMI staff engineer Alan Parsons at Abbey Road. The title is an allusion to lunacy rather than astronomy. The band had composed and refined the material while touring the UK, Japan, North America, and Europe. Producer Chris Thomas assisted Parsons. Hipgnosis designed the packaging, which included George Hardie's iconic refracting prism design on the cover. Thorgerson's cover features a beam of white light, representing unity, passing through a prism, which represents society. The refracted beam of coloured light symbolises unity diffracted, leaving an absence of unity. Waters is the sole author of the lyrics.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Released in March 1973, the LP became an instant chart success in the UK and throughout Western Europe, earning an enthusiastic response from critics. Each member of Pink Floyd except Wright boycotted the press release of "The Dark Side of the Moon" because a quadraphonic mix had not yet been completed, and they felt presenting the album through a poor-quality stereo PA system was insufficient. "Melody Maker" Roy Hollingworth described side one as "utterly confused ... [and] difficult to follow", but praised side two, writing: "The songs, the sounds ... [and] the rhythms were solid ... [the] saxophone hit the air, the band rocked and rolled". "Rolling Stone" Loyd Grossman described it as "a fine album with a textural and conceptual richness that not only invites, but demands involvement."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Throughout March 1973, "The Dark Side of the Moon" featured as part of Pink Floyd's US tour. The album is one of the most commercially successful rock albums of all time; a US number-one, it remained on the "Billboard" Top LPs & Tape chart for more than fourteen years during the 1970s and 1980s, selling more than 45 million copies worldwide. In Britain, the album peaked at number 2, spending 364 weeks on the UK chart. "The Dark Side of the Moon" is the world's third best-selling album, and the twenty-first best-selling album of all time in the US. The success of the album brought enormous wealth to the members of Pink Floyd. Waters and Wright bought large country houses while Mason became a collector of expensive cars. Disenchanted with their US record company, Capitol Records, Pink Floyd and O'Rourke negotiated a new contract with Columbia Records, who gave them a reported advance of $1,000,000 (US$ in dollars). In Europe, they continued to be represented by Harvest Records.


title: Pink Floyd

text: After a tour of the UK performing "Dark Side", Pink Floyd returned to the studio in January 1975 and began work on their ninth studio album, "Wish You Were Here". Parsons declined an offer to continue working with them, becoming successful in his own right with the Alan Parsons Project, and so the band turned to Brian Humphries. Initially, they found it difficult to compose new material; the success of "The Dark Side of the Moon" had left Pink Floyd physically and emotionally drained. Wright later described these early sessions as "falling within a difficult period" and Waters found them "tortuous". Gilmour was more interested in improving the band's existing material. Mason's failing marriage left him in a general malaise and with a sense of apathy, both of which interfered with his drumming.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Despite the lack of creative direction, Waters began to visualise a new concept after several weeks. During 1974, Pink Floyd had sketched out three original compositions and had performed them at a series of concerts in Europe. These compositions became the starting point for a new album whose opening four-note guitar phrase, composed purely by chance by Gilmour, reminded Waters of Barrett. The songs provided a fitting summary of the rise and fall of their former bandmate. Waters commented: "Because I wanted to get as close as possible to what I felt ... [that] indefinable, inevitable melancholy about the disappearance of Syd."


title: Pink Floyd

text: While Pink Floyd were working on the album, Barrett made an impromptu visit to the studio. Thorgerson recalled that he "sat round and talked for a bit, but he wasn't really there". He had changed significantly in appearance, so much so that the band did not initially recognise him. Waters was reportedly deeply upset by the experience. Most of "Wish You Were Here" premiered on 5 July 1975, at an open-air music festival at Knebworth. Released in September, it reached number one in both the UK and the US.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 1975, Pink Floyd bought a three-storey group of church halls at 35 Britannia Row in Islington and began converting them into a recording studio and storage space. In 1976, they recorded their tenth album, "Animals", in their newly finished 24-track studio. The album concept originated with Waters, loosely based on George Orwell's political fable "Animal Farm". The lyrics describe different classes of society as dogs, pigs, and sheep. Hipgnosis received credit for the packaging; however, Waters designed the final concept, choosing an image of the ageing Battersea Power Station, over which they superimposed an image of a pig.


title: Pink Floyd

text: The division of royalties was a source of conflict between band members, who earned royalties on a per-song basis. Although Gilmour was largely responsible for "Dogs", which took up almost the entire first side of the album, he received less than Waters, who contributed the much shorter two-part "Pigs on the Wing". Wright commented: "It was partly my fault because I didn't push my material ... but Dave "did" have something to offer, and only managed to get a couple of things on there." Mason recalled: "Roger was in full flow with the ideas, but he was really keeping Dave down, and frustrating him deliberately." Gilmour, distracted by the birth of his first child, contributed little else toward the album. Similarly, neither Mason nor Wright contributed much toward "Animals"; Wright had marital problems, and his relationship with Waters was also suffering. "Animals" was the first Pink Floyd album with no writing credit for Wright, who said: "This was when Roger "really" started to believe that he was the sole writer for the band ... that it was only because of him that [we] were still going ... when he started to develop his ego trips, the person he would have his conflicts with would be me."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Released in January 1977, "Animals" peaked on the UK chart at number two, and the US chart at number three. "NME" described the album as "one of the most extreme, relentless, harrowing and downright iconoclastic hunks of music", and "Melody Maker" Karl Dallas called it "[an] uncomfortable taste of reality in a medium that has become in recent years, increasingly soporific".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd performed much of "Animals" during their "In the Flesh" tour. It was their first experience playing large stadiums, whose size caused unease in the band. Waters began arriving at each venue alone, departing immediately after the performance. On one occasion, Wright flew back to England, threatening to quit. At the Montreal Olympic Stadium, a group of noisy and enthusiastic fans in the front row of the audience irritated Waters so much that he spat at one of them. The end of the tour marked a low point for Gilmour, who felt that the band achieved the success they had sought, with nothing left for them to accomplish.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In July 1978, amid a financial crisis caused by negligent investments, Waters presented two ideas for Pink Floyd's next album. The first was a 90-minute demo with the working title "Bricks in the Wall;" the other later became Waters's first solo album, "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking". Although both Mason and Gilmour were initially cautious, they chose the former. Bob Ezrin co-produced and wrote a forty-page script for the new album. Ezrin based the story on the central figure of Pink—a "gestalt" character inspired by Waters's childhood experiences, the most notable of which was the death of his father in World War II. This first metaphorical brick led to more problems; Pink would become drug-addled and depressed by the music industry, eventually transforming into a megalomaniac, a development inspired partly by the decline of Syd Barrett. At the end of the album, the increasingly fascist audience would watch as Pink tore down the wall, once again becoming a regular and caring person.


title: Pink Floyd

text: During the recording of "The Wall", the band became dissatisfied with Wright's lack of contribution and fired him. Gilmour said that Wright was dismissed as he "hadn't contributed anything of any value whatsoever to the album—he did very, very little". According to Mason, Wright would sit in on the sessions "without doing anything, just 'being a producer. Waters said the band agreed that Wright would either have to "have a long battle" or agree to "leave quietly" after the album was finished; Wright accepted the ultimatum and left.


title: Pink Floyd

text: "The Wall" was supported by Pink Floyd's first single since "Money", "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)", which topped the charts in the US and the UK. "The Wall" was released on 30 November 1979 and topped the "Billboard" chart in the US for 15 weeks, reaching number three in the UK. It is tied for sixth most certified album by RIAA, with 23 million certified units sold in the US. The cover, with a stark brick wall and band name, was the first Pink Floyd album cover since "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" not designed by Hipgnosis.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Gerald Scarfe produced a series of animations for the "Wall" tour. He also commissioned the construction of large inflatable puppets representing characters from the storyline, including the "Mother", the "Ex-wife" and the "Schoolmaster". Pink Floyd used the puppets during their performances. Relationships within the band reached an all-time low; their four Winnebagos parked in a circle, the doors facing away from the centre. Waters used his own vehicle to arrive at the venue and stayed in different hotels from the rest of the band. Wright returned as a paid musician, making him the only band member to profit from the tour, which lost about $600,000 (US$ in dollars).


title: Pink Floyd

text: "The Wall" was adapted into a film, "Pink Floyd – The Wall." The film was conceived as a combination of live concert footage and animated scenes; however, the concert footage proved impractical to film. Alan Parker agreed to direct and took a different approach. The animated sequences remained, but scenes were acted by actors with no dialogue. Waters was screentested but quickly discarded, and they asked Bob Geldof to accept the role of Pink. Geldof was initially dismissive, condemning "The Wall" storyline as "bollocks". Eventually won over by the prospect of participation in a significant film and receiving a large payment for his work, Geldof agreed. Screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1982, "Pink Floyd – The Wall" premièred in the UK in July 1982.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 1982, Waters suggested a project with the working title "Spare Bricks", originally conceived as the soundtrack album for "Pink Floyd – The Wall." With the onset of the Falklands War, Waters changed direction and began writing new material. He saw Margaret Thatcher's response to the invasion of the Falklands as jingoistic and unnecessary, and dedicated the album to his late father. Immediately arguments arose between Waters and Gilmour, who felt that the album should include all new material, rather than recycle songs passed over for "The Wall". Waters felt that Gilmour had contributed little to the band's lyrical repertoire. Michael Kamen, a contributor to the orchestral arrangements of "The Wall", mediated between the two, also performing the role traditionally occupied by the then-absent Wright. The tension within the band grew. Waters and Gilmour worked independently; however, Gilmour began to feel the strain, sometimes barely maintaining his composure. After a final confrontation, Gilmour's name disappeared from the credit list, reflecting what Waters felt was his lack of songwriting contributions.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Though Mason's musical contributions were minimal, he stayed busy recording sound effects for an experimental Holophonic system to be used on the album. With marital problems of his own, he remained a distant figure. Pink Floyd did not use Thorgerson for the cover design, Waters choosing to design the cover himself. Released in March 1983, "The Final Cut" went straight to number one in the UK and number six in the US. Waters wrote all the lyrics, as well as all the music on the album. Gilmour did not have any material ready for the album and asked Waters to delay the recording until he could write some songs, but Waters refused. Gilmour later commented: "I'm certainly guilty at times of being lazy ... but he wasn't right about wanting to put some duff tracks on "The Final Cut"." "Rolling Stone" gave the album five stars, with Kurt Loder calling it "a superlative achievement ... art rock's crowning masterpiece". Loder viewed "The Final Cut" as "essentially a Roger Waters solo album".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Gilmour recorded his second solo album, "About Face", in 1984, and used it to express his feelings about a variety of topics, from the murder of John Lennon to his relationship with Waters. He later stated that he used the album to distance himself from Pink Floyd. Soon afterwards, Waters began touring his first solo album, "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" (1984). Wright formed Zee with Dave Harris and recorded "Identity", which went almost unnoticed upon its release. Mason released his second solo album, "Profiles", in August 1985.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Gilmour, Mason, Waters and O'Rourke met for dinner in 1984 to discuss their future. Mason and Gilmour left the restaurant thinking that Pink Floyd could continue after Waters had finished "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking", noting that they had had several hiatuses before; however, Waters left believing that Mason and Gilmour had accepted that Pink Floyd were finished. Mason said that Waters later saw the meeting as "duplicity rather than diplomacy", and wrote in his memoir: "Clearly, our communication skills were still troublingly nonexistent. We left the restaurant with diametrically opposed views of what had been decided."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Following the release of "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking", Waters publicly insisted that Pink Floyd would not reunite. He contacted O'Rourke to discuss settling future royalty payments. O'Rourke felt obliged to inform Mason and Gilmour, which angered Waters, who wanted to dismiss him as the band's manager. He terminated his management contract with O'Rourke and employed Peter Rudge to manage his affairs. Waters wrote to EMI and Columbia announcing he had left the band, and asked them to release him from his contractual obligations. Gilmour believed that Waters left to hasten the demise of Pink Floyd. Waters later stated that, by not making new albums, Pink Floyd would be in breach of contract—which would suggest that royalty payments would be suspended—and that the other band members had forced him from the group by threatening to sue him. He went to the High Court in an effort to dissolve the band and prevent the use of the Pink Floyd name, declaring Pink Floyd "a spent force creatively".


title: Pink Floyd

text: When Waters's lawyers discovered that the partnership had never been formally confirmed, Waters returned to the High Court in an attempt to obtain a veto over further use of the band's name. Gilmour responded with a press release affirming that Pink Floyd would continue to exist. The sides reached an out-of-court agreement, finalised on Gilmour's houseboat, the "Astoria", on Christmas Eve 1987. In 2013, Waters said he regretted the lawsuit and had failed to appreciate that the Pink Floyd name had commercial value independent of the band members.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 1986, Gilmour began recruiting musicians for what would become Pink Floyd's first album without Waters, "A Momentary Lapse of Reason". There were legal obstacles to Wright's re-admittance to the band, but after a meeting in Hampstead, Pink Floyd invited Wright to participate in the coming sessions. Gilmour later stated that Wright's presence "would make us stronger legally and musically", and Pink Floyd employed him as a musician with weekly earnings of $11,000.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Recording sessions began on Gilmour's houseboat, the "Astoria", moored along the River Thames. The group found it difficult to work without Waters's creative direction; to write lyrics, Gilmour worked with several songwriters, including Eric Stewart and Roger McGough, eventually choosing Anthony Moore. Wright and Mason were out of practice; Gilmour said they had been "destroyed by Roger", and their contributions were minimal.


title: Pink Floyd

text: "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" was released in September 1987. Storm Thorgerson, whose creative input was absent from "The Wall" and "The Final Cut", designed the album cover. To drive home that Waters had left the band, they included a group photograph on the inside cover, the first since "Meddle". The album went straight to number three in the UK and the US. Waters commented: "I think it's facile, but a quite clever forgery ... The songs are poor in general ... [and] Gilmour's lyrics are third-rate." Although Gilmour initially viewed the album as a return to the band's top form, Wright disagreed, stating: "Roger's criticisms are fair. It's not a band album at all." "Q" described it as essentially a Gilmour solo album.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Waters attempted to subvert the "Momentary Lapse of Reason" tour by contacting promoters in the US and threatening to sue if they used the Pink Floyd name. Gilmour and Mason funded the start-up costs with Mason using his Ferrari 250 GTO as collateral. Early rehearsals for the tour were chaotic, with Mason and Wright out of practice. Realising he had taken on too much work, Gilmour asked Ezrin to assist them. As Pink Floyd toured North America, Waters's "Radio K.A.O.S." tour was on occasion, close by, in much smaller venues. Waters issued a writ for copyright fees for Pink Floyd's use of the flying pig. Pink Floyd responded by attaching a large set of male genitalia to its underside to distinguish it from Waters's design. The parties reached a legal agreement on 23 December; Mason and Gilmour retained the right to use the Pink Floyd name in perpetuity and Waters received exclusive rights to, among other things, "The Wall".


title: Pink Floyd

text: For several years, Pink Floyd had busied themselves with personal pursuits, such as filming and competing in the La Carrera Panamericana and recording a soundtrack for a film based on the event. In January 1993, they began working on a new album, "The Division Bell", returning to Britannia Row Studios, where for several days, Gilmour, Mason and Wright worked collaboratively, improvising material. After about two weeks, they had enough ideas to begin creating songs. Ezrin returned to co-produce the album and production moved to the Astoria, where the band worked from February to May 1993.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Contractually, Wright was not a member of the band, and said, "It came close to a point where I wasn't going to do the album." However, he earned five co-writing credits, his first on a Pink Floyd album since 1975's "Wish You Were Here". Gilmour's future wife, Polly Samson, is also credited; she helped Gilmour write several tracks, including "High Hopes", a collaborative arrangement which, though initially tense, "pulled the whole album together", according to Ezrin. They hired Michael Kamen to arrange the orchestral parts; Dick Parry and Chris Thomas also returned. Writer Douglas Adams provided the album title and Thorgerson the cover artwork. Thorgerson drew inspiration for the album cover from the Moai monoliths of Easter Island; two opposing faces forming an implied third face about which he commented: "the absent face—the ghost of Pink Floyd's past, Syd and Roger". To avoid competing against other album releases, as had happened with "A Momentary Lapse", Pink Floyd set a deadline of April 1994, at which point they would resume touring. "The Division Bell" reached number 1 in the UK and the US, and spent 51 weeks on the UK chart.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd spent more than two weeks rehearsing in a hangar at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California, before opening on 29 March 1994, in Miami, with an almost identical road crew to that used for their "Momentary Lapse of Reason" tour. They played a variety of Pink Floyd favourites, and later changed their setlist to include "The Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety. The tour, Pink Floyd's last, ended on 29 October 1994. Mason published a memoir, "", in 2004.


title: Pink Floyd

text: On 2 July 2005, Waters, Gilmour, Mason, and Wright performed together as Pink Floyd at Live 8, a benefit concert raising awareness about poverty, in Hyde Park, London. It was their first performance together in more than 24 years. The reunion was arranged by the Live 8 organiser, Bob Geldof. After Gilmour declined, Geldof asked Mason, who contacted Waters. About two weeks later, Waters called Gilmour, their first conversation in two years, and the next day Gilmour agreed. In a statement to the press, the band stressed the unimportance of their problems in the context of the Live 8 event.


title: Pink Floyd

text: The group planned their setlist at the Connaught hotel in London, followed by three days of rehearsals at Black Island Studios. The sessions were problematic, with disagreements over the style and pace of the songs they were practising; the running order was decided on the eve of the event. At the beginning of their performance of "Wish You Were Here", Waters told the audience: "[It is] quite emotional, standing up here with these three guys after all these years, standing to be counted with the rest of you ... We're doing this for everyone who's not here, and particularly of course for Syd." At the end, Gilmour thanked the audience and started to walk off the stage. Waters called him back, and the band shared a hug. Images of the hug were a favourite among Sunday newspapers after Live 8. Waters said of their almost 20 years of animosity: "I don't think any of us came out of the years from 1985 with any credit ... It was a bad, negative time, and I regret my part in that negativity."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Though Pink Floyd turned down a contract worth £136 million for a final tour, Waters did not rule out more performances, suggesting it ought to be for a charity event only. However, Gilmour told the Associated Press that a reunion would not happen: "The [Live 8] rehearsals convinced me it wasn't something I wanted to be doing a lot of ... There have been all sorts of farewell moments in people's lives and careers which they have then rescinded, but I think I can fairly categorically say that there won't be a tour or an album again that I take part in. It isn't to do with animosity or anything like that. It's just ... I've been there, I've done it."


title: Pink Floyd

text: In February 2006, Gilmour was interviewed for the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica", which announced that Pink Floyd had officially disbanded. Gilmour said that Pink Floyd were "over", citing his advancing age and his preference for working alone. He and Waters repeatedly said that they had no plans to reunite.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Barrett died on 7 July 2006, at his home in Cambridge, aged 60. His funeral was held at Cambridge Crematorium on 18 July 2006. No Pink Floyd members attended. Wright said: "The band are very naturally upset and sad to hear of Syd Barrett's death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire." Although Barrett had faded into obscurity over the decades, the national press praised him for his contributions to music. On 10 May 2007, Waters, Gilmour, Wright, and Mason performed at the Barrett tribute concert "Madcap's Last Laugh" at the Barbican Centre in London. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason performed the Barrett compositions "Bike" and "Arnold Layne", and Waters performed a solo version of his song "Flickering Flame".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Wright died of an undisclosed form of cancer on 15 September 2008, aged 65. His former bandmates paid tributes to his life and work; Gilmour said that Wright's contributions were often overlooked, and that his "soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound". A week after Wright's death, Gilmour performed "Remember a Day" from "A Saucerful of Secrets", written and originally sung by Wright, in tribute to him on BBC Two's "Later... with Jools Holland". Keyboardist Keith Emerson released a statement praising Wright as the "backbone" of Pink Floyd.


title: Pink Floyd

text: On 10 July 2010, Waters and Gilmour performed together at a charity event for the Hoping Foundation. The event, which raised money for Palestinian children, took place at Kidlington Hall in Oxfordshire, England, with an audience of approximately 200. In return for Waters's appearance at the event, Gilmour performed "Comfortably Numb" at Waters's performance of "The Wall" at the London O2 Arena on 12 May 2011, singing the choruses and playing the two guitar solos. Mason also joined, playing tambourine for "Outside the Wall" with Gilmour on mandolin.


title: Pink Floyd

text: On 26 September 2011, Pink Floyd and EMI launched an exhaustive re-release campaign under the title "Why Pink Floyd...?", reissuing the back catalogue in newly remastered versions, including "Experience" and "Immersion" multi-disc multi-format editions. The albums were remastered by James Guthrie, co-producer of "The Wall". In November 2015, Pink Floyd released a limited edition EP, "", comprising six songs recorded prior to "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn".


title: Pink Floyd

text: In November 2013, Gilmour and Mason revisited recordings made with Wright during the "Division Bell "sessions to create a new Pink Floyd album. They recruited session musicians to help record new parts and "generally harness studio technology". Waters was not involved. Mason described the album as a tribute to Wright: "I think this record is a good way of recognising a lot of what he does and how his playing was at the heart of the Pink Floyd sound. Listening back to the sessions, it really brought home to me what a special player he was."


title: Pink Floyd

text: "The Endless River "was released on 7 November 2014, the second Pink Floyd album distributed by Parlophone following the release of the 20th anniversary editions of "The Division Bell" earlier in 2014. Though it received mixed reviews, it" "became the most pre-ordered album of all time on Amazon UK and debuted at number one in several countries. The vinyl edition was the fastest-selling UK vinyl release of 2014 and the fastest-selling since 1997. Gilmour said "The Endless River" would be Pink Floyd's last album, saying: "I think we have successfully commandeered the best of what there is ... It's a shame, but this is the end." There was no supporting tour, as Gilmour felt it was impossible without Wright. In 2015, Gilmour reiterated that Pink Floyd were "done" and that to reunite without Wright would be wrong.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In November 2016, Pink Floyd released a box set, "The Early Years 1965–1972", comprising outtakes, live recordings, remixes, and films from their early career. It was followed in December 2019 by "The Later Years", compiling Pink Floyd's work after Waters's departure. The set includes a remixed version of "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" with more contributions by Wright and Mason, and an expanded reissue of the live album "Delicate Sound of Thunder". In November 2020, the reissue of "Delicate Sound of Thunder" was given a standalone release on multiple formats. Pink Floyd's "Live at Knebworth 1990" performance, previously released as part of the "Later Years" box set, was released on CD and vinyl on 30 April.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 2018, Mason formed a new band, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, to perform Pink Floyd's early material. The band includes Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet and the longtime Pink Floyd collaborator Guy Pratt. They toured Europe in September 2018 and North America in 2019. Waters joined the band at the New York Beacon Theatre to perform vocals for "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Mason said in 2018 that, while he remained close to Gilmour and Waters, the two remained "at loggerheads". A remixed version of "Animals" was delayed until 2022 after Gilmour and Waters could not agree on the liner notes. In a public statement, Waters accused Gilmour of attempting to steal credit and complained that Gilmour would not allow him to use Pink Floyd's website and social media channels. In 2021, "Rolling Stone" noted that the pair "seem to have hit yet another low point in their relationship".


title: Pink Floyd

text: In March 2022, Gilmour and Mason reunited as Pink Floyd, alongside bassist Guy Pratt and keyboardist Nitin Sawhney, to record the single "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!", protesting Russian's invasion of Ukraine that February. It features vocals by the BoomBox singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk, taken from an Instagram video of Khlyvnyuk singing the 1914 Ukrainian anthem "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow" a cappella in Kyiv. Gilmour described Khlyvnyuk's performance as "a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music".


title: Pink Floyd

text: "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" was released on 8 April, with proceeds going to Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief. Gilmour said the war had inspired him to release new music as Pink Floyd as he felt it was important to raise awareness in support of Ukraine. Pink Floyd had already removed music from streaming services in Russia and Belarus. Their work with Waters remained, leading to speculation that Waters had blocked its removal; Gilmour said only that "I was disappointed ... Read into that what you will." He said "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" was a "one-off for charity" and that Pink Floyd had no plans to reform.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Considered one of the UK's first psychedelic music groups, Pink Floyd began their career at the vanguard of London's underground music scene, appearing at UFO Club and Middle Earth (club). According to "Rolling Stone": "By 1967, they had developed an unmistakably psychedelic sound, performing long, loud suitelike compositions that touched on hard rock, blues, country, folk, and electronic music." Released in 1968, the song "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" helped galvanise their reputation as an art rock group. Other genres attributed to the band are space rock, experimental rock, acid rock, proto-prog, experimental pop (while under Barrett), psychedelic pop, and psychedelic rock. O'Neill Surber comments on the music of Pink Floyd:


title: Pink Floyd

text: Rarely will you find Floyd dishing up catchy hooks, tunes short enough for air-play, or predictable three-chord blues progressions; and never will you find them spending much time on the usual pop album of romance, partying, or self-hype. Their sonic universe is expansive, intense, and challenging ... Where most other bands neatly fit the songs to the music, the two forming a sort of autonomous and seamless whole complete with memorable hooks, Pink Floyd tends to set lyrics within a broader soundscape that often seems to have a life of its own ... Pink Floyd employs extended, stand-alone instrumentals which are never mere vehicles for showing off virtuoso but are planned and integral parts of the performance.


title: Pink Floyd

text: During the late 1960s, the press labelled Pink Floyd's music psychedelic pop, progressive pop and progressive rock; they gained a following as a psychedelic pop group. In 1968, Wright said: "It's hard to see why we were cast as the first British psychedelic group. We never saw ourselves that way ... we realised that we were, after all, only playing for fun ... tied to no particular form of music, we could do whatever we wanted ... the emphasis ... [is] firmly on spontaneity and improvisation." Waters said later: "There wasn't anything 'grand' about it. We were laughable. We were useless. We couldn't play at all so we had to do something stupid and 'experimental' ... Syd was a genius, but I wouldn't want to go back to playing 'Interstellar Overdrive' for hours and hours." Unconstrained by conventional pop formats, Pink Floyd were innovators of progressive rock during the 1970s and ambient music during the 1980s.


title: Pink Floyd

text: "Rolling Stone" critic Alan di Perna praised Gilmour's guitar work as integral to Pink Floyd's sound, and described him as the most important guitarist of the 1970s, "the missing link between Hendrix and Van Halen". "Rolling Stone" named him the 14th greatest guitarist of all time. In 2006, Gilmour said of his technique: "[My] fingers make a distinctive sound ... [they] aren't very fast, but I think I am instantly recognisable ... The way I play melodies is connected to things like Hank Marvin and the Shadows." Gilmour's ability to use fewer notes than most to express himself without sacrificing strength or beauty drew a favourable comparison to jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.


title: Pink Floyd

text: In 2006, "Guitar World" writer Jimmy Brown described Gilmour's guitar style as "characterised by simple, huge-sounding riffs; gutsy, well-paced solos; and rich, ambient chordal textures." According to Brown, Gilmour's solos on "Money", "Time" and "Comfortably Numb" "cut through the mix like a laser beam through fog." Brown described the "Time" solo as "a masterpiece of phrasing and motivic development ... Gilmour paces himself throughout and builds upon his initial idea by leaping into the upper register with gut-wrenching one-and-one-half-step 'over bends', soulful triplet arpeggios and a typically impeccable bar vibrato." Brown described Gilmour's phrasing as intuitive and perhaps his best asset as a lead guitarist. Gilmour explained how he achieved his signature tone: "I usually use a fuzz box, a delay and a bright EQ setting ... [to get] singing sustain ... you need to play loud—at or near the feedback threshold. It's just so much more fun to play ... when bent notes slice right through you like a razor blade."


title: Pink Floyd

text: Throughout their career, Pink Floyd experimented with their sound. Their second single, "See Emily Play" premiered at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, on 12 May 1967. During the performance, the group first used an early quadraphonic device called an Azimuth Co-ordinator. The device enabled the controller, usually Wright, to manipulate the band's amplified sound, combined with recorded tapes, projecting the sounds 270 degrees around a venue, achieving a sonic swirling effect. In 1972, they purchased a custom-built PA which featured an upgraded four-channel, 360-degree system.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Waters experimented with the VCS 3 synthesiser on Pink Floyd pieces such as "On the Run", "Welcome to the Machine", and "In the Flesh?". He used a binson echorec 2 delay effect on his bass-guitar track for "One of These Days".


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd used innovative sound effects and state of the art audio recording technology during the recording of "The Final Cut". Mason's contributions to the album were almost entirely limited to work with the experimental Holophonic system, an audio processing technique used to simulate a three-dimensional effect. The system used a conventional stereo tape to produce an effect that seemed to move the sound around the listener's head when they were wearing headphones. The process enabled an engineer to simulate moving the sound to behind, above or beside the listener's ears.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Pink Floyd also composed several film scores, starting in 1968, with "The Committee". In 1969, they recorded the score for Barbet Schroeder's film "More". The soundtrack proved beneficial: not only did it pay well but, along with "A Saucerful of Secrets", the material they created became part of their live shows for some time thereafter. While composing the soundtrack for director Michelangelo Antonioni's film "Zabriskie Point", the band stayed at a luxury hotel in Rome for almost a month. Waters claimed that, without Antonioni's constant changes to the music, they would have completed the work in less than a week. Eventually he used only three of their recordings. One of the pieces turned down by Antonioni, called "The Violent Sequence", later became "Us and Them", included on 1973's "The Dark Side of the Moon". In 1971, the band again worked with Schroeder on the film "La Vallée", for which they released a soundtrack album called "Obscured by Clouds". They composed the material in about a week at the Château d'Hérouville near Paris, and upon its release, it became Pink Floyd's first album to break into the top 50 on the US "Billboard" chart.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Regarded as pioneers of live music performance and renowned for their lavish stage shows, Pink Floyd also set high standards in sound quality, making use of innovative sound effects and quadraphonic speaker systems. From their earliest days, they employed visual effects to accompany their psychedelic music while performing at venues such as the UFO Club in London. Their slide-and-light show was one of the first in British rock, and it helped them become popular among London's underground.


title: Pink Floyd

text: To celebrate the launch of the London Free School's magazine "International Times" in 1966, they performed in front of 2,000 people at the opening of the Roundhouse, attended by celebrities including Paul McCartney and Marianne Faithfull. In mid-1966, road manager Peter Wynne-Willson joined their road crew, and updated the band's lighting rig with some innovative ideas including the use of polarisers, mirrors and stretched condoms. After their record deal with EMI, Pink Floyd purchased a Ford Transit van, then considered extravagant band transportation. On 29 April 1967, they headlined an all-night event called "The 14 Hour Technicolour Dream" at the Alexandra Palace, London. Pink Floyd arrived at the festival at around three o'clock in the morning after a long journey by van and ferry from the Netherlands, taking the stage just as the sun was beginning to rise. In July 1969, precipitated by their space-related music and lyrics, they took part in the live BBC television coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing, performing an instrumental piece which they called "Moonhead".


title: Pink Floyd

text: In November 1974, they employed for the first time the large circular screen that would become a staple of their live shows. In 1977, they employed the use of a large inflatable floating pig named "Algie". Filled with helium and propane, Algie, while floating above the audience, would explode with a loud noise during the In the Flesh Tour. The behaviour of the audience during the tour, as well as the large size of the venues, proved a strong influence on their concept album "The Wall". The subsequent The Wall Tour featured a high wall, built from cardboard bricks, constructed between the band and the audience. They projected animations onto the wall, while gaps allowed the audience to view various scenes from the story. They commissioned the creation of several giant inflatables to represent characters from the story. One striking feature of the tour was the performance of "Comfortably Numb". While Waters sang his opening verse, in darkness, Gilmour waited for his cue on top of the wall. When it came, bright blue and white lights would suddenly reveal him. Gilmour stood on a flightcase on castors, an insecure setup supported from behind by a technician. A large hydraulic platform supported both Gilmour and the tech.


title: Pink Floyd

text: During the Division Bell Tour, an unknown person using the name Publius posted a message on an internet newsgroup inviting fans to solve a riddle supposedly concealed in the new album. White lights in front of the stage at the Pink Floyd concert in East Rutherford spelled out the words Enigma Publius. During a televised concert at Earls Court on 20 October 1994, someone projected the word "enigma" in large letters on to the backdrop of the stage. Mason later acknowledged that their record company had instigated the Publius Enigma mystery, rather than the band.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Marked by Waters's philosophical lyrics, "Rolling Stone" described Pink Floyd as "purveyors of a distinctively dark vision". Author Jere O'Neill Surber wrote: "their interests are truth and illusion, life and death, time and space, causality and chance, compassion and indifference." Waters identified empathy as a central theme in the lyrics of Pink Floyd. Author George Reisch described "Meddle" psychedelic opus, "Echoes", as "built around the core idea of genuine communication, sympathy, and "collaboration" with others." Despite having been labelled "the gloomiest man in rock", author Deena Weinstein described Waters as an existentialist, dismissing the unfavourable moniker as the result of misinterpretation by music critics.


title: Pink Floyd

text: Waters's lyrics to "Wish You Were Here" "Have a Cigar" deal with a perceived lack of sincerity on the part of music industry representatives. The song illustrates a dysfunctional dynamic between the band and a record label executive who congratulates the group on their current sales success, implying that they are on the same team while revealing that he erroneously believes "Pink" is the name of one of the band members. According to author David Detmer, the album's lyrics deal with the "dehumanising aspects of the world of commerce", a situation the artist must endure to reach their audience.