Look To The Stars News: David Gilmour

Stars Line Up For The Return Of The Secret Policeman's Ball

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:50:00 +0000

The Secret Policeman’s Ball is back – and its heading for America!

Amnesty International’s legendary charity show – featuring a plethora of music and comedy talent – will hit the Radio City Music Hall on March 4. Organizers have confirmed Coldplay, Russell Brand, Mumford & Sons, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and Reggie Watts as part of the lineup, with more to come.

“We are so happy to be involved with the 2012 Secret Policeman’s Ball,” said Chris Martin of Coldplay. “We have followed and supported Amnesty International – and the amazing work they do around the world in the field of human rights – for years, and it is a pleasure to be asked to contribute to such an inspiring event.”

Pink Floyd Reunites For Celebrity Charity Auction

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Following the band’s one off reunion in London in May, members of Pink Floyd have signed a guitar to be auctioned for charity.

Surviving band members David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason – who made a rare appearance together during a performance of The Wall in London on May 12 – have signed a specially painted guitar to raise money for Crisis.

Heavy Metal Legends Form Supergroup For Charity

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Some of Heavy Metal’s greatest headbangers have joined together to form a massive supergroup for charity.

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan will front WhoCares, a charity band that also features Whitesnake keyboardist Jon Lord and Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain. Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has also joined the band for two charity songs due out shortly.

According to Gillan.com, the band “has recorded two brand new songs with the intent to support the rebuilding of a music school in Gyumri, Armenia. Both Gillan and Iommi have spent a lot of time in Armenia, fallen in love with the country and the people and have dedicated a lot of work to a nation still shocked after the earthquake that struck Armenia on December 7, 1988 at 11:41am.”

David Gilmour Helps Pay Psychiatry Bills For Gary McKinnon

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and his wife, author Polly Samson, are paying psychiatry bills for computer hacker Gary McKinnon.

McKinnon suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, and had all funding for assistance cut last month as a result of government cutbacks. He is currently fighting extradition to the US, where he would be jailed for hacking into NASA and Pentagon computers in 2001 to find information about UFOs.

“When I heard about the funding for Gary’s psychiatrist suddenly being refused I was incredibly worried,” Gary’s mother told Britian’s Sunday Express. “What will happen to other people with psychiatric problems if their funding is cut off? David and his wife Polly and Polly’s brother Joe are really good people. They never publicise the good things they do behind the scenes. They just do it and we’re so grateful for that.”

Legends Sign Guitar For Celebrity Charity Auction

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:30:00 +0000

A host of some of rock music’s legendary guitarists and singers have signed a special guitar for a celebrity charity auction later this month in London.

Queen’s Brian May and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour have added their autographs to those of Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Roger Daltrey, Paul Weller, Eric Clapton and Gary Moore on the PUP AID Epiphone Casino Guitar donated by Liam Gallagher, which will go under the hammer at Bonham’s auction house on December 15.

Pink Floyd May Reunite For Charity

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has announced that the iconic British band could reunite for charity.

The group, who last performed at the Live 8 concert in 2005, have been inactive for a number of years – but Mason says the right cause could prompt them to put aside their differences.

“I think all of us would like the idea of repeating the Live 8 concept… something that’s not necessarily for us, but do something for the right reasons and enjoy doing it,” he said. “I think it would be a very nice way for a band to gently move towards retirement, by doing shows absolutely for charity rather than for more income.”

Pink Floyd Legends Reunite For Charity

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A star-studded line-up hit the stage in Oxfordshire, UK, on Saturday to raise money for Palestinian children.

The concert – which benefited the HOPING Foundation – saw performances by Tom Jones, Nick Cave (joined by Kate Moss on tambourine), and a reuniting of Pink Floyd legends David Gilmour and Roger Waters.

The Pink Floyd reunion was a highlight for many, and marked the first time the rockers have played together since the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park five years ago. And as a special treat for Floyd fans, the duo started their set with a rendition of Phil Specktor’s To Know Him Is To Love Him, a regular feature of Pink Floyd sound checks for many years that is rarely heard by the public.

David Gilmour Plays For Crisis

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Legendary Pink Floyd front man David Gilmour is to headline a “hidden gig” in London this month to raise money for charity.

The concert is part of a series of gigs raising money for homeless charity Crisis, with bands such as Hot Chip playing concerts with a difference – the details of the gigs are withheld until the last minute to draw similarities to the situation faced by many homeless people on a daily basis regarding accommodation.

Gilmour will perform at a mystery venue on 24 May alongside Afro-blues act Amadou & Mariam.

High Hopes For Pink Floyd Charity Auction

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Pink Floyd fans listen up: a guitar signed by all of the members of the band – including David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and the late Richard Wright – is up for auction for charity.

The auction – to celebrate the launch of Graham Scarfe’s book, ‘Scarfe of the Wall’, which describes the creation of the artwork for Pink Floyd’s 1979 album The Wall – is now on at BuyOnceGiveTwice.co.uk, and will raise money for Crisis, a charity that fights homelessness.

The guitar comes with a book signed by Roger Waters, and the auction runs until October 31. The current bid sits at £4800 (US$8,313).

Icons Of Music Rock On For Charity

Mon, 26 May 2008 11:12:57 +0000

The second annual Music Rising Icons Of Music auction will be held on 31 May at NYC’s Hard Rock Café, and is to broadcast live by the Auction Network.

Music Rising is a charity founded by U2’s The Edge, producer Bob Ezrin, and Gibson Guitars CEO Henry Juszkiewicz to help replace musical instruments that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The auction will feature over 400 exciting lots, including one of The Edge’s famous 1976 Gibson Explorers (with an estimated price of $80,000), a Fender Stratocaster previously owned by David Gilmour, a snare drum signed by John Lennon, and Eric Clapton’s Roland G-505 guitar used on his Behind The Sun album and on tour with Roger Waters.

The evening will also feature a very special performance from four-time Grammy Award winner Aaron Neville, who has helped bring major attention to some of the charity work being done in New Orleans today. Neville lost everything in the storms of Katrina and brings a unique personal experience to Music Rising, giving guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness his great musicianship when he brings the spirit of New Orleans to the auction.

David Gilmour Uncomfortably Numb About Charity Setback

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:39:00 +0000

It was a case of “Us And Them” for musician David Gilmour earlier this week, after his plans to create affordable apartments for homeless people in London were thwarted by angry locals.

The 61-year-old Pink Floyd guitarist sold his London mansion five years ago to put his ‘house for a house’ philosophy – the belief that the wealthy should sell one of their palaces to provide hundreds of homes for those who are less well off – into practice. The initiative was part of his idea to fund Urban Village, based on a project in New York where an Art Deco hotel had been turned into a block of 400 flats – half for low-paid key workers, the other half for homeless people.

But protests from neighbors have stopped the project, and homeless charity Crisis – which would have benefited from the Urban Village plan – has admitted defeat and is now looking at much smaller schemes.

David Gilmour Urges Celebs To Show Charity

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 11:45:17 +0000

Legendary Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has told British newspaper The Daily Express that he would like more of his fellow wealthy artist to follow his example and make charitable donations.

Gilmour says that he doesn’t know enough of those artists to ask them in person, and therefore wanted to make a public statement.

He told the newspaper, “There was a great tradition of philanthropy in this country that has fallen by the wayside. The problem is that people I meet who could make massive donations aren’t great friends. They usually appear fleetingly at showbiz parties. My friends tend to be normal people who live locally.”