“I Learnt Everything”: David Gilmour Wishes He Could Have Been in This Band

No matter how successful you become in life, the grass can always look greener on the neighbor’s lawn, which might explain why David Gilmour wishes he could have been in a different band than the one he became famous for. The lead guitarist and vocalist for the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd has collaborated with countless musicians over the years, but one partnership stuck out more than the rest to the British rock ‘n’ roller.

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Then again, is it really surprising that a fellow Brit would want to be in this iconic band?

David Gilmour Wishes He Could Have Been In This Band

In a 2016 interview with Mojo magazine, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour revealed the one band he wished he could have been in: the Beatles. While he didn’t say he wanted to be in that band instead of Pink Floyd (Gilmour would’ve been a bit young at the time, anyway), he did tell the magazine that the Fab Four played a major role in developing his musical ear and creativity when he was a teenager. “I learnt everything,” he said.

“[The Beatles] taught me how to play guitar. The bass parts, the lead, the rhythm, everything. They were fantastic,” Gilmour continued. It’s not just that they were playing catchy music on real instruments all at the same time. It’s that they made it look so fun that it almost looked easy.

As Gilmour would find years later, getting to rub elbows with your musical heroes is just one of the many perks of being a rock star in your own right. Gilmour collaborated with Paul McCartney several times, including on Wings’ 1979 album Back to the Egg and Paul McCartney’s 1999 solo album, Run Devil Run.

The Pink Floyd Got To Play The Beatles’ Old Stomping Grounds (Kind Of)

David Gilmour might not have been able to live out his dream of being in the original lineup of the Beatles, but he got awfully close in 1999. Paul McCartney performed a concert at the Cavern Club to promote his solo album, Run Devil Run. The Liverpudlian venue is an exact replica of the club where the Beatles first cut their teeth in their hometown before making it big, built across the street from the original site after the city demolished it in the 1970s. The modern-day Cavern Club features bricks from the old venue and the same musty rock club feel, so it’s easy to pretend like it’s the true venue.

At least, that’s likely what Gilmour was doing when he performed alongside McCartney that fateful night in 1999. “Managing to persuade [McCartney] to sing “I Saw Her Standing There” at the cavern, with me doing the John Lennon parts, was absolutely fantastic,” Gilmour told Mojo. “I’ve been in the Who. I’ve been in the Beatles, and I’ve been in Pink Floyd. Top that, motherf*****!”

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