Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason explains the monumental impact of Bob Dylan
You can always count on the members of Pink Floyd for an honest answer. They are not ones to beat around the bush, and they’ve all been very open about what made the band tick and the factors behind their more divisive moments, not to mention the acrimonious fallout with former band leader Roger Waters. Even drummer Nick Mason has made his thoughts on the band’s trajectory clear over the years.
As one of the world’s most influential groups, it was part and parcel of reaching such a status that they spent extensive time honing their influences and creative vision into something profound. This experimentalism produced a wildly oscillating output before they eventually struck pure gold with 1971’s Meddle and set themselves up for a period of unfettered genius.
While they are known for their complex and cerebral compositions during the 1970s, when they mastered the concept album on 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, the group are clear that their most significant influences lay in the great cultural boom of the 1960s and with those who pushed music forward before they formed in 1965.
For Mason, the powerhouse Ginger Baker of Blues Incorporated and Cream introduced him to the vast possibilities of taking the instrument seriously, as he shared with Far Out. Another pivotal figure in his journey was Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, whose fusion of jazz and rock provided a scintillating example that Mason would later embrace with verve in Pink Floyd and beyond.
Mason’s focus wasn’t limited to just the drums. From the moment he first encountered rock ‘n’ roll in its nascent form during the 1950s, he was captivated by guitar music. Later, as with many musicians of his generation, including his bandmates, The Beatles emerged as a particularly galvanising force. Although he appreciates much of their work, there’s no doubt that their 1967 psychedelic masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band—released just months before Pink Floyd’s own genre-defining The Piper at the Gates of Dawn—“changed the face of the music industry”.
While The Beatles hold a special place in Mason’s heart, he also considers Bob Dylan a strong contender for the greatest songwriter of all time. On the surface, Pink Floyd and Dylan might seem an unlikely pairing, but Pink Floyd were no strangers to exploring stark political themes. Occasionally, they wielded the acoustic guitar in a manner reminiscent of the American troubadour; a notable example is the often-overlooked classic ‘Fearless’ from Meddle.
Answering a questionnaire for Q, Mason heaped lavish praise upon the ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ songwriter, describing him as utterly pivotal. Harking back to the heady days of the folk revival in the early 1960s, when asked what song he wished he’d written, he said “practically anything” by Dylan. He then specified ‘Masters of War’ from 1962’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan as the one that sprang to mind.
Crucially, and offering insight into the tact Pink Floyd took when delving into significant political themes, he said it stands out for its “ability to make a meaningful political statement without being at all pretentious”. Regarding the other vital aspect of his artistry, in terms of drumming, he said Baker’s performance on Cream’s ‘N.S.U.’ was the one he wishes he could have committed to tape.
Outlining his thoughts about Bob Dylan’s significance, Mason said: “Pivotal. He’s produced good work, behaved erratically and then continued to produce good work, rather than fulfill what people expect, which is produce good work, behave erratically, go mad and explode. And I think that’s enormously endearing.”
He added sarcastically: “Can’t stand his songs though.”
It speaks volumes about Dylan’s impact that even Pink Floyd, who remain inextricable from the prog-rock genre, are still blown away by his sound, particularly his early protest music. At the time, it was unlike anything available, and it packaged their generation’s thoughts on the chaotic world with poetic lucidity, earning him his rightful moniker, ‘The Voice of a Generation’.
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