Drummer Steve DiStanislao über David Gilmour

Neues Interview mit Drummer Steve DiStanislao in dem über verschiedene Aspekte seiner Zusammenarbeit mit David Gilmour spricht. Nach einem Crosby & Nash Konzert in der Royal Festival Hall kam Gilmour auf ihn, ob er für ihn spielen möchte. Gilmour lässt seinen Musikern Freiraum. Er würde nur intervenieren, wenn etwas nicht richtig ist, so DiStanislao.

Did you ever find out what it was that David Gilmour saw or heard that night that got him interested in you to be his drummer?

Steve DiStanislao: Honestly, I don’t know. One thing about the music of Crosby and Nash is that it is very dynamic. There is a wide dynamic range. I think David (Gilmour) saw that I had the range to cover the range in his music. Maybe he heard that. Another thing he may have been interested in is the fact that I sing. I sang the lead part on “Wooden Ships.” So, he gave me a shot and luckily, it all worked out.

If I played you a vintage live version of Pink Floyd performing “Time,” and isolated the drum track, and did the same with your drum track from this past tour, how long would it be before you could tell which was which?

Steve DiStanislao: Pretty quick. I know my feel and I know my fills. Recorded versions, from the studio, might be more difficult. There’s a lot of things that change in the studio, a lot of knobs being twisted. When I heard David’s new record, I listened and I thought, is that me on there? I couldn’t tell.

The reason I ask is because just as David Gilmour’s guitar has such an iconic sound, and so many legendary solos that fans know note-for-note, there are some very memorable drum parts as well. How tied are you to honoring that classic sound versus allowing yourself the freedom to play in your own style?

Steve DiStanislao: That’s a great question. It’s all about honoring what is going on. I definitely feel like I owe it to the fans to play some of those fills because, like you said, they are iconic. David encourages us to be ourselves. We had a conversation recently about that, and he was very outspoken about not telling us what to play, but to bring what we have to the party. He said, “One thing I do know is when it’s not right. That’s the only time I’ll interject.” And, that hasn’t been very often. He doesn’t micromanage at all.

Was that an attitude you had going in or did that develop over time?

Steve DiStanislao: It’s something you develop over time. The more you do something, the more it becomes comfortable. When I first got in the group, I was quite nervous. I thought, this must be a mistake. (laughs) It just fell into place. David likes to see what happens. Just get there and figure it out. When we do the big shows, I do think, wow, this has touched so many people. This is important to so many people.

Quelle: Steve DiStanislao on David Gilmour, Chris Robinson and the Night Train Music Club