All of us here at Brain Damage offer our very best wishes to Pink Floyd and Saucerful Of Secrets drummer Nick Mason, who celebrates the very special occasion of his birthday today (January 27th). We all hope you are going to have a great day, Nick!

The cornerstone of both bands, he had his first drum kit at the tender age of 13. A member of Pink Floyd since the earliest iterations, he is the only one to have appeared on every one of their albums. Thanks to his late father Bill, he has been a "petrol head" from a young boy, and cars have been - and remain - one of his major passions in life. His most recent book, Passion for Speed, is worth checking out, as is the DVD of the same name focusing on his Ferrari Enzo car (with Nick heavily involved). Of course, for those who haven't read it, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd is an absolutely essential read, and available in a variety of editions: hardback, softback (paperback) and an audiobook, which is read by Nick himself...

Nick has contributed to a number of magazines on motoring issues over the years (including a fascinating monthly column in Octane Magazine), and also became president of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He is a trustee of the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, and a life member and Guardian of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club). He has been involved in motor racing since the early 1970s and has entered Le Mans five times.

Musically, of course, the big news fairly recently was the launch of his new band, Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets. The four initial, small gigs in May 2018 held in London lead to a very successful and critically acclaimed European tour in September. The tour continued in 2019 with dates in the US, Canada, and more dates in the UK and Europe. 2020 was due to see more UK and European shows until Coronavirus managed to ruin everyone's plans, but thankfully it didn't stop the release (albeit delayed, due to manufacturing facilities and warehouses locked down initially) of the London Roundhouse concert filmed in 2019. This release proved as spectacular as we all suspected it would!

Many happy returns, Nick, and hopefully see you on the road once the dreaded virus is in retreat!