Another date has been added to the 2023 Echoes Tour of Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/nick-mason-s-sos-2023/index.php). It’s good news for those who enjoyed seeing the band at the 2019 Night Of The Prog Festival at Loreley, in St Goarshausen, Germany – and those who enjoy the festival generally. The band are back as one of the 2023 Night Of The Prog headliners, playing there on July 14th (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/nick-mason-s-sos-2023/july-14th-freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-ge.html) making it the first night of this year’s tour. The regular sale of tickets has started, with multi-day tickets available as well as tickets for just the day that Nick’s band are performing. You can purchase them through wiv-ticket-shop.com (https://www.wiv-ticket-shop.com/en/night-of-the-prog-festival/2/dayticket-friday-notp-xvi?c=48) now.
Tyrin – ‘So Long’ After an impressive run of form throughout the last few years, fast-rising artist Tyrin is now back for the new year to deliver his euphoric new single ‘So Long’. Honing another heady dose of glittering production measured against his own heartfelt vocal flow, his newest gem sets him as one of …
Passion for Speed (http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/books/passion-for-speed-nick-mason-and-mark-hales-2.html), is worth checking out, as is the DVD of the same name (http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/dvds-and-videos/passion-for-speed-ferrari-enzo-dvd-nick-mason-and-mark-2.html) 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 (http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/books/inside-out-2011-edition-updated-paperback-nick-mason-2.html) 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! (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/latest/nick-masons-saucerful-of-secrets-live-at-the-roundhouse-2lp-2cd-dvd-blu-ray-ci-2.html) Many happy returns, Nick, and hopefully see you on the road once the dreaded virus is in retreat!
This month it has been reported that a well-known Dutch surgeon and his team have scientifically proven that music like Mozart and Pink Floyd have a very positive effect on the mind, and can even be used as a substitute for highly addictive painkillers like morphine and fentanyl with less chances of side effects. One of our Dutch visitors, Ronald van Soest, reveals more. Both are sometimes described as soothing. Nice music and morphine. The anaesthesiologist will give you the latter during and after a serious surgery. But the first – music – will soon also be provided. Dr Hans Jeekel, Professor of Surgery at Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, now knows exactly how much the morphine dose can be reduced, when patients are going under the knife with headphones over their ears. The dosage reduction is an average of 4.4 milligram during the 24 hours after the surgery, he wrote in the medical journal Annals of Surgery. The hospital was convinced after seeing the test results, and has already started to put it in practice. Apart from saving money it also prevents trouble in terms of accidents and addiction. Like America, the Netherlands are also facing a severe opium crisis, according to some worried doctors. The number of poisonings and overdoses with the much prescribed opiate oxycodone increased tenfold between 2008 and 2018, counting 400 accidents. It is therefore no surprise Health Affairs minister Bruno Bruins declared a desire to reduce the use of it; Dr Jeekel’s results will be good news for him. Dr Jeekel and his team compared the results of 55 studies with nearly 5000 patients. Mostly they weren’t completely free in their choice of music. But it had to be real music, no jungle sounds or the sound of sea waves were allowed. On the hospital’s website he explains that much is still unknown about the painkilling effects of music. Something with the brain… but it was made clear once more that Mozart and Pink Floyd in particular do have a positive effect on the stress response and defence system…
