Valentino Rossi, the Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion (and one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time) has long had a tradition of using a special helmet at every GP race held in Italy. Today, he took to the track in Misano with a new helmet design dedicated to the memory of his friend Marco Simoncelli, who died in October 2011 at the Sepang circuit.

As you'll see from the picture to the right (from Rossi's own website) and the video below, the helmet features a design based on the cover of Wish You Were Here, with the classic handshake/four elements logo on the top, and the handshake in the studio backlot on the rear of the helmet. Our thanks to Roger Little, Darren Webb, and massimiliano for the information and photos of the helmet.

Roger Waters spent some time with Irish broadcaster RTÉ recently, which was aired on September 11th, the day of the Zurich concert.

There was a seven minute interview, interspersed with footage from the recent concerts, on RTÉ Ten television, which can be watched on demand through this link. Roger's interviewed by Dave Fanning and talks of things like the concerts, and the Live8 reunion - and how he could live with whatever David Gilmour decided for the show, but couldn't consider ever trying to get back together with him and Nick on a longer term basis.

On the same day, Dave Fanning's two-hour show in the evening on RTÉ 2fm was devoted to Roger and the Floyd. In an extended version of the above interview, Dave pressed Roger on the Floyd split, the possibilities of playing other albums live (Ummagumma was suggested and even Atom Heart Mother!) and the Live 8 reunion. Roger sidestepped a lot of these, instead favouring to talk about political aspects of the Wall (and the world) but he fondly remembered Rick. This can be heard on demand through this link. Our thanks to Martin Kilbride for the info on the radio show, and to John Starlock for the link to the TV interview.

After many years, the Roger Waters and Ron Geesin soundtracked documentary The Body is finally arriving as an official DVD release. It is released, in the UK only at present, on October 7th, 2013.

Made in 1970, this remarkable study of the human body is neither scientific nor medical; it is, rather, a deeply intimate feature-length film exploring the physical experience of being human. Narrated by Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay with a commentary by poet and playwright Adrian Mitchell, The Body traces the human life-cycle from conception to death. Photographic techniques never seen by cinema audiences at the time of release – including the use of internal cameras – allow an unprecedented insight into the body’s functions; these visuals are beautifully complemented by a soundtrack by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and pioneering composer Ron Geesin, incorporating the latter’s experiments in biomusic – in this case, sounds created by the human body itself.

The film - and the associated album release - features much music that will be of interest to Floyd fans, and has long been an overlooked gem. There's also an uncredited, full-band track included on the soundtrack and unavailable elsewhere. The Body is presented here uncut, in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. You can order the PAL DVD direct from this direct link at Amazon UK.

Our thanks to José Abellán from the Spanish Animals magazine for tipping us off about this release.

Ron Geesin's 'The Flaming Cow: The Making of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother' has been getting very positive feedback from all aspects of the Floyd community. The book gives Ron's own perspective on the project, and it really is a fantastic read!

From Nick Mason's amusing foreword, through the story of how Ron got to know the various members of the Floyd, to co-composing and recording the piece variously known as Epic and The Amazing Pudding, before settling on the title we all know and love, the book reveals all with a great wit and honesty, along with masses of previously unseen photos from the recording sessions.

Check out our review here, which also includes ordering information. For those who prefer the convenience of reading on their Apple iThings, the eBook version is now available to purchase and download from the iTunes Bookstore. There are enhancements and extras over the print edition - principally, you can see Ron answering questions submitted by Brain Damage visitors about Atom Heart Mother, in a fascinating two-part video Q&A session.

WIN ONE OF FIVE COPIES OF THE FLAMING COW!
Thanks to the publishers we have five copies of this great book to give away. To be in with a chance of winning a copy, tell us the name of the cow that appears on the cover of the Atom Heart Mother album. Send your answer via email, along with your name, address, and contact phone number, to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by 11:59pm GMT on September 20th. Just one entry per household, please, and good luck!