Some sad news: it has been announced today that Ronnie Rondell Jr, the stuntman who was famously set alight for the front cover of Wish You Were Here, died on 12th August in a care home in Missouri, USA.

Rondell was 88. His long film and TV career started in 1955, quickly moving into the world of stunts where he appeared in movies such as Lethal Weapon, Blazing Saddles, The Towering Inferno, Spartacus, Diamonds Are Forever, and The Matrix Reloaded (his final appearance).

The world of the stuntman is quite overlooked, with the person standing in for the more recognisable actors topping the bill. However, in 1975, he became much more prominent when he was called on for the famous handshake while ablaze, on the cover of Wish You Were Here.

As Aubrey "Po" Powell related, there were a number of attempts made to capture the perfect image, shot between soundstages at what was then known as Burbank Studios in California, later called Warner Bros Studios. Symbolising the nature of the music industry, it was shot for real, with Rondell joined by fellow stuntman Danny Rogers. Rondell wore a fireproof suit, wig and hood, and was the one set on fire. The first fourteen takes went well, but then on the fifteenth, the wind suddenly whipped around and blew the fire into his face - he lost an eyebrow and some of his moustache. Powell: "Ronnie was very gracious about it considering... but as far as he was concerned as a professional in the movie industry it was all in a day's work."

Just published is the latest issue (September 2025, issue 574) of the UK's Record Collector magazine, which as you might guess from the eye-catching cover, has a whopping sixteen page article featuring an interview with David Gilmour looking back at key live performances over the years, in the run up to the cinema screenings and release of his new live album and film, Live At Circus Maximus, Rome/The Luck And Strange Concerts.

The magazine, in UK stores now and selected stores internationally, and available to purchase online worldwide through this link, often includes material of interest to Floyd fans and on occasion, there's major coverage within its pages. This new issue is a great example of that.

The article begins with David ruminating over recent years, and how he went from the big Pink Floyd shows to tentatively playing the low-key Royal Festival Hall show in 2001, returning in 2002 at the same venue, playing three shows followed by a further two in Paris. Further sporadic gigs in 2004 lead to On An Island being written, recorded, and toured in 2006. Rattle That Lock followed in 2015, then a further nine years later, last year's Luck And Strange.

Gilmour's recollections of the chosen concerts are fascinating, and at times, illuminating, with details previously untold. They give background to musicians picked for his solo works, things that happened (such as electrocution in London) and his feelings and memories of such things.

Finally, he reveals that he's planning on working on another album before too long, and not leaving it another nine years as with Rattle That Lock and Luck And Strange.

Elsewhere in the magazine - and in addition to the sixteen pages focused on David Gilmour - is coverage of artists as diverse as Bryan Adams, John Fogerty, Bill Haley, Talking Heads and Dr Feelgood, amongst others.

Just announced - David Gilmour Live At The Circus Maximus/The Luck And Strange Concerts, a range of releases concentrated around David's Rome concerts last year, but with other material too. Alongside these are cinema screenings of the Circus Maximus gigs, which should look incredible on the big screen.

First, those cinema screenings. The film Live at the Circus Maximus is going to cinemas & IMAX screens worldwide on September 17th, with tickets going on sale on August 6th from davidgilmour.film and participating cinemas themselves.

Whether or not you catch the film in the cinema, you'll also want to enjoy at home. The live album The Luck and Strange Concerts is being released alongside Live At The Circus Maximus on October 17th in a variety of formats, as detailed below.

There is a 2CD or 4LP set, which contains 23 live tracks from the tour. Both come with a 24-page booklet featuring photographs from the tour. The vinyl is held within two double gatefolds, within a slipcase. The audio was produced by Charlie Andrew and David Gilmour. There is an Amazon variant of the CD and LP sets, with an alternate image on the cover and discs - a silhouette of David with red lights pouring down on him.

Turning now to the film, there's a 2 Blu-ray set, which features the concert filmed at the Circus Maximus in Rome, plus audio concert of tracks from the tour, additional behind-the-scenes documentaries, tour rehearsal footage and music videos. The film was directed by Gavin Elder, with the soundtrack and audio concert produced by Charlie Andrew and David Gilmour. The 2 Blu-ray Discs sit in dedicated colour wallets, with a 24-page booklet featuring photographs from the Luck and Strange tour, and black cat stickers. The audio is presented in 24 bit/96kHz in Stereo, 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos. The first disc is the Rome concert video, and the second are the 23 live tracks from the Luck and Strange Tour presented as audio only. Again, they are in 24 bit/96kHz in Stereo, 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos. The extras are 4 songs filmed at the tour rehearsals, 4 documentaries, and 9 music videos. The audio for these is presented in Stereo only.

The 3 DVD set presents the Rome concert film as above, across the first two discs, and the third has the extras, again as detailed above. Presentation is as the 2 Blu-ray set with dedicated wallets, booklet and stickers.

Finally, there's a Deluxe Box Set which includes all of the above in a custom-made box, along with a special, exclusive 120 page book of photographs from the tour, taken by Polly Samson. Additional photography from the tour is by Jill Furmanovsky, Anna Wloch and Gavin Elder. So, you get the 4 LPs, 2 CDs, 2 Blu-rays, 3 DVDs, the book, plus memorabilia in a dedicated envelope with an embossed stamp containing 2 perforated postcard sheets with 2 postcards each, 1 x sheet of black cat stickers and 1 sheet of Luck and Strange figure with outstretched arms, set list sheet, a double-sided 4-colour poster, and an 8-page credits book. This is an exclusive to David's official store - link shown below.

A similar version of the book is available as a separate entity from some stores too, which is ideal if you only want one or two elements, rather than the full box set. It is a blend of the book that was in the Luck and Strange album box set with the new one, which explains the greater page count of the standalone version (192 pages).

ORDERING INFORMATION:
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Finally, here's a first taster - Sorrow:

In just under a month's time, Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets guitarist (and the man who came up with the idea of the band in the first place!) is dusting off his guitar to play a free gig on the south-east English coast.

As you'll see from the Facebook post below, the gig takes place on Saturday, August 23rd, at the Leas Bandstand in Folkestone, Kent. For one show only, he is joining the musicians in the band On The Run for the free concert (no tickets required) which starts at 2pm. It's going to give Lee a chance to play favourites from the Saucers set list, along with some later Floyd material which the Saucers DON'T do.

The show is part of a two-day festival that is being run under the auspices of the wider FolkestoneFestival.org, with the Kent-based On The Run performing the following day as well, although without Lee for their Sunday set.