Steve Mac
Guitar / Vocals
When did you join Aussie Floyd?
1987, coincidentally it was the same day Jason joined.
Favourite Pink Floyd album?
It changes from time to time but it would have to be between Meddle, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall.
Favourite Pink Floyd songs to listen to?
Echoes, Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1-9, Dogs or Atom Heart Mother.
Favourite Pink Floyd song to play?
Echoes, One Of These Days, Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1-9.
How did you get in to Pink Floyd?
When I was 13 my elder sister came home from school with Dark Side Of The Moon and played it on loud on my parents new HiFi system. I was soaking in a hot bath as Breathe kicked in and I fell in love with the album on my first listen.
What other bands do you like?
Supertramp, Alan Parsons Project, The Beatles, Peter Green, Roy Buchanan, Dire Straits, AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Enigma, Radiohead, Van Halen, The Eagles, Porcupine Tree and so on…
If you weren’t in a Pink Floyd tribute what tribute would you be doing?
As much as I love many other bands and artists I’ve only ever had the passion to consider playing Pink Floyd’s music or my own compositions as a career, so I guess the honest answer is none.
Have you met any Floyd members?
David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, Guy Pratt, Jon Carin, Gary Wallace, Snowy White, Tim Renwick, Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine, Lorelei McBroom, Durga McBroom, and on the crew side, Phil Taylor, Colin Norfield and Clive Brooks.
Least favourite Floyd song?
I honestly don’t have one.
Funniest moment on stage with TAPFS?
Usually when things go wrong. We used a Kabuki for a few tours. It’s a thin semi see through cloth projection screen which hangs in front of the band. We opened the show with us playing a moody instrumental piece called Obscured by clouds. After that we kicked straight into In The Flesh and the Kabuki would fall to the floor on the very first beat. However more than once the release mechanism failed so we spent the next song or two stuck behind the screen falling about laughing while the crew frantically tried to find and fix the fault. It was very Spinal Tap.
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
My background is in electronics and sound mixing so I’d probably be working in the entertainment industry as a Sound Engineer or technician.
Best thing about touring?
Seeing the world and playing live music.
Worst thing about touring?
Being away from my family and friends and living out of a suitcase.
Favourite venues?
I used to loath playing at The Royal Albert Hall because the sound on stage used to be dreadful due to the shape of the building. However they’ve spent a fortune installing quite a unique sound system and it’s now one of the best sounding stages we play on. For me the sound and vibe on stage makes a gig great, but it’s the audience that make it magical.
Most enjoyable gig?
Jodrel Bank, Montreal Bell Centre, RAH, David Gilmour’s 50th Birthday Party.
Funny touring story off stage?
One of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed was in 1993 at our Bon voyage party in Adelaide. There was a large sofa in the middle of the function room and I was stood talking to Jason who had his back to it. He didn’t realise how close he was to it and he stepped back with full pint in hand and fell backwards over the back of the sofa. His feet whizzed past my ears as he did a complete backflip somersault and amazingly landed back on his feet on the other side of the sofa still talking and still holding his pint. He didn’t spill a drop.
What instruments do you play?
Mainly guitars, I’ve dabbled with drums, keyboards and saxophones but my guitars seem to prefer me.
When did you start playing music?
I started playing the drums briefly when I was about seven or eight. My Mother was a huge Ringo fan so I got a drum kit for Christmas. I played them non stop over the Christmas break clearly driving my parents mad as when I woke up the next morning and they’d returned them to the store. I then started playing my elder sister’s keyboard. I wasn’t allowed to play it either so I had to wait until everyone was out. I started working full time at 17 and could finally afford buy an acoustic guitar. That led on to my first electric guitar a year or two later and the rest as they say is history. I just wish my Mother preferred George instead of Ringo.