Here’s a trailer for the Pink Floyd Eclipse documentary–and how you can enjoy Dark Side of the Moon during an actual eclipse on Saturday.
This past March was the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. In commemoration, there was a contest to win a trip to Australia to witness and actual eclipse. The secret sauce is that everything was timed out so that the lyrics “…and the sun is eclipsed by the moon” at the end of “Eclipse” (the last track on the album) coincided perfectly with an actual eclipse of the sun.
Eight contest winners were flown to Mcleods Beach in Nigaloo Marine Park–a UNESCO site–in Exmouth, Western Australia. They found a giant pyramid on the beach which marked the spot. Pretty cool, no?
Something like this deserved a documentary. Aubrey “Po” Powell, a co-founder of Hipgnosis and one of the creators of the iconic artwork for Dark Side, was one of the leaders of the project. He and director Benny Trickett and producer Fiz Oliver followed the fans–called the “Astronome Domine Eight”–through their journey and experience. And as someone who had the good fortune to see a total eclipse from my Manitoba backyard on February 26, 1979, it is truly an awe-inspiring experience. I’m already praying for clear skies on April 8, 2024, when the same thing will happen starting at 3:12 pm EDT and running almost six minutes. (Well, I’ll have a drive a few kilometres. But it’ll be worth it. Some 43,800,000 people will be in the path of totality.)
The documentary will debut on YouTube on October 14 during an annular eclipse (the moon almost covers the entire disco of the sun, leaving only a tiny ring) that will sweep across parts the US, eastern Mexico, parts of Central America, Colombia, and a swath through Brazil. Vancouverites will kick things off with a partial eclipse at 8:08 am EDT. Areas of Canada will receive a decent partial solar eclipse are BC, Alberta, and Manitoba. If you’re in Toronto, only 20-30% of the sun will be covered making it basically unnoticeable unless you use proper protective eyewear.
If you want to get in on the festivities, have a copy of Dark Side available. Fans are encouraged to play the album in sync with the heavens. That album going to be streamed AF on April 8, 2024, too.
Here’s a peek at the doc.
