Feeling better; Roger Waters likes to play his music again
An interview with Roger Waters
Transcribed From the German magazine "Gitarre & Bass" magazine by Henrik Hanselmann
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Feeling better; Roger Waters likes to play his music again
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I am a REG member from Norway. The trascription is now done and I'm tired, it's late here. We are about 9 hours ahead of American Pacific time. I'm working during the day, so have had little time for writing anything. Upon volunteering to transcribe this article from German to English, I had no way of knowing how much time and work it would take. I can now appreciate the huge amount of effort and work it must take to publish our entire REG magazine.
The interview was much longer than I had thought it was, but I found it to be really interesting and good material. I really enjoyed working with it. However, because it is quite long, I did shorten it a little bit, by deleting some unnessesary paragraphs. I also want to thank Lothar Trampert at Gitarre & Bass magazine for helping me in getting this interview translated.
At the beginning of the article, there's commentary about Pink Floyd, Roger's solo efforts, the beginnings of Roger's new band and the new live In The Flesh album. On the next page is a description of all the instruments Roger played during his recent tour. Among them are: a Takamine Acoustic Guitar, Washburn E Guitar, and his old Fender Precision Bass. Then there's a discography, listing all Roger Waters' records which includes his work with Pink Floyd.
Also, before the interview actually starts, are comments in about where the interview took place (the Hempel Hotel, London), about the clothes Roger is wearing, Ca Ira, the Music Business, his legal battle with Pink Floyd, and his new tour and album.
Then the interview begins:
G&B:
Waters:
G&B:
Waters:
G&B:
Waters:
The CD "In The Flesh" documents your first concerts in 12 years. What brought you back again to the stage?
I have missed it awfully. My last performance was in 1992 with Don Henley a benefit concert in Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. He asked me if I would join his project and play a few songs with his band, and I said yes at once. Then we rehearsed a couple of evenings, and had a fantastic time- John Fogerty, Neil Young, Don Henley and I. When we stood at the stage, I was overwhelmed. The audience gave me so much applause and support that I really got touched. Backstage I met Chris Wright from Chrysalis Records. A vivid character, that I have known some years. He's one of those typical North England people with a funny accent and he said: "I didn't really know that you could play so well. You are really a mad performer". I took it both as a compliment and as an offense. At last I had made it before I was dead. At least it woke up my desire... it was still possible to repeat it. And after seven years the time was right. I called up my agent, and he worried about everything. Since the tour promoter's reaction was negative, we tried with a smaller promoter, and the tour was a success, I was quite surprised at the reaction of the fans. And the tour the next year was a bit bigger and even more successful. We had a wonderful time.
That makes sense, that you rediscovered your love for the music...
It's simply just about... I had to accept my situation. After I had lost in court to Pink Floyd, I had a difficult time. The worst thing about it, was that I had to understand, that people didn't recognize me. Even among Pink Floyd fans. And that was a big surprise.
Did that hurt you?
Oh yeah! When I toured in 1987 with album "Radio KAOS," I had a wonderful band, but our concerts were rarely well attended. But the tour made at least enough to cover our expenses. At about the same time, Pink Floyd on the other hand, were on tour and everywhere they played they had huge crowds, often filling up stadiums. And that hurt me very badly. However, the audience that came to my shows were simply great, and at some of the shows I could even sense the old passion and kinship. Nevertheless, I told my record company that I wanted it to stop. And after the disappointing sales of "Amused To Death" (1992), an album I'm really proud of, I did not want to tour. I didn't sell enough copies of the album, and that meant no concerts. Why should I invest so much time in touring a show that few came to see and didn't pay the bills? After that, the years just passed by...
G&B:
Therefore you just retired?
Waters:
Thefefore I became more relaxed.
G&B:
When I hear you talk about the years passing by, doesn't the time away from the music scene and the stage matter to you?
Waters:
(laughs) Not really. I'm best when I work quiet and slowly. And that's what I do.
G&B:
How do you create your music?
Waters:
The way I work is always the same. Every time, when I have the time or the place to write... if I compose a song... it's like painting a painting. You can't create... I can't write by specifying the task in advance... just sit down and do it. I must be driven. It has to be something, that really needs to get out.
G&B:
Are your lyrics exclusively based on your perception of society?
Waters:
It's all about feelings. But it's not all about cynicism or anger. I'm often not sure myself, what I want to say or where I stand. I simply experience something, and strong emotions inside myself are set free. They go into my consciousness and seize my intellect. Then I try to understand and to organize those emotions. I gain a new understanding and interpret that into lyrics, unserstanding at the same time how other people looking in from outside my own reality might also percieve and feel and interpret. In this way I leave behind my brush strokes on the big painting of music.
G&B:
There seemed to have been a movement of alienation and cynisism flowing throughout your work... until now! Why the change?
Waters:
That's right. I think, I'm simply more loose. Now the way I presently feel is affecting the way in which I work. The change from the old way I percieved the world has come about also because of many years of psychotherapy. I have in the last five to ten years discovered the art of autonomy, something that was totally strange for me before. I have probably paid a high price, for not having had a father. Because I didn't have a strong male character and authority figure in my life. And that's the reason, it always seemed to me, that I have always submitted and subordinated myself to woman... until I developed my own sense of self, and understood that I could survive alone, as myself, by myself. That I, as an individual, according to my own standards, could exist. I'm no longer a supplement for a great strong "she" figure. You know, we are always learning and alway growing. We learn throughout our whole life, through all our experiences.
G&B:
So you don't need 'The Wall' anymore - your impeniterable barrier?
Waters:
I'm much more happy now, than at any time with Pink Floyd. David Gilmour always tried to knock me down, pretending I'm good in visual things, but a miserable musician. Until I finally believed it myself.
G&B:
Will there always be animosity between the two of you? Have you ever had the thought or desire to talk with Gilmour about it? After all these years, would that be a problem or not? Waters:Never! My life is simply too short to invest in something that will perhaps linger forever. So for what? Why should I waste what time I have left to revisit the bitterness of the past. Why go back at all? David's positions over the years have hardly changed. When I read old or new interviews with him he only says the same things. And why should he suddenly change his opinion? I wish him well, only good.G&B:
But wouldn't it be nice, to once and for all set things straight?Waters:
Could be, but that road is too difficult for me to want to travel.G&B:
Weren't you and Gilmour a great team all those years before?Waters:
Yes, for about four years we had a great relationship. Especially between 1968, when he joined the band and "Dark Side of The Moon". We were a nice pair, and then five years past. But it was the same for all the Floyd members. We had exactly defined goals and were working hard. That's why we became such a fantastic band and wrote great songs. But after "Dark Side..." it all became more difficult. Dave tried everything to start a solo-career, but he admitted that his future was in Pink Floyd. In addition he tried to increase his influence, and we had endless fights and intrigues. Even though we still made three more albums "Wish You Were Here", "Animals" and "Final Cut". Oh, stop, it was four. I forgot "The Wall", hahaha!
G&B:
What do you think about the Floyd-Reissues and other stuff?Waters:
I find them inelegant. Unfortunately I can't do anything about it. The back catelogue is owned by Pink Floyd Music Ltd. Every member shares 25%. So I can be outvoted in every meeting - and that's what actually happens every time. That's the reason why I don't attend them anymore. (Next Roger talks about a new song entitled "The Flickering Flame" and he recites a part of it: "When my synapses pause in their quest for applause, when my ego lets go of my end of the bone to focus instead on the love that is precious to me, then I shall be free" In the next part of the interview Roger talks about his new band and his recent tour and about the various musicians.)G&B:
On the "In The Flesh Tour" you played mostly in arena's and amphitheaters, and it was more intimate than other shows or tours you have done before. Is it true that you are abandoning the huge Floydian stage shows, theatrics and special effects?Waters:
(laughs) That's hard to say. You'll have the answer when you see the DVD, which should be coming out in February. Then you can see the show for yourself. It's not so much... in the background of the stage is a simple canvas, and on it we projected images and video. That's really the only effect. And we don't have a huge amount of lighting equipment, only a few pair of simple spotlights to light the stage. It's all very minimalistic.G&B:
Can we expect that you will be coming to tour "In The Flesh" in Germany?Waters:
Definitely. Originally plans had been laid out for the summer (2001), but Andy Fairweather-Low and Katie (Kissoon) are going on tour with Eric Clapton, for a whole year. And I won't do the shows without them. And I also won't do them without Doyle, who's the opening act for Eric. So I have to wait for next year. Which is no real tragedy! I have no other plans yet, and the audience will still be the same in any case. I have all the time in the world! I'm now 57 and next year I'll be 58. What difference does it make? Until then I'll have enough time to do a few other things, and after all, it gives me enough time maybe to work on a yet another new album. I think the shows in US went well. That's why I have a strong desire to have a real long European Tour. I think it will be the same shows that we did in America this year. If it all works out, I would also like to play behind the old "iron-curtain", I would love to play in the former USSR, the Ukraine or Russia and in Hungry. (Roger then talks about his rhythmic style and his preference for music measured in 5/4 or 6/4. He specifically states his new album will be recorded in the studio without overdubbing, with all 10 musicians playing together. So he won't be using any technical gimmickry.)G&B:
Be honest: Was the '60s really so wild as we see in old photos and films or hear on records?Waters:
It was so much fun. You can't even imagine. We had this new kind of Quadrophonic sytem called the Azimuth Coordinator for a show in Queen Elisabeth Hall- in May 1967. The stage was was under the slogan: "Games for May." We played "See Emily Play". If I remember it correctly, we positioned speakers in a circle in the hall and played psychedelic tapes that I got from an ice-cold basement in Harrow Road. I can remember that pretty well. We had no money and no audience, but it was so fun. Especially because it was so new, so revolutionary and so easy. Without egos, without competitive thinking and without hate.
Copyright Gitarre & Bass magazine - All rights researved. Reprinted with permission from issue #2 of this year. The Gitarre & Bass magazine Internet website homepage is: http://www.gitarrebass.de/
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