Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

The `Wall' conquers all

Even after a three-decade career, Roger Waters feels there are tonnes of songs to write

His songs re-define a listener. Lyrics don't cause revolutions, but Roger Waters' music forces reflection and often a reckoning. He was a lyricist, bass player and vocalist of the iconic rock band Pink Floyd from 1965-1985. Since the break-up of the band, he has released three solo albums. Waters recently performed in Mumbai, with more than 15,000 people in attendance. This was after the colossal success of his 2002 concert in Bangalore. The living legend fields a few queries with ease...

This is your second tour to India. What was the first experience like?

I was here in 2002. I liked the audience. That was an `In The Flesh' tour... now I'm playing the `Dark Side'. The Indian audience really knows how to rock. I'm looking forward to being in India again. Indian audiences know my songs and that's a great feeling.

Dark Side of the Moon was on the Billboard 200 charts for 15 years. After that scale of success, how do you carry on? Does success dampen creativity?

No, it doesn't. Maybe if it was the only one it would but of course but it was in 1973 (or 4) and then there was The Wall in 1979 and that was much bigger than Dark Side and it's probably just as well. Since then I've done what I think is an important album of my own in 1992, called Amused to Death.

So no really, at this point I'm pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I've got tonnes of songs that I've written and half recorded and there are a couple of more albums in the old dog yet and I will make them at some point. But they need to be coherent in some way.

Your music is relevant because it raises questions. Which are the other bands that are exploring issues and musical sounds today?

To be perfectly honest I don't really listen to music and certainly not much contemporary pop music anyway. It's not to say that I don't think it's any good. It's just my interest lies in other areas. I listen to a lot of classical music.

You performed together in 2005 as Pink Floyd; what was the experience? Do you miss that?

`Live 8' was a special experience. I'd do more gigs in a heartbeat. The four of us on stage was very emotional for everybody. And the recordings that followed sounded pretty good. I loved every minute of it. It was more than fun. And it was so interesting to hear what it actually sounds like with Rick (Wright) and Nick (Mason) and Dave and I all playing together. Because there is a very specific kind of vibe and sound to it, which I hold in great regard and which brought back lots of memories.

What are you working on right now?

I'm working with a very good writer called Lee Hall. He's done a lot of radio work in England and he wrote a movie called Billy Elliott and then he wrote the musical that developed from that. We are working on a stage version of The Wall.

NANDINI NAIR

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail