Transcript of the Roger Waters online event. Netcast on 13 March 2000. Thanks go to Asass (aka Sysyphus) (jbarrow@barrow-itc.com).
Welcome everyone, MSN is very proud to present online live, one of THE greatest musicians of all time. His album in co-laboration with Pink Floyd, The Wall is the concept album of the age – as well structured as a perfect website, filled full of Paranoia, Sex, Death, Insanity, Anger , Betrayal, Flame Wars, a collective unconscious, and extraordinary, awesome music that could have been the sound track to Cyberspace ..if ever there was a band that fits the spirit of the Internet Roger Waters and Pink Floyd are it – 20 years ahead of their time! The album had 3 producers, 1 co-producer, 4 engineers, 1 major writer, 3 co-laborators, 2 Orchestras, 6 backing vocalists the stage show had 45 tons of stage gear, 106 decibels, inflatables, Gerald Scarfe’s Puppets, 340 bricks and a wall 340x 35 foot, Hammers, School kids and Teachers, (courtesy of MoJo Magazine) The web has been alight with rumours and counter rumours about everything from tours to solo projects and re-uniting all the major players…tonight is our chance to find out. Ladies and Gentlemen live from Barbados …Mr. Roger Waters
You are very welcome online Roger
Thanks.
Have you ever been online before ?
Not in one of these sessions.
What do you make of the Internet?
I think it’s very exciting. I’ve been doing some research trying to find the text of a letter of the French revolution of King Louis 16th related to his cousin Carlos 4th of Spain. I didn’t find it I had to stop looking for it to come to this.
hehe We have had 10’s of thousands of questions in advance many asking the same vital questions so we’ll get straight on…
Yes
Is it true The Wall could be a stage production?
No, it’s something that’s in the pipeline. I want the version of the Wall with some laughs in it.
The process of creation of The Wall is one of the most famous journeys of any album – why was it so frought do you think?
I dont think it was very frought.
How does it feel to have had the kind of impact on other people, that you have had with your amazing work?
It feels surprising. It’s something I find it hard to grasp. On an individual level sometimes I get letters from people, my work is affected in some positiive way, that makes me feel very good.
what would you consider to be your alltime favorite song you have ever performed & why.
I don’t have a favourite.
Would you consider doing a new tour of The Wall to celebrate this anniversary? I was at the original performance at Earls Court and can honestly say that it was the best live concert I have ever attended. It would be great if you could do it again.
You can’t tour the wall, the show is too complex. I was asked to perform the Wall this summer on 4th July, somewhere in America, the Indianapolis speedway I almost agreed because they said it would be a free concert, the idea appealed to me because anybody could go if they wanted. I wanted perform the Wall across the Grand Canyon, however as I looked further into this free concert idea I discovered the concert would be paid by corporate America like Coca-Cola and they would want control of the way their tickets were distributed so they would be in control…
do you read the messages posted to your official website?
Yes. I can’t think of anything specific but I would be interested in the responses to each small candle page.
I want to know if roger has any communication with Syd Barrett and if so how is he doing these days
I think nothing much changes
OH! One other thing, if you would please.Would you please put to rest the rumor of the correlation of Dark side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz? It’s killing me.
I hereby put it to rest.
Can you tell us anything yet about the album that you are currently recording? Will you be touring?
Yes, I just work from up in Nassau with the band and we recorded 40 minutes of the new song working very much as a band. I start in Tampa Florida on June 2. The information we posted on the official web site and also the Columbia website. We’ll be touring through America to the north to Chicago and ending in Madison Square Garden.
What, when you where growing up, was the single biggest life changing moment, and how did that infuence your direction in life?
I suppose my father’s death young as I was
How about releasing a few remixes of old stuff like The Machine from Wish you were here (My all time favourite) or something from Animals. When I listen to today’s music I often feel a remix of one of your songs would sound fab! Keep the good work up! will you be touring the UK
I’m actually going to be recording this tour New Versions and the Machine. Yes, we will be in the UK
Did working with Gilmour bring out any good creative stuff you you?
Of course. You’ve only got to listen to the record.
Roger, how do you feel about the reign of the producer in the music industry today as opposed to the reign of the artist in years past?
I’m not a good person to ask that question because I’m not very interested in it.
How do you feel about Bootlegs ?
I have no problem with any question. I think it sounds like a healthy hobby.
Have you ever seen a ‘tribute’ Pink Floyd band? and if so what did you think?
I never have. I’ve never seen one but I’m flattered by the notion that one might exist.
Are there any charity gig planned for the near future? Any Amnesty International promotions with Each Small Candle?
No, nothing. I’m a great supporter of Amesty International. I think they do wonderful work but I’ve never been approached any of them.
What other artist’s work interests you?
I think John Lennon’s first solo album will always be in my top five. Neil Young is a big favourite of mine. His performance in that film was stunning.I think a great singer songwriter is the best part of the musical spectrum. I was watching the last waltz because I’ll be filming. I was struck by the rawness of the band “Big Pink”
How do you feel about the comparisons Radiohead draw from Pink Floyd?
I don’t know Radiohead’s work because I don’t listen too much but people tell me they are a great band.
The name John Latham doesnt ring a bell. The committee was a black and white film made in the late 60s about a murder. Max Stuear produced it. If it had been Easy Rider we probably would have noticed it.
Is “is there anyone out there” coming out on video or dvd
I have DVD of these shows, at some point their sound has been mixed. It was shot with 5 or 6 cameras and I’ve got all this stuff somewhere.
Rumor has it that the Pros and Cons and KAOS tours were professionally filmed and recorded….given how utterly amazing both productions were, visually and sonically, is there a chance of them ever seeing release ?
Neither were film or recorded, sadly.
Your father’s absence must have been especially difficult when you had children yourself… where did you look for inspiration in raising your own kids?
Just at the kids themselves. Without the parental model it was difficult.
The Wall is such a personal piece…were you trepidatious at all about opening up your psyche for everyone to see, and did you censor any of your writing because of that?
No. If you decide that you’re going to try being an artist, you can’t censor your feelings.
Roger, do you listen to classical music? Your compositions are so classical…
Yes, I do. I listen to opera, to Puccini a lot, Brahms, that sort of thing. I’ve been working on my own opera so I’ve been looking at that a lot.
If the forthcomign live release of the wall is a success, what are the chances of further releases of live material?
What live material?
we’ll see if she comes back …:o)
Fear seems to be a big motivator in your writing. Do you think love is a more powerful creative emotion than love/friendship, and if so what scares you the most these days?
I believe that love is far more creative a factor. The fear that love generates is the fear of losing it.
Do you think that concept albums are still commercially viable, in this day and age of disposable Pop ?
Yes. I mean Amused to Death and so was Kaos, but they didn’t sell as well as any Pink Floyd album. But they still sold a million copies of each of those albums and that’s still commercially viable.
Mr. Waters: Considering how based on improvisation the early days were, don’t you think that a release of the Peel Sessions would be a productive addition to the Pink Floyd legacy?
I’m not sure what Peel Sessions are, but I’ve heard some recordings from the BBC and they’re awful.
It has been stated that “The Wall” was born out of your desire to build a wall between you and an audience that were less appreciative of your music.Do you still have this feeling about today’s audiences? Is there still a need for The Wall?
No, come to the shows, you’ll see them. A. I’m much more open than I used to be, B, we’re not working in football stadiums so the need for the wall .derived from my sense of contact with the audience..
Mr Waters, you have worked with some fine musicians on your solo albums including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Any indication of who you may be working with on your next album?
I’m working with the band I toured with. The drummer is Graham Broad, Andy Fairweather-Love, Snowy White, Doyle Brahamhall II. There are two keyboard players, John Carin and Andy Wallis, and two singers, Katie Kissoon, P.P. Arnold. Roger, what were your feelings about the Atlanta Candle audience participation?
They held up bits of paper, I was intrigued with the candle from the bits of paper. They held them up to get me to sing the new songs I’ll be performing either that or one of the other new songs in the upcoming tour.
Would you ever work live on the Internet ? Intimate club atmosphere and a huge world wide audience – I will pay by the way :o)
I don’t know because I’ve never seen a web cast. I see no problem with it philosophically. I remember when I was 10 or 11 listening to Radio Luxemberg on a crystal set with 2 headphones and the quality was appalling. But listening to early Gene Vincent and early rock and roll hidden under the bed covers still creating magic moments.
Could you ask Roger how “Pigs” came into being????!!
I don’t know. They’re animals, I sat down and wrote it.
What is the status of Ca Ira, and are you pleased with the experience of writing an opera?
I’m going to Paris in a few days time to record with Ying Huang, a soprano, Paul Groves, a tenor, on the English version. The orchestra and choral recordings are all finished I have to finish the baritone parts later this year. The experience of writing for an orchestra is wonderful. It’s great to learn about orchestration and also learning about Logic which is the software I used.
Favourite period of Floyd Music leaving aside the Lyrics etc
It’s definitely pre 1982. I would say 73-82. It started with the Wall and in between – actually only 4 albums, I think they’re all pretty cool.
Is there any sort of a tentative release date for Ca Ira? Also, is the release of your new solo album contingent upon the completion of Ca Ira?
There is no release date for Ca Ira. The recording and DVD of the live show, I know the record company wants to wait till September – the new studio album is at least 1 year away I think.
Please explain the concept behind your upcoming album, (i.e Personal Responsibility, “Each Small Candle lights a corner of the dark…”,our role in the universe, communication via the internet, etc.)Do you feel that The Wall ties in with these themes 20 years later?
Yes, because the Wall was about alienation and it’s only by each of us as individuals understanding that we’re all in the same boat and that is likely to happen via our communications with the internet that we will stand a chance of establishing an overview of the economic and religious dogmas that in a general sense fragment our world, and at a personal level snuff out our individual lights.
I`m 15 and i started playing guitars from about a year,what exercise do u think is the best?
Exercise? Yoga, I would think.
Why not release live recordings of the ’73, ’75, or ’77 tours? They’re already sought after by fans in the bootleg industry.
I don’t think we made recordings in those days.
do you believe in God and that it was destiny what you achieved or do we control our destiny?
No, I don’t believe in fate. There is something in the organisation of natural history and in history itself that leaves me to suppose that there is much more out there than we can comprehend. When I say out there, I’m not sure that it means in here I don’t subscribe to any religious dogma, but I’m closer to believeing in god than I am to being agnostic. I believe in the idea that there are matters that are spiritual.
Has there been any contact between you and the other members of Pink Floyd during the production of “Is There Anybody Out There”?
I don’t know if they spoke to each other or not.
Do you feel better as a performer or composer / textwriter?
I feel comfortable with wearing either hat. I love performing. I’ve forgotten that until recently, but I love composing.
Will you ever appear/perform on MTV or something of that nature ?
Yes, in fact a couple years ago I asked if I asked MTV if they wanted to do an unplugged, but they said no thank you.
(Note. This was later corrected to read that MTV approached Roger)
No, I never really liked MTV.
Let’s start a letter-writing campaign to MTV?!?!?!
Let’s boycot MTV!!!
how I would looovvvvveeee to see you unplugged!
Was there much of a drugs influence on your music in the 60’s?
No. I think alcohol has an effect to a certain extent that it loosens tongues. You know only in moderation and I’m not sure that any other drug has been any help. Many can kill you and there are precious few corpses writing good songs.
do you still hold a desire for architecture to this day, what inspires you?
I’ve never been interested in architecture.
what inspires you?
What inspires me today is back to an earlier question about fear and love, is love.
Do you like the direction music is going in relation to things being composed more electronically, then with actual real instruments?
I don’t really care about that. If the music moves, so be it. Personally, I prefer real instruments.
Is there any artist that you would love to perform with? Or one artist in particular that you really love to jam it out with?
No.
getting back to the wall Roger how has this changed you
I’ve read that you’re putting together a book of poems for publication. Is this true? When could we look for it in stores?
It did, because it made me confront my own fear. My fear of showing myself, confronting my dark side.
Your Three Wishes?
I’m sure that will happen at some point. I’ve written a lot, it would be a very slim book. I’ve been thinking that the innocent should be spared, the guilty should be forgiven and that
Oops — mixed up questions. I’ve been thinking about the three wishes and I think that the innocent should be spared, the guilty should be forgiven and that John Lennon should have been seen as right when he said all you need is love.
Thanks Roger that was brilliant . It was a pleasure to have had you on (we’ll be chasing you about the unplugged webcast thing – believe me )….
Thank you, it was my pleasure.
Goodnight and best wishes for the new tour and album …the opera the slim volume of poetry and everything you do in future many many thanks
Good night!
take care and regards to all in Barbados!