Although he hasn’t recorded anything with the band for a very long time now, Roger Waters is still, in one way or another, a crucial part of Pink Floyd. Sure, he’s not a member of the band and he’s not exactly in the best relationship with them. But Waters is still performing these old classics live with his band and creating some insanely elaborate audio-visual spectacles in the process.
On the other hand, Waters seems not to be very fond of classic rock ‘n’ roll. Yes, he’s helped define rock music over the years, but he’s not super into it, at least not a vast portion of it. Recently, he discussed the matter when visiting Joe Rogan. After Rogan mentioned that Pink Floyd parting ways with him is the “biggest breakup in, probably, rock history,” Waters responded (transcribed by Killer Guitar Rigs):
“I don’t know… Maybe… I’m not very up on rock history. I’m not very interested in most popular music. I mean, there are certain people that I’m a great fan of, but mainly the sort of writers, the singer-songwriters. So [Bob] Dylan and Neil Young.”
“But I won’t start a long list. I probably could but it’s that end of the spectrum that I’m more interested in. I’m not really interested in loud rock ‘n’ roll. Which some people are and they love it, but I couldn’t care less about AC/DC or Eddie Van Halen or any of that stuff. I just… Who? I don’t go ‘Who?’ because I obviously know the name.”
“And I’m sure Eddie’s brilliant and a great guitar player and wonderful… But that just doesn’t interest me.”
“But ‘Look out, Mama, there’s a white boat coming up the river.’ What was that called? ‘Powdermonkey’ [It’s actually ‘Powderfinger’ by Neil Young]. Something like that I kinda have to take a deep [breath]… It’s kind of like ‘Wow! What did he just say?'”
Discussing his current works and live shows, Waters said:
“I’m still really excited about it. These are the best shows that I’ve ever done. By far. I’ve made a real breakthrough. This is the first time that I ever sort of managed to communicate with an audience in a way that is satisfying.”
When asked about what’s different now, he responded:
“I’ve opened my heart. I’m vulnerable. And yet, because I’ve done that, they’re responding and the consequences have become bolder. You know, the more you risk, the more you potentially lose, but also, the more you potentially gain. When you share your heart with somebody, they can either step on it or give you a bit of theirs back.”
Photo: Davidwbaker (Roger Waters, San Jose, 20170607), Matt Becker (AngusYoung), Abby Gillardi (Van Halen-8611 (20022175423))
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