The dark
side of an enlightened mind
By Kristen Piec
Roger Waters is known
to some as an outspoken voice of revolution against the dark side. To
others, he wouldn't be recognized unless his name was followed by the name
Pink Floyd.
The mystique of Pink Floyd was deepened by the band
members’ anonymity and their enigmatic music, which was spring-boarded by
the rapid rise and fall of founding member Roger “Syd” Barrett. Pink
Floyd’s later music, lyrics and concepts kept in touch with the spirit of
Syd’s avant-garde contribution and his loss due to a worsening mental
condition. Pink Floyd went far beyond the band they originated as more
than 30 years ago. They evolved into a completely unique band of
intelligent, individual artists who had intense convictions and talents.
There were many facets to Pink Floyd, but the most obvious difference from
other bands was that their music was built on well-formulated ideas that
made you think. They used provocative art and stage visuals, but it was
mostly about incredibly moving music with chilling psychological
concepts.
Throughout their career, Pink Floyd enjoyed anonymity in
the midst of worldwide success. During the height of Pink Floyd, behind
huge stage shows of lights and props, their songs spoke against injustice
and the establishment. Controversial concepts were accepted during that
turbulent time of the 1970s, but no other artist was as intelligently
biting as Roger Waters. His lyrics paint a picture of the world but are
still personal and connect with deep emotions in others. Pink Floyd, with
Roger as the band’s lyricist, created the most emotional and outspoken
concept albums during a time of war, revolution and general apathy toward
the status quo.
In the 1980s, Roger would pay the price for his
Pink Floyd anonymity when he didn't have the name of his former band to
promote his solo work. But Roger stayed true to his craft and continued to
speak with his own voice, which would eventually resonate with new
generations.
Roger Waters's first solo album, “The Pros and Cons of
Hitchhiking” (1983), is an in-depth album that shows a more vulnerable,
personal side in Roger’s writing. The concept deals with the inner
subconscious, all staged through a night of dreaming, with the twists and
turns that dreams and nightmares take. It touches on the need to be loved
and to feel connected, but it also seems to be about metaphysics and the
elusiveness of the dream state and waking hours. The album wasn’t well
received by the paying public, so most people didn't give it the proper
amount of time it takes to realize the depth of the concept. Eric
Clapton's intense blues-guitar riffs are a big bonus that shouldn’t be
overlooked, but it wasn’t enough to give the album the boost it needed
post-Pink Floyd and pre-heavy metal ’80s.
A few years later, his
second solo project, “Radio K.A.O.S.” (1987), was released the same year
as the newly reformed Pink Floyd’s album “A Momentary Lapse of Reason.”
“Radio K.A.O.S.” was overshadowed by the name Pink Floyd and their stadium
tour.
“K.A.O.S.” is a
narrative concept album about the threat of world annihilation, with a
storyline and characters. The main character, Billy, uses technology to
try to connect to people and make them realize what is important in this
fleeting life. The music has an ’80s pop feel, which seems to echo the
disconnect that encompassed the decade’s sound, making the musical style
of “K.A.O.S.” part of the overall concept, even if it wasn’t planned that
way. The concept speaks about how popular culture and entertainment can
and should be about connecting and sharing messages, not just about “pop
porn,” as Roger has dubbed pop music in interviews.
The “Radio
K.A.O.S.” tour was a multimedia event and included a DJ booth housing Jim
Ladd, a Los Angeles DJ featured as a character who befriends Billy over
the radio. “K.A.O.S.” is also about how radio is a dying form of
communication. Radio is increasingly viewed as more of an annoying
background noise than entertainment. In reality, a primary cause of its
demise is that creativity has been taken out of it, making it corporate
and computerized, and it doesn't make people feel connected like it once
did.
In 1990, Roger performed “The Wall” at the Berlin Wall to
commemorate its tearing down. A large cast of artists and musicians helped
perform the characters, with Roger as Pink, while troops built a huge wall
of bricks that was torn down in one of the largest stage productions ever.
It was an emotional height for Roger and would mark the glimmering of an
optimistic time coming out of the recessive ’80s. It was clear there was
still a great deal for Roger to speak out about. With the help of Jeff
Beck on guitar, Roger’s album “Amused to Death” let it be known that those
same gripping messages still needed to be heard years after “The Wall” and
Roger’s last album with Pink Floyd, “The Final
Cut.”
“Amused to Death”
(1992) could very well be the most outspoken anti-establishment album of
all time. The 1990s were a new era of war, with environmental issues and a
new level of apathy among younger generations. “Amused to Death” addresses
how humans have created an image of being civilized yet are ignorant to
real humanitarian concerns. Referring to a cast of animals in the
storyline, the concept suggests we are all part of the animal kingdom,
which may explain why we continue to connect to violence instead of using
our minds to solve problems. We portray being organized by using religion,
government and cultural facades, but are short-sighted with aggression and
competitiveness – to the point that we amuse ourselves to death. It is a
unique album and picks up on pieces of each of Roger’s previous works,
including perfecting the use of sound effects to heighten the album’s
dynamics, as he has done since the early days with Pink Floyd.
The
creation was a monster that would continue to strengthen over time. But
due to the radical subjects, often shocking lyrics, lack of a hit single
and lackluster sales of his previous solo albums, “Amused to Death” seemed
to be swept under the carpet shortly after its release. Roger decided not
to tour the album, reportedly because of low initial album sales, but the
album stayed true to Roger’s cause, and he did what he wanted regardless
of critics and sales. With Pink Floyd, Roger did pretty much as he wished,
as he was largely the leader of the band, although on his own, he no
longer had the support to get his music heard by a large audience. Roger’s
solo career had largely been ignored, and his former band members touring
with the name Pink Floyd did not help his situation. But there was
something different about “Amused to Death” and how it fermented over
time, eventually creating a new generation of Roger Waters
fans.
Putting “Amused to Death” in the context of the times reveals
that music was dominated by metal and bubble gum pop, and then grunge took
over. “Amused to Death” is not an album that can be categorized, nor can
it be considered an easy listen because it’s more than just music. It
requires intense listening, deep thinking and can be emotionally draining,
which is not easy to sell to the masses. The concepts are harsh yet often
humorous and are layered within each song. Giving it one listen is not
giving it a fair chance. Another reason the album may have been brushed
off was that the climate was too politically charged in the early ’90s, a
time of a thousand points of light: Clarence Thomas hearings, post-Baker
and -Falwell fiascos, and newly televised battlefields from Iraq. It was
an uncertain time, but Roger was reacting to old concepts in a new light.
Was “Amused to Death” ignored at first because fans weren’t willing to
listen to how terrible things really were, or could it have been that
“Amused to Death” was seen as potentially troublesome for the record
industry at that time? The rejection had to be hard for Roger, knowing he
had created a masterpiece that only a few got to truly
experience.
Fast forward to 1999. Roger decided to come out of
nowhere to tour, performing classic Pink Floyd songs as well as solo
material. Most of the solo material was from “Amused to Death,” which was
the first time the songs were played live. The songs and the concept
seemed ready-made for live performance, and the album took on a new life.
It also showed how flawlessly “Amused to Death” blended with Pink Floyd
classics. The success led to tours in 2000 and 2002, as well as a live CD
and DVD, “In the Flesh.” All this begs the question, if Roger had toured
when “Amused to Death” came out and had been billed as a founding member
of Pink Floyd, would the album have been better accepted and
appreciated?
Was it simply that “Amused to Death” came before its
time? And could anyone realize how prophetic some of the concepts would be
10 years later, post-9/11? Roger speaks out about militarism, terrorism,
extremes in religion and televised violence – and reminds listeners how
people have the ability to come together, with such lines as “A Doctor in
Manhattan saved a dying man for free” in the song “It’s a
Miracle.”
The entire album is
uniquely compelling, with most Roger fans not having a clear favorite song
or section. Fans may not agree which song on the album is best, but one
thing they do agree on is that it takes many listens to fully appreciate
the concept. After years of listening, it continually inspires new
insights and perspectives. “Amused to Death” speaks to the world situation
in 2004, with its new war and a new generation that needs to hear the
message this album heeds. One can hope more people will hear the messages
Roger has written before his concepts become fatal realities for our
planet.
Roger Waters has been working on a new rock album, and also
will be releasing an opera called “Ca Ira,” inspired by the French
Revolution. There have been rumors of a tour in support of his rock album
in 2005.
Kristen
Piec is an artist, teacher and the web mistress of a Roger Waters fan
site called Bleeding Heart Artist. She has traveled extensively and toured
with Roger Waters on his past three tours. View her photos and artwork here.