Historical Figure
Roger Waters
b. 1943
English musician, co-founder of Pink Floyd (born 1943)
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Biography
George Roger Waters is an English singer-songwriter, musician and political activist. In 1965, he co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd as the bassist. Following the departure of the band's main songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became Pink Floyd's principal lyricist, co-lead vocalist and conceptual leader until his departure in 1985.
In Their Own Words (5)
[Asked if he has ever changed his mind on a topic.] Yes, an article I wrote about three months ago calling Vladimir Putin a gangster… That may have been unfair [...] It may be that he's leading his country to the benefit of all of the people of Russia.
"Roger Waters: ‘I called Putin a gangster – that may have been unfair’" The Telegraph (8 February 2023) , 2023
My mother told me I said to her, at age three, 'I'm going to go to Italy and get my father in a tractor.' 'You've never seen quite so fierce a little boy as you were,' she told me. She tried to explain that I couldn't get my father in a tractor. Apparently I looked at her and narrowed my eyes and said 'In that case, I'm going in a double-decker bus,' and stomped off. Which is kind of funny, but it's very sad, as well."
In an interview in Rolling Stone magazine talking about his father who was killed in WWII (30 September 2010). , 2010
I'm not saying the battle is won But on Saturday night all those kids in the sun Wrested technology's sword from the hands of the warlords Ooh, the tide is turning Ooh, the tide is turning.
"The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid)", on Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) , 1987
We've got the recording side together and not the playing side.
Melody Maker (August 1967). , 1967
Have you heardIt was on the newsYour child can read you like a bedtime storyLike a magazineLike a has-been out to grassLike afternoon T.V.Why is my life going by so fast?
"Hello (I Love You)" was a created as a musical collaboration between Howard Shore and Waters for the film The Last Mimzy (2007). At PR-inside, Waters is quoted as saying: "I think together we've come up with a song that captures the themes of the movie — the clash between humanity's best and worst instincts, and how a child's innocence can win the day." Video and full lyrics online , 2007
Timeline
The story of Roger Waters, told in moments.
Co-founds Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright. Waters plays bass. Barrett writes the songs and slowly comes apart. By 1968, Barrett is gone. Waters takes over as principal lyricist and conceptual leader. The band becomes something else entirely.
The Dark Side of the Moon is released. It spends 937 weeks on the Billboard 200. That's 18 years. Waters writes about madness, money, death, and the passage of time. The album sells 45 million copies. It never sounds like it's trying to.
The Wall is released. A double album about isolation, war, fame, and the walls people build around themselves. His father's death at Anzio is at its core. "Daddy died" isn't metaphor. It's autobiography. The accompanying tour features a literal wall built across the stage during the show.
Stages The Wall live in Berlin, eight months after the real one came down. 450,000 people attend. It's one of the largest rock concerts in history. The Wall tour from 2010 to 2013 becomes the highest-grossing solo tour of all time.
Reunites with Pink Floyd for Live 8. Their first appearance together since 1981. Four old men walk onstage. The crowd roars. They play four songs. Waters hugs Gilmour at the end. It's the last time all surviving members perform together. Wright dies three years later.
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