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Roger Waters - From Pink Floyd To Today

There are some rock gods who do not strut about, do scissor jumps or crowd surf. Roger Waters is one of them. He's no oil painting and he doesn't attract the attention of the paparazzi. He transcends all of this and holds his place in history as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His lyrics are especially admired, for their ability to explore emotions.

The mid 1960s brought an explosion of psychedelic color when rock music mirrored the effects of hallucinogenic drugs. Pink Floyd were an influential part of that scene. There were casualties of course, including Roger's colleague, founding member Syd Barrett. The band survived the departure of Syd and went on to become a global phenomenon, thanks largely to the songwriting contributions of Roger Waters and the melodic guitar of Dave Gilmour.

After twenty glorious years, Roger Waters and Pink Floyd went their separate ways. Roger forged a solo career, but never seemed as potent as when he'd been with the band. He still wrote some great songs, and probably always will do. Like Ray Davies and Paul Weller, Roger's songs are quintessentially English. There is no attempt to be transatlantic.

It's not his style to hide behind devices, or tell us what he thinks we want to hear. Roger Waters lets out the pain, joy, and anger in his soul. The Wall tells the tale of a man's alienation from the world. He feels an outsider and cries is there anybody out there? Roger's Father died during World War II, and the loss has been a recurring theme throughout his work. His lyrics reflect the direct and brutal impact of war, as he was a victim himself.

The music is not always angry at the world. Roger Waters can also create beautiful and ethereal songs, as in Grantchester Meadows from the album Ummagumma. A native of English university town Cambridge, Roger swam there in the River Cam. He also likes to go fly fishing, and I like to imagine him by the river absorbing the natural world and gaining inspiration from its rhythms. There is another track on the same album, titled Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict. This shows that Roger Waters isn't always serious, and he can be playful.

Pink Floyd reunited at the Live 8 concert in London in July 2005, for a one off performance. Roger Waters, Dave Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason stood on the same stage at last, after years of estrangement. It was a magical time, with each band mate smiling at each other, as if they couldn't quite believe it. At the end, Roger Waters drew the others towards him and they all linked arms. They all looked genuinely pleased to be there, and said they were all thinking of Syd.

A lot of mind expansion has gone under the bridge. Sadly, Syd has now passed on. Roger Waters and his former comrades in arms came full circle and enchanted us again at Bob Geldof's gathering of the clans. Syd is playing in a meadow somewhere, the carefree child again that he once was. Roger Waters is still here to remind us to break down the wall.

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Kilty Larkin is a freelance write, who has started his own bolg. You can see more of Kilty's writings at Kilty Larkin's - A Place For Stuff