One of the biggest stories from yesterday’s news cycle was the return of Roger Waters to the road, as the Pink Floyd bassist announced a major 42-date engagement for summer of 2017. In his announcement, Waters mentioned the possibility of playing new music, ultimately leading to him releasing his first solo album since 1992’s Amused To Death. A full 25 years later (assuming the album comes out next year), Waters is getting closer than ever to releasing the prized follow-up release.
Though a new album has not been formally announced, Waters did sit down with Rolling Stone to discuss what it might look like. He mentions that frequent Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich is involved with the project, though he also states that he’s never listened to Radiohead. “I don’t listen to other people’s records, so I haven’t heard any. I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m working,” says Waters.
The album itself has a unique concept, perhaps best explained in Waters’ own words.
I had written a long, meandering piece that was a radio play with about a dozen songs in it. It was the story of an old Irishman who is babysitting. You don’t know this. The thing starts off with a two-minute monologue of discontent [chuckles]: “Our children and grandchildren, ceaselessly bent over their computers, blah, blah, blah, I fucking hate this, I fucking hate that.” That was the beginning of the whole thing, this disillusionment.
You eventually discover that he is babysitting. The kid wakes up. He goes in to look after the kid, and it’s his granddaughter. She is having a nightmare, and the nightmare is someone is killing all the children. He says, “No, they’re not. They haven’t killed any children since the Troubles [in Northern Ireland].” And the kid says, “Not here, Grandpa. Over there.” The grandfather promises they will go on a quest to find the answer to this question: Why are they killing all the children? It is a fundamentally important question.
So I wrote this whole thing – part magic carpet ride, part political rant, part anguish. I played this to Nigel, and he goes, “Oh, I like that little bit” – about two minutes long – “and that bit.” And so we’ve been working. I’ve also been falling in love, deeply in love. So the record is really about love – which is what all of my records have been about, in fact. It’s pondering not just why we are killing the children. It’s also the question of how do we take these moments of love – if we are granted any in our lives – and allow that love to shine on the rest of existence, on others.
Ultimately, Waters boils down the new album, as well as his old ones, with a simple philosophy. “Building walls is not the answer.” Naturally he uses that opportunity to blast Donald Trump, but his point against “national exceptionalism” is a poignant one.
The full interview touches on The Wall tour, the Pink Floyd box sets, and the recent reunion with David Gilmour and Nick Mason. You can find it here.