Of Waters' Narrative

[arana]

A notion occurred to me while reading the liner notes in the IN THE FLESH booklet; I am of course referring to the interview with Roger Waters conducted by Nick Sedgwick.

In those lines, he mentions something a certain narrative (in the context of him choosing songs for that particular tour), a continuing narrative, of which both Floyd material and solo outings is a part. That is apparently why, in Waters’ view that they sit so comfortably along one other.

Furthermore, he mentions that he has always felt that one needed Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Amused to Death, both to complete the set, and the narrative.

And finally, that the new song, “Each Small Candle”, also forms part of that narrative.

So, what is this narrative, I ask? And when did it begin?

These questions bring to mind, I think, some of Waters’ notions on the Dark Side of the Moon DVD. There he emphasised a particular lyric in the epic “Echoes”, from the 1971 album, Meddle: “Strangers passing in the street/By chance two separate glances meet/And I am you and what I see is me”. This was, according to Waters, “the beginning of all the writing about other people”, or, “the beginning of empathy, if you like”. And this had, he continues, a big eruption on Dark Side.

So, is this the nature of his narrative? Is empathy at the heart of it?

One could go even further back in the Floyd catalogue, perhaps to “If” from the 1970 album Atom Heart Mother, or “Set the Controls for Heart of the Sun” from A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). The first of these (if I am not mistaken) was performed at one point or another on the Radio KAOS tour, and the latter was surely played during the IN THE FLESH tour. So in Waters’ view, these songs must also – to a certain extent - be regarded as part of the narrative.

Sorry if the post is a bit long and inconsistent in places...

- Arana

[mosespa]

The heart behind almost everything that Waters has written since "Echoes" is bascially this statement:

People should treat each other better than they do.

Hope that's helpful to you.

[arana]

Why, thank you mosespa!

Hmm..."that people should treat each other better than they do"...
It seems like a reasonable notion...I suppose it's somewhat possible to gather just that from the albums - Dark Side and onwards...

Hmm...I'll think a bit more on this before I elaborate, I think...

- Arana

[David Smith]

I dunno, personally i reckon the narrative (from Echoes onwards) seems more along the lines of:

Don't be afraid to appear vulnerable. Even at the worst of times man can find the best things in life by exposing their weaknesses and feelings through honest communication with another individual

Best exemplified through:
- DSOTM (the basic message being that talking about problems helps remove them as fear is universal),
- TW (Pink tears down his walls to expose his weaknesses rather than repressing his feelings),
- Animals (the political climate being bookeneded by the notion of communication producing shlter)
- PACOHH (the dreamer admits to this fear that his wife will be gone, acknowledging as a result of his dreams his vulnerability and love for her)
- TFC (War distances ourselves from each other. YPP, PE, TGD and TFC all concentrate on characters becoming more isolated and less open while 2 suns in the sunset sees the driver realize people and identity are the things that he will really miss)
- RK (again the value of people to relate to is at the forefront of this one otherwise the ending would be very different)
- ATD (direct human communications are being challenged by television and the media which can potentailly numb us to ourselves and by extension ourselves)

Actually this is quite an interesting question being asked here. I'm sure many people wiull have very different accounts

[arana]

Sorry for the late reply!

Well, your guess is as good as mine, David Smith, to be sure.

I would like to add though, in terms of naming a sort of general narrative, this particular remark from Roger Waters during the course of an interview:

”My obsessions have remained by and large the same through my whole career; always deeply concerned with the idea of, “the powerlessness of the human being in the face of personal loss; particular in the context of wars, the loss of loved ones”…

He he...this brings to mind a comment from Mr. Richard Wright who commented that, while he did not question the lyric and writing capabilities of Waters, he did think that "enough was enough"...that being in terms of most of the lyrics being dark and bleak...in a similiar vein, I think it was actually Gilmour that described The Wall as "one long moan"...

On the "Ca Ira" DVD (which I've listened more often than the actual piece, by the way; but that's another discussion, for another day), Waters makes the notion of "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, is in a way my work"...(Not directly quoted).

Could these paragraphs describe, to some extend that is, Waters's general narrative during the course of his career? Or at least from Echoes onward?

I know I haven't actually dealt with specific albums in this post, as David Smith has, but I'll get to that...some day...

- Arana

[mosespa]

Echoes--The beginnings of empathy.

DSOTM--a vulnerable human being is driven mad by the pressures of modern life.

WYWH--a vulnerable human being is driven mad by the pressures of the music industry.

Animals--Society is controlled by brutish beasts who are only concerned with their personal gain. The only solution is for the mindless masses to rise up and snatch control for themselves.

The Wall--a vulnerable human being is driven mad by the pressures of modern life AND the music industry.

The Final Cut--a vulnerable human being is incinerated (along with everyone else) when the pressures of modern life build up to a nuclear war.

TPACOHH--a vulnerable human being nearly drives himself mad (in his sleep, no less,) because he cannot decide whether or not he's happy in his marriage.

RK--vulnerable human being (with Cerebal Palsy,) stages a mock nuclear war when the pressures of modern life bring him to the conclusion that something must change.

ATD--see The Final Cut, only add a denoument where aliens discover the ruins.

Your continuous narrative is the vulnerable human being meeting with unhappy cicrumstances.

[arana]

Well, your descriptions certainly seem accurate enough, mosespa...especially viewed in the context of Waters' comment about "the powerlessness of the human being".

...It fits well in some manner with a certain innate vulnerability...

It's quite interesting to see how this continuous narrative - and as such, not been subject to change fundamentally - have progressed and evolved over the course of his career...

Anyway, thank you very much for the reply.

- Arana.

[lovescene4]

Very interesting subject... 'When The Wind Blows' fits in with the narrative as well.

[arana]

Why, thank you lovescene4.

Yeah, I guess "When the Wind Blows" - the Waters part of the soundtrack belongs in there as...certainly, the subject matter lends itself very well to his writing...

"Ooh, the lonely boys, locked in their towers of faith"...that's the one, right?

- Arana

[nosaj]

I still maitain that The Wall, The Final Cut and the Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking are linked as a trilogy and form more of a "narrative" between albums...everything else is more of a continuous theme...a lot of artists and pop stars have only a few things to say, and perhaps as posted, the empathy etc. is Rog's main theme.

[arana]

A trilogy consisting of The Wall, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, and The Final Cut, you say?

Hmm, sounds plausible enough, I reckon. If I recall correctly, they were conceived pretty much at the same time, with The Wall and The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking both presented in demo form to the rest of the band some time after the Animals Tour.

And if I am not mistaken, then some of The Wall tracks were resurrected for The Final Cut album.

So, in this respect, I think there perhaps is a sense of recognition when listening to these albums...some melody or mayhap lyric that one seems to have heard before in some semblance...

- Arana

[henno]

.....
And if I am not mistaken, then some of The Wall tracks were resurrected for The Final Cut album.
......

aarrrgghhh... dont let Mosespa get near that one

[arana]

Alright, I'll remember that!

I'll edit my former post then...It'll be like it was never written!...

- Arana

[J Ed]

this is a recurring debate but if ones interested in the relationship between the three albums its worth going through the evidence for and against gilmours charge the final cut was Wall leftovers one more time (or linking to the umpteen sesquicentillion threads already discussing this point)

I'll just say that the song comfortably numb obviously sucks cuz it wasnt good enough for Gilmours first solo album so whats he doing contributing this reject runt of a song for The Wall?

[mosespa]

I'll just say that the song comfortably numb obviously sucks cuz it wasnt good enough for Gilmours first solo album so whats he doing contributing this reject runt of a song for The Wall?

It's not that it wasn't "good enough."

It's not on his first solo album because the song didn't come to him until he was mixing that first album.