Roger Waters: The Man Behind the Wall

by Dave Thompson

(Book). To some, he is the face behind classic Pink Floyd. To others, he is the temperament behind some of the greatest albums of the rock era. And to others still, he is one of the most original songwriters of a generation that overflows with notable talent. To all, he is an a rock star who not only eschewed stardom but also spent much of his career railing against it. But to call Roger Waters a mass of contradictions is simply taking the easy way out. He is so much more than that. Roger The Man Behind the Wall is the first full biography of the author of The Dark Side of the Moon , Wish You Were Here , and, of course, The Wall . It traces his life from war-torn suburbia to the multitude of wars he has fought since then with his bandmates, with his audience, and most of all with himself. Packed with insight and exclusive interviews with friends and associates, Roger The Man Behind the Wall dismantles the wall brick by brick, revealing the man who built it in all his glory.

Genres: Music

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

English author Dave Thompson has spent his entire working life writing biographies of other people, but is notoriously reluctant to write one for himself. Unlike the subjects of some of his best known books, he was neither raised by ferrets nor stolen from gypsies. He has never appeared on reality TV (although he did reach the semi finals of a UK pop quiz when he was sixteen), plays no musical instruments and he can’t dance, either.

However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”

Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.

Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.

Reviews

[Vladislav Dragomirov · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Човекът зад стената" е първата пълна биография на музикалната легенда Роджър Уотърс.
За някои той е лицето на Пинк Флойд в класическия им състав, за други - създател на едни от най-великите албуми в рок музиката.
Уотърс посвещава целия си живот на преодоляването- на проблеми, страхове, музикални клишета и политически прегради. Роден през Втората световна война и израснал в следвоенните британски страхове, той успява с гигантски скокове да се издигне до основен композитор на Пинк Флойд. Влиза в бандата на мястото на "лудия гений" Сид Барет и от резервен играч се превръща в лидер.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

shit.
A typical insta-book, put together based on earlier stories, this one offers nothing new. Plus the author couldn't keep the main subject (Roger) for a whole book, the second half is a typical Floyd history book. He also skirts Roger's politics, especially his controversial support of BDS etc. Waste of time.

[Musings of the Moonchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a devout Pink Floyd fan and entering into this book I was excited to learn all of the secret tidbits of information about Roger, and the band; the sort of facts that are only revealed in a book of this nature.

It serves as a great behind-the-scenes and the reader really gets a feel for Roger’s love for music. Some fan favourite songs are talked about and the roots behind the songs are discussed, which is frankly pretty neat to learn where the lyrical inspirations came from.

I particularly enjoyed that the book focuses a great part on the more obscure works of both Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. We all know the classics and the hits, so it was definitely riveting to read about those works less spoken about.

Despite my first impression, that only a Floyd fan will love this book—this book is for everyone who loves music. Every reader can take away a new appreciation for the art that is music.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Waters: The Man Behind the Wall by Dave Thompson is a history of Pink Floyd centered on bass player and song writer Roger Waters. Thompson is no stranger to the music industry. He has written over one hundred books, mostly covering rock and pop music. Most notably his has written on U2, Depeche Mode, Phish, ZZ Top, Bowie, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also included in his work is one of my favorites Dancing Barefoot, a Patti Smith Biography. Thompson is well versed on the topic of Rock and Roll and to his credit he presents an honest view on his subjects and avoids the sensationalism usually associated with Rock and celebrity biographies.

Roger Waters is basically a two part book. The first part is a Waters-centric biography of Pink Floyd starting with The Wall and ending with the the band breaking apart after The Final Cut. Rogers is tired of the "Space Rock" tag, guitar solos, extravagant keyboard work, and fans who preferred to get stoned and watch the light show and listen to the music rather than rising to his lyrics. The book then regresses back to his childhood and brings the reader to the beginnings of Pink Floyd.

Rogers can't seem to catch a break musically. He puts together The Wall and with it Pink Floyd releases a single, something they had not done before. “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2” was a commercial success, but the stand out song was not originally intended for the album. David Gilmour's Comfortably Numb was added for need of an extra song and turned out to be "the king of the castle." This happens again to Rogers on The Final Cut; Gilmour performs vocals on only a single song (Not Now John) and that turns out to be the most memorable song on the album.

The second part starts with the birth of Pink Floyd. It covers the problems and the eccentricities of Syd Barrett and the making of all the Pink Floyd albums. Thompson provides a detailed history and account of the band. This section reverts back to Rogers after covering Barrett. Rogers is certainly a complex person and artist. I took a particular interest in reading about my favorite Pink Floyd album -- Animals. Thompson describes the album in a way that I never saw before, and perhaps the explains the reason it remains my favorite Pink Floyd album. The album came out at the beginning of the British punk movement. Animals has the Pigs (war mongers), Dogs (corporate greed), and Sheep (people blindly lead to slaughter). The album was well received by the American punk community and may have had something to do with Johnny Rotten losing his "I Hate Pink Floyd" shirt. A comparison is made of the reception of using the 23rd Psalm in "Sheep" by Pink Floyd and the controversy around Patti Smith using it in "Privilege"... of course, Smith does follow up the Psalm with repeatedly "taking the Lord's name in vain".

Roger Waters gives a detailed history of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters role in the band as well as touching on Water's solo ventures (Gilmour's solo work is practically ignored). This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn more about one of the greatest bands in Rock and Roll. There is no muckraking or sensationalism in the book. If anything, the author may have believed David Gilmour's famous quote. "...Some people think of us as a very drug orientated group. 'Course we're not. You can trust us." All in all an excellent read.

[Andy Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t many books about Pink Floyd or it’s members that I find worthy or interesting to read, but this biography perfectly catalogues Roger Waters’s career both with Pink Floyd and as a solo artist.

It expertly states that if Radio KAOS (Roger’s third solo album) had been written by Guns N’ Roses or another popular band in the 1980s it would’ve been something to behold. But because Waters was so involved in his departure from Pink Floyd it sort of went by-the-by.

This is an honest account of one of music’s finest lyricists, the man who brought us Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall and Amused to Death. A must read!

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pink Floyd fans will enjoy this reading this book about bassist Roger Waters. Loads of insight into both Waters and the band and their music.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable look at Roger Waters' career and how he arrived at The Wall, making the case for it as his first solo album...

[Konlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nazwanie tej książki "Pierwszą pełną biografią" jest oczywistym nadużyciem ale mimo to napisana dość zgrabnie i świetnie przetłumaczona.

[Kevin Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Makes me want to go back and listen to some of the more obscure stuff that was done over the years by both Pink Floyd and Roger Waters.

[Steve Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read ! More a history of Pink Floyd than an all out biography of Roger Waters ,but very good book none the less . Floyd fans will want to check this out.

[Andrew Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting background to Roger waters and the Pink Floyd story generally.