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from New York Times National Edition 6-9-94, page B4
THE POP LIFE | Neil Strauss
A ROGER WATERS UPDATE
Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd vocalist, bassist and song-
writer, learned the value of a name the hard way. Although he was
the chief architect of Pink Floyd's best-known recordings, his last
solo album, "Amused To Death" in 1992, sold well below his expect-
ations, and his two previous solo tours were disappointingly under-
attended. As a result, he has performed only once in the last four
years. Meanwhile, his former band mates have sold more than three
million tickets for their North American tour, and their most recent
album, "The Division Bell," was No. 1 for four straight weeks.
Mr. Waters, however, has no intention of sitting on his laurels
(though the increase in back-catalog album sales probably hasn't hurt
his bank account). Mr. Waters said that six months ago he began work
on a stage adaptation of Pink Floyd's 1979 magnum opus, "The Wall."
"Writing 'The Wall' for Broadway or wherever is a very long pro-
cess," he said this week by telephone from his home in Hampshire,
England, "because it means digging very deep into the details of
Pink's story." Pink is "The Wall's" traumatized protagonist.
"Although I love the record, I was less in love with the movie,"
Mr. Waters continued. "I think it lacked humanity and humor, and I
think they're both very important to introduce into the piece."
Mr. Waters, who is now 49, left Pink Floyd in 1985, hoping that
without him the band would disintegrate. When, in 1987, the remain-
ing members -- David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright -- released
an album and embarked on a tour, Mr. Waters unsuccessfully sued to
keep them from using the name Pink Floyd. The present tour is Pink
Floyd's first since then. This time, Mr. Waters will not speak about
his erstwhile band mates on the record.
When asked whether he still relishes his association with the name
Pink Floyd, Mr. Waters replied, "If one was truly grown up about it,
I would say no. I would prefer at this point in my life not to be
burdened with that kind of celebrity. However, the infant in me
still wants to go: 'Look at me, look at me. I did it.' After all,
we're only ordinary men."
Though Mr. Waters is not working on another album at present,
he has no intention of forsaking his solo career. "Sometimes I sit
at home and play the guitar," he said, "and sometimes I think it
would be nice to perform some of these songs again. There's a
distinct possibility that I may go on the road again at some point
in the future."
Meanwhile, his recent marriage to Pricilla Phillips, an American
actress, has inspired him, for the first time, to write lots of
poetry, which he hopes to publish. In one poem he contrasts the
finite quality of reading a book to his love for his wife, making a
statement that might also apply to his career:
"And we will never taste the final drop
or turn the final page."
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transcribed by M. Brown
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