VARIATIONS ON A THEME OF ABSENCE (An Essay On "Wish You Were Here")

"Variations on a Theme of Absence: An Essay On Pink Floyd's 1975 Album 'Wish You Were Here.'" by Bud Sturguess

The theme of "Wish You Were Here" is split in half, but the two halves of the concept do not oppose one another in any way. In 1968, Pink Floyd's original principle songwriter Syd Barrett was asked to stop contributing material and left the group, the result of an unfortunate addiction to drugs. The group continued without him, and in 1973, 'hit it big' and became world famous with their legendary album, "Dark Side of the Moon." Bereft of their former member, the band decided to pay homage to him with their next album, 1975's "Wish You Were Here."
According to then-Pink Floyd member and songwriter Roger Waters, "It could have very well been named 'Wish WE Were Here."
The theme of the album revolves around one concept: absence. The physical and emotional basis for the concept is the since-departed Syd Barrett--and--"being a rock band at all."
The pressures of the music industry, and how those pressures can result in (A: Absence of departure--no trace of Barrett's absence, as he is overshadowed by Pink Floyd's newfound success. (B: Absence of any trace of presence-- as a result of being overshadowed
by his departure, Barrett leaves no trace of his former presence. (C: Absence of awareness and purpose-- the pressures and overbearing demands of the music industry suck out all presence of a purpose at all. (D: Finally the absence of physical presence.
All of these are symbolized by the album's artwork; a funeral veil blowing in the wind, a splashless diver, a man swimming desperately in sand, and a faceless, soulless salesman, respectively. I conclude with an excerpt from the album's lyrics.
"Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange a walk-on part in a war
For a lead role in a cage?" --R. Waters

You're crazy.

I'm sorry, but you did ask.

Cheers,

Mark

(Which of course, made sense when you had your original post before deleting it)
_________________
"Isn't this where we came in?"

:smile:

the music industry has become an evil giant that cares nothing about actual music and only spews us its pointless drivel that the masses love to spend their money on so much. its sad. the days of the grateful dead giving a free five hour outdoor concert are long gone.

this is why i have turned to crack.

I just realized the things I said on my post were very unfair and insulting. It was a momentary lapse of reason. So, Dallagnol if you wouldn't mind giving this post the old theme of absence...?

I have revised this post in the form of an essay I composed when I was in high school. Formerly, it compared the album to the "downfall" of pop singer Britney Spears, but I decided that was unfair, and substituted it for this. Hope you enjoy it.
--Bud Sturguess

...I guess I should have put this is "Short Stories and Essays." Hm...ah, if anyone asks I'll lie and say Patrick did it. :grin:

Well, I'm sure he'll turn the other cheek

Well,the Syd's loss is depicted by the 3 photos of veils:
1> The Flwoing In TheWind Veil with a face= he's hiding his real self with a man-made creation.
2> The Full Red Veil with a translucent Naked Lady showing= Absence of physical person.
3> The White Funeral Veil = Departure and Sad Demise of Syd.
4>The sand swimmer = loss of purpose.
5> the frozen dive= making no ripples/loss of communicating with life forms?
6> the 4 elements with robotic and prismatic hand shake= one's fragile while other's a mechanical one!!