What is the current relationship between David Gilmour and Roger Waters?
Pink Floyd is a legendary rock band that has conquered the world with its psychedelic works, deep philosophical meaning of songs, bold experiments and innovation... It will not be a discovery for true fans that only two people have always been at the heart of this team: David Gilmour and Roger Waters. No wonder today they are referred to as the "fathers of Pink Floyd." Waters remained the main musical center of the band until the mid-1980s: his influence in composing albums reached the point that the 1983 studio work "The Final Cut" became, in fact, his solo brainchild! The remaining members of the group at that time were only allowed to arrange arrangements ... In the mid-1980s, Waters said that the group "had exhausted itself." Apparently, he was sure that his departure would put an end to the further development of Pink Floyd ... However, the new leader had a different opinion on this matter. David Gilmour brought Wright back into the studio and began recording a new album. Of course, such a rapid development of events (which, moreover, did not go according to plan) led to strong protests from the former leader of Floyd. Between Waters and the group, and in particular David Gilmour, a real war has begun! The case even went to court: Roger tried with all his might to sue former colleagues for the right to the name, but lost ...
Adequate relationship between Floyd and Waters was partially restored in 2005. However, there was a reason for this - the performance of the classical line-up at the Live 8 charity concert. This was the last public performance of the group in such a composition, which, in fact, was to be expected ... Subsequently, Waters also performed with Gilmour, but ... it is hard to believe in the sincerity of these actions, given how many "flattering" phrases they said in the press.
The fact that the conflict between them cannot be considered completely exhausted has been obvious for a long time. And relatively recent events only confirm this ...
“He is sure he owns Pink Floyd,” Waters made such a statement in the spring of 2020. The rock musician said he was "banned" from visiting the band's website as well as the official social media accounts... Is this really true? And if so, what is the reason? Could Waters be rekindling a feud with David Gilmour? Let's figure it out together...
What started the war?
In May 2020, Roger Waters rekindled a long-standing feud with former bandmate David Gilmour. The songwriter and bassist who co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 and later leader claims he was "banned" from both the band's official website and social media. And he did it, according to him, it was the lead guitarist of Floyd - David Gilmour. On his official Twitter page, Waters posted a 5-minute video in which he said everything he wanted. Let's listen:
“More than a million of you have watched our new version of 'Mother' and that's great - it really warms my soul...But the question is: why is this video not available on the Pink Floyd website? Well, to put it simply, he banned me. Apparently Gilmour thinks I'm 'inappropriate'..."
The musician also claims that news about his solo projects is not published on the Pink Floyd website. Waters previously shared a black-and-white video of him playing an isolated version of the track, but it hasn't appeared anywhere...Waters argues that Floyd's multimillion-strong fan base is entitled to equal access to the work of the surviving members...However, in reality, this is not the case. Here's what Waters has to say about it:
“David is sure he owns Pink Floyd. He really thinks so because I left the band in 1985. He thinks he owns Floyd. Moreover, he is sure that he is Floyd! And I, in his opinion, have nothing to do with the affairs of the group. He thinks he should just keep my mouth shut…”
Waters also managed to drag Polly Samson, a novelist, journalist and songwriter, to whom Gilmour has been married since 1994, into the conflict. Namely, the musician does not understand why Gilmour's wife uses the group's social media channels to promote their live broadcasts ... Actually, this is a well-founded indignation. Let's listen:
“Some of my friends ask: “Roger, why do we have to sit and watch Polly Samson read us excerpts from her novels? Why is this? So that we can sleep at night?" And I have nothing to say to that. However, none of my work is advertised. It's not even allowed to mention my projects on the official Pink Floyd website! We need to come to an agreement, or change the name of the group to Spinal Tap, and then everything will be cool!
Spinal Tap is a fictional British heavy metal band that appeared in the 1984 cult film It's Spinal Tap! References to this group usually suggest cataclysmic or comedic moments for real action...
chance for a reunion
Gilmour joined the progressive rock band in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett in 1968. Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and sued the other three members for continuing to use the name without him, but lost. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Waters, Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason reunited for the last time as Pink Floyd to play the Live 8 benefit concert in 2005.
Syd Barrett died in 2006 and keyboardist Richard Wright died two years later. Waters claims that in 2019 he arranged a meeting for the remaining members of the band to get out of what he calls a "terrible stalemate." But… the meeting was not successful. Waters has previously made it clear that a Pink Floyd reunion is not on the cards. And the latest scandal associated with the band's official website only confirms this...
