What Roger Waters is like in ordinary life - the stories of fans who encountered him personally

Roger Waters - is one of the brightest and most controversial geniuses of classic rock. Millions adore him - about the same number of people just can't stand him. He is a brilliant lyricist, a visionary artist behind some of the greatest concept albums in rock history. Critics describe him as. "the theatrical showman.", an overbearing egotist, the weakest member of Pink Floyd, stating that he was very lucky to work with bandmates who could play music with emotional impact to complete his vision and support his lyrics. Some allow for the idea that Pink Floyd would have sounded better without him. But you can't argue that with him they did. it was more fun.

For a long time, Waters was the enemy for most of the band's fans: many were sure that it was because of him that the project fell apart. To this day, though, some find reasons to blame Waters of all mortal sins. What does Roger himself think about it? Well, in one of his interviews he put it like this:

"Did I feel that I was responsible for the breakup of Pink Floyd? No. Never. The situation within the band had heated up to the extreme - it was a conflict of personalities, if you will. We were dying... I was a bit worried about that at first, but then I figured out that it happens, it's not worth worrying about it. All that crap about "he wouldn't let us pee"... Go to hell! No one can stop you from writing, get it already, and stop looking for a reason. This is ridiculous. Anyway - it took me a while to stop wasting my energy and energy on all this nonsense, and start breathing with full breath..."

As we could already understand, Roger has a good sense of self-worth and humor. Over the years he became stronger spiritually. As one biographer noted:

"He seems pretty mischievous to me, playful with people he knows well. One thing I've noticed about him over the last few years is how much more he smiles and laughs today! And it makes my heart happy to see him so happy and genuinely enjoying what he's doing - it hasn't always been that way..."

In today's article we bring to your attention several interesting stories From Pink Floyd fanswho somehow managed to cross paths with Waters and, perhaps, get to know the man a little better...

A successfully caught car

A certain VolumeA former carpenter, on one of the foreign forums, told the following entertaining story - the story of his spontaneous acquaintance with Roger. Let's call it "Luckily Caught Car.". And here's why...

"It was April 16, 1974. I was standing on a triangular island in Trafalgar Square with my thumbs up while cars were coming from opposite directions. I had to cross a long span of bridge to get to the main thoroughfare, I was heading for Scotland! It was morning rush hour, and it was probably the longest I had ever tried to catch a car! Finally the flow of traffic died down and I see a long-haired dude in a white Range Rover whizzing past me! I threw up my hands in despair and yelled: "Isn't anyone going to stop, damn it!"

So what happened next?

"Suddenly this guy hit the brakes and came back to me! He had a buddy in the passenger seat, so I jumped in the back seat next to a beautiful red leather golf bag that matched the interior of the cabin. After my thanks, we started chatting. I thought the driver seemed familiar, and when the light finally came on, I leaned forward and saw him. I said: "Buddy, your name is Roger?" Without letting go of the steering wheel, he turned around, smiled broadly and said: "Yes, that's me!" He was as cheerful and friendly as could be! Apparently he was in a particularly good mood that day..."

It all depends on his mood

The next story is from a certain Mary shows how much depends on the mood Roger Waters is in.

"My son is an avid autograph collector. And one day Waters came to New York. When my son saw him on the street, he ran up to him, but all he had was a baseball. He asked some guy for a pen and handed it and the ball to Roger, to which he said: "But I don't play baseball," and went on his way.

Did it really end on that note? Not at all...

"Coincidentally, my son met him the next day. What's most interesting is that this time Waters himself showed interest in him. He said: "Hey, are you the baseball guy I met yesterday?" The son answered yes, and then Waters said: "Where's your ball?" The son left it at home, at which point Waters pulled out a pen and signed his sports bracelet, saying: "That's bad, of course." Apparently, just like all people, Waters can be a little 'off' sometimes, and he wants a little less attention..."

"He's like Abraham Lincoln!"

And this story belongs to a man who worked for a long time journalist. His name is. Mattand he had several conversations with Waters! That's the impression he got from those meetings...

"He does not tolerate fools and has high expectations of those who work with and for him. He can be very demanding, but he expects the same from himself, so he is not hypocritical in this respect. He cares about his people: he gives them gifts and mementos, many of which do not reach the public. He is tall, skinny like Abraham Lincoln, and at times almost haggard. He is a workaholic. He loves to work more than anything else in the world, including performing. He always believes something can be made even better, even if others call it perfect."

Matt continues:

"He's a man who has an opinion about everything that reaches his radar, and once he has a focus, he has a hard time letting it go. He's got a firm grip, and he's not indifferent to political issues -- largely because of his father, who died in the war. He knows how to take emotional responsibility, but it depresses him. He tries to make time to talk to fans, willing to sign autographs before shows where time permits. That's why Roger's autograph is so often seen on websites. His drive, motivation to work and outlook on life help us understand why he and the other Floyds had a hard time. They were content to be a simple band. Roger wanted...more. It had to mean something to him..."