More than 30 years after he wrote the globally-acclaimed album The Wall, Roger Waters the legendary Pink Floyd musician, focuses on another wall – the Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank – which has encroached into Palestinian territory and has caused untold hardships for its people.
The rockstar is urging the Israeli government to “tear down the wall.”
The Living Room 
Saw this show in Boston this past year and have such deep respect for Roger. Really do understand on a personal level how those early events shape us — his father being killed in WWII. From my perspective, Roger has made lots of lemonade from those early lemons and even though I personally love ALL lemonade, I understand how it can be too tart for some.
Amazed at how many of my generation do not know who he is / was…. a major force behind the popularity of Pink Floyd, but departed long ago — as the rest of the band perhaps thought him “too” deep” — too tart for their, or the public’s taste buds — and probably in some ways, they were correct. Some of us need a bird chirping to wake us up, some an alarm clock, some a sonic boom. Roger helps us to see things as they are and encourages us to not keep our heads in the sand for much longer.
I suppose many people neither listen nor understand the words — just listen to the music (the beat) — and it is THIS that makes Pink Floyd still very popular when the words are still with Roger. It is Roger’s willingness to push the edge that creates change and yet we all understand how little most like change.
For certain, we can only hear what we have readied ourselves to hear. It was my husband who helped me to understand at a deeper level all that took place with Roger and Pink Floyd — he being one of Roger’s biggest fans. We’ve traveled to 3 concerts out of the maybe 5 or 6 times we’ve traveled anywhere very far from home in the past 25 years. My husband is very creative also (a gifted architect and artist) and can relate to Roger so well. He has tried his best to create “out of the box”, when until now, most haven’t wanted to crawl out and open their sleepy eyes. I have witnessed much creative frustration over the years, when he gets these visions for humanity (landscapes and buildings) that are so wonderful, and yet much of humanity doesn’t wish to consciously rub the sleep from their eyes — to really listen, to see, and to be. Mostly, people ask for something done over and over again… something more “normal”. Not something that’s uniquely for the client or site that provides fresh inspiration.
From my view, I am also often surprised at how many negative comments that come toward Roger, and yet I also understand this also. Many of those who push the envelope are targets, including myself. I often try to remember I am in very good company (Jesus, Galileo, Roger Waters, and countless others) and remind myself to not take it personally when someone wishes to speak against – rather than taking the time / energy to see if they can be more open so that we both might learn from one another. We are definitely programmed to more easily speak about what we don’t like — rather than to seek what we do and many times to unconsciously fight against what really may be in our highest / best if we would only be more open to each other’s unique piece of the beautiful puzzle we create together. Each of us bringing a unique part of heaven to earth.
Would love to see all of this shift in a big way before the end of my time here. As always, let the change begin with me. I admire the depth of Roger Waters’ words and the wonderful visions for humanity it creates in my life.
Thank you, Nancy !
I was happy to find the interview.
Do walls really work ?
‘We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher leave them kids alone
Hey teacher leave them kids alone
All in all your just another brick in the wall
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall ‘
As you say, we only hear what we are ready to hear…and it is fascinating to me to find so many initiatives that have the intent to end separation. No, walls don’t work and it is upon us to first and foremost find and bring down the “walls” in our own life, but also to do what we can to prevent new walls from being built.
Thank you Nancy. I really love your posts and how you are always pointing back to your own experience and responsibility. This is what counts. Thank you