Pink Floyd (CDs) have announced they are to reform for the first time in 24 years to perform at the Live 8 concert, sending waves of apathy across the land.
It’s beginning to occur to hecklerspray that Live 8 might not be an attempt to encourage the leaders of the world to drop African debt, but an elaborate plan to bore a huge live audience to sleep so Bob Geldof can run around and nick their wallets.
Don’t believe us? You try and stay conscious through 16 hours of listening to Sting, Annie Lennox, Dido and Pink Floyd drone through their interminable bilge.
There seems to be a very serious problem at the heart of the Live 8
line-up. It’s as if the organisers have thought to themselves "Africa
is a very serious problem. We need some important bands", and then went
and confused ‘important’ with ‘self important’.
The thing that unites the majority of the Live 8 performers is a
deathly seriousness. There’s Chris Martin from Coldplay (CDs), who writes
little notes on his hand to remind him that he has to make trade fair and things.
Or U2 (iPods), a band whose last two albums are made of the exact the
same song over and over, and whose singer thinks that being able to
rhyme "mole" with "hole" in a song gives him the same power as elected
leaders of the world.
And the addition of Pink Floyd only reinforces this seriousness.
Here’s a quick history lesson. Pink Floyd were a brilliant band who
wrote genius songs like Bike, a song about a mouse called Gerald. Then their leader, Syd Barrett (CDs), took
too many drugs, went mental and ran off to hide forever in Cambridge.
After this, the remaining members of Pink Floyd disappeared up their
arses and produced some of the most intensely self-important albums of
all time. Don’t trust anyone that says they like Dark Side Of The Moon
- they don’t really like it, they just want to look deep in order to
get into your pants.
And then there was the movie of their album The Wall, one of the
most needlessly indulgent pieces of film anyone is ever likely to see.
And who was the star of the film? Bob Geldof. And to help Bob save the
world, Pink Floyd are reforming for the first time since 1981.
The members of Pink Floyd have been lying relatively low in the last
quarter of a century. The nearest thing to high-profile any of them
have done was when bassist Roger Waters played Glastonbury in 2002. We
say ‘played’ – a better description was that he made a bunch of loud
elephant noises shoot around a field in surround sound.
But anyway, back to Live 8 – where’s the fun? More than anything,
Live 8 needs a splash of colour – someone like James Brown or The
Hives. Even – and we never thought we’d be saying this – Status Quo.
Who would be in your ideal Live 8 line-up? Leave your comments below.
[story by Stuart Heritage]
{ 77 comments… read them below or add one }
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I can’t stand it when people try to appear cool, by saying, “Oh, Pink Floyd without Syd Barrett was terrible. Syd Barrett MADE Pink Floyd. Syd Barrett is a god. Syd Barrett is a genius. Blah, blah, blah.”
Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett was abysmal. Syd Barrett was nothing more than a schizo-acid freak. He is NOT a genius. David Gilmour deserves the credit, along with Roger, for making PF th% great band they are. I cannot wait until July 2nd. Pink Floyd is awesome. Hecklerspray is a douche.
I agree with that. If Floyd had stopped after Barrett left they would be rememberd about as fondly as Traffic, Canned Heat or Ten years after.
I will be at Live 8. I have seen the Floyd before and Waters on his own but this will be something special. The amazing four that have wrote some of the best, and original, songs in Popular music history (unlike a lot of the recycled shite we’re hearing nowadays).
What a bunch of tossers…
whatever you say pal
Instead of pink floyd I would prefer if a television and an overstuffed recliner chair were placed on the stage and Syd Barrett would come out and watch his favorite television shows. Maybe halfway through the performance someone could set up a small tray with refreshments that Syd would eat. After that Bob Geldof would come out and publicly apologize for playing Syd in “The Wall.” Everyone would then go home.
Is this article a joke? This cant be a real opinion. If it is your perspective is disturbing.
Will have to say that I completely disagree with your arguement Stuart. AS previously mentioned your are confused about the facts, thugh perhaps understandibly so for someone who seems so unfamiliar with the Floyd, their works and what it was all about. I strongly beleive that you underestimate how good a show they can perform. You are rite in the sense that a lot of the audience will be unfamiliar and perhaps wary of what they are going t hear from PF, but I can assure that most will thouroughly enjoy the show and the music, and that much of the people who witnessed the show from younger generations than you mite think, will be converted and go out and byy albums etc. Yeah, Ok this isnt the point of the exercise, etc, but they will entertain the crowd, there can be no doubt about that.
So i will be watching th television footage, and on the crowd shots my eyes will be peeled for those who have, as you say failed to “stay concious”
Title:The lunatic is on this site…
A follow up comment now, I just cant let this drop, let u get away with it…
I posted but 5 mins ago and want to make another point:
Another thing u underestimate is how popular The Floyd are over all ages. I have been listening to the band for many years, and I Myself am only 16. I am friendly with many peers who are similar to me in that there is very little that can beat Pink Floyd, and I think that the steriotypical viewes of the younger generations today being into all the rubbish-y music that wont last should be changing with the times. This was true for a time, and by no means has the “problem” been solved, however things have changed and tastes are broadening. This is why i think you will be so surprised at the reaction to the Floyd Show. I have seen three PF tribute acts, all of different scales of performance (The surrogate Pink Floyd show – 10/10, Think Floyd – (10/10)+1, and The Australian Pink Floyd show – (10/10+1) all squared!) and at each one the range of ages is vast. and byt talking about youger generations, I dont mean sons being draged along by their fathers, I mean groups of like minded Floyd fans.
SO there you go.. lets just wait till after the performance shall we and then we’ll see… we’ll see…
Bored to sleep????? How bout Amused to Death!
I was soaked in Floyd for a few years during the mid 90′s while I was a memeber of that “Australian Pink Floyd Show” – it left an imprint even though previously I’d no interest in them whatsoever. I’m not exactly a ‘fan’ now either, but how could anyone poo-poo this reunion? Roger Waters alternative perspective on the Pink Floyd, as it developed all those years ago, was perhaps fated, if only by Roger Waters being Roger Waters and subjected to the reactions and emotions that make up that part of who he is and how he enacts himself.
Ultimately Mr Waters and his band mates differing perspectives during the late 70′s early 80′s consequently served to deprive the lovers and likers of Pink Floyd music of their collective creativity, but he obviously needed to do what he did for himself – if only to validate what he was feeling. Ulitmately he isn’t Pink Floyd, Syd Barret isn’t even really Pink Floyd (although many mourn his absence), actually none of the individual members of Pink Floyd ARE Pink Floyd wholly – they were, and are, a collective meeting of creative individuals, regardless of what percentage of this or that any individual had input upon. I only hope Mr Waters might’ve evolved beyond the perspective he had whilst experiencing whatever he did and hopefully he grew as a human being for his choice of action. After such a prolonged public display of mutual disrespect and anger, it is also just a progression of his emotions that he might now have outgrown where he was once at and feel okay to relax into consciously being one of the individuals in the collective creativity again – perhaps even only momentarily; to choose the collective to be the central focus.
As far as I can tell, Waters has a strong personality, but so did Gilmour, Mason and Wright (even in their individual dynamic range of character – whether reserved or forthright), even the ‘Pink Floyd’ name took on a persona and character. I consider it was because they really DID have something to say and they said it very well in their own manner, expressing their hopes, dislikes and thoughts through the collective pool.
They cannot be validly dismissed by any person. Whether for its own good or ill, this Pink Floyd ‘legacy’ outgrew all that that long ago, good Lord – but the Pink Floyd persona never outgrew those whose collective created it – it just ‘is’ now.
Stuart you are quite confident in voicing your opinions in print – and that’s neither good nor bad, it’s just another opinion – void of validation, void of ultimate truth, just a thought in your mind. My post here is similar, it’s just another persons opinion, void of validation, void of ulitmate truth, just a collection of feelings strung together into words. I don’t have to respect your thoughts, I don’t have to disrespect them – they just ‘are’.
The overwhelming joy and shock at hearing of this reunion for me is that someone has managed to look beyond their own opinions and feelings and do something completely unforeseen which hopes to contribute to a cause which is REAL, it’s NOT an opinion, it’s NOT a thought, it’s not void of truth, it is validated in physically existing outside our heads.
I am still in awe that this has occurred when most humans are still all too ready to base their foremost perspective of reality completely within their own opinions. Mr Waters, Mr Gilmour, Mr Mason and Mr Wright, I congratulate you on reaching this point in your development – sorry if that sounds patronising, I’m just heartened to see people overcome their inner life to centre on the larger reality of our human collective. I could not be more excited to see these individuals as the creative collective once again after so many many years. I’m sure there are friendships rekindled and memories resurrected and renewed through this reunion – amongst the fans who are also part of the legacy I mean. I don’t mind how momentary this gesture will be, the message this has portrayed is that all things ARE possible – and that we can make peace.
Now if only more people could make peace, what becomes possible then?
You are really a hemroid with ears fuck wad
arse
wipe
You people really have risen to the bait haven’t you?
HUMBUG fred
Humbug
you let the kids down
Obviously this Stuart Heritarsehole is a tone deaf (wouldn’t know talent if it formed a 6ft wide pipe and jumped up his rectum) nobody. One of the new bread of void heads who can only get attention by slamming things they don’t understand such as artistic creativity. Thankfully all the artists named here will be remembered long after this f**kwet is rotting in anonimity.
whoever the fuck wrote those comments about Pink Floyd is obviously dumb. Pink Floyd requires a certain intellectual capacity to understand, and doubly so when it comes to the music they produced under the leadership of Syd Barrett. If somebody can’t understand what makes them good then they must obviously resort to taking the piss out of them, as this fuckhead is doing. He is obviously a stupid asshole with all the intellect of a piece of cheese. It’s a pity that I have to stumble across shit like this over the internet.. it really pisses me off, especially as someone that knows the deep and rich history of Pink Floyd, and ESPECIALLY within the context of Live8.
Go die in a fire, you shit.
The only good thing about it was that they had a 15 minute limit, just enough time for a toilet break, though not enough to get through one of Gilmour’s solos..
Hi
Of course everyone loves the Floyd, some people just take longer to realise it. I play guitar with The Surrogate Pink Floyd Show, we are a new-ish Floyd tribute band, who all love the music, we feel it’s an honour to be able to play this stuff.
We have fans from all walks of life, there is no stereotypical Floyd fan. Thanks for the comments from the person who seen our show above, we are just getting it together (even after 3 years, but we had a few big breaks in the middle) and hopefully we will be able to do the real Pink Floyd justice. I have found in my life that people who dont like Pink Floyd tend not to be people i get on with, i dont really trust them.
bye bye
Joe, I’ve seen you and you’re shit..
Joe, I’ve seen you and you’re crap..
Hi
hmmmm…. strange that the person who reckons they seen us and we were shit didnt leave his name.
I think if you have seen us then you would like us, we do a good show, and most people love the band….. unless you were at that crummy riverside gig where we were forced to use the world’s worst in-house pa and lights… we still played well though.
Im not big headed, but i know my band is damn good. byeeee
I never saw this before.
I think you ‘fans’ are even scarier than Christine who is obsessed with Michael Barrymore (see earlier comments…)
I’m sure Stuart is in tears over your use of the words ‘fuck’ and arse’ regarding his musical tastes. I don’t know ‘Pink Floyd’ at all (do they think they’re too cool to be played on national radio?)except for ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ which is a cool track, but even if I did like them, to actually use personal insults about someone’s character because they feel differently about a BAND – it’s beyond ridiculous. What most people failed to have realised before getting on their high horses is that Stuart did actually say in hi article that he LIKED the band.
Do we feel a bit silly now?
And Erton, your comment rocked.
Barretts Pink Floyd was ok. David Gilmour’s Pink Floyd is awesome in my opinion. I much prefer comfortably numb or time to bike or arnold layne.
Aah.. how cool it is to come back and read through this funny run of posts (including my own wanky one).
I forgot I posted here! I laughed when I read the next post after mine, it was the perfect response. I laughed at what I wrote (what a load of twat), and I laughed at what everyone else wrote, just seeing how passionate and emotional it all became.. ah, wasn’t it good? How easily we got all moody about it. There really is no hope for humans is there? lol.
I think I’m gonna re-read this run of posts for a good giggle in the years to come!!
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