The Man Behind Pink Floyd Turns 75 Today

Today is this man’s birthday, a legend who turns 75.

This photo was taken by me during his “The Wall” tour in 2010
Photo copyright Shant Hagopian 2010

The amount of influence Roger Waters had on my musical career is enormous. He has inspired me from the very first day I discovered Pink Floyd in the early 90’s, when I was still a young teenager. I wasn’t lucky enough like many of you who are born back in the 50s or 60s, neither was I lucky in the the location I was born. Back in those days when I was still in Syria (and even now) we never had any bands on international level to perform live shows, so when I heard Roger Waters was coming to Lebanon on his “In the Flesh” tour in 2002, I was ecstatic. This also happened to be my very first live experience, so try to imagine my feelings.

I was counting down the days from the day I reserved my ticket. And a couple of days before the show, I got on a bus to Beirut; 7-8 hours drive from my hometown Aleppo. The concert was held at Biel, when we arrived there a few hours early, or I thought it was early, but some folks told me that the man himself stopped by for an autograph session half an hour ago… I was devastated! I went there prepared for an autograph with a Wish You Were Here CD booklet and a sharpie.

My seat was on the far left, and the backstage access was on my level and I was able to peak through the curtains from where I was, so I expected him to stop by and take a peak through the curtains at any moment. I was very alert. And suddenly it happened, just like I expected. I remember running towards him with the sharpie and booklet in my hand, what an excitement to shake the hand of a legend and have him sign your CD, and by the time he was done there was a big crowd lined up behind me. Mission accomplished.

Here’s a photo of the booklet itself, which David Gilmour also signed in 2016 on the Rattle that Lock tour in Toronto.

Happy birthday sir!

What was YOUR very first experience?

New Pink Floyd Album ?!?!

What a what? Wait … what???

David Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson just tweeted this…

“Btw Pink Floyd album out in October is called ‘The Endless River’. Based on 1994 sessions is Rock Wright’s swansong and very beautiful.” – Polly Samson [Source]

Polly Samson tweets about new Pink Floyd album
Polly Samson tweets about new Pink Floyd album

This must be a dream!
But now the million dollar question is: What’s the line-up?

And apparently this picture of Gilmour with the backing vocal girls in the studio was taken during the recording sessions. [Source]

David Gilmour in studioThis made my decade.

Richard Wright’s 70th Birthday

Happy Birthday to Richard Wright; the crazy diamond, the mastermind of spacey keyboard sounds of Pink Floyd.
If Rick was alive today he would’ve been 70 years young, nevertheless he continues to inspire millions, and forever lives within us all.

You’ll always be missed. Shine on!

Richard Wright
Richard Wright 1943-2008

Pompeii and The Experience

Pompeii Amphitheater - Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii
Pompeii Amphitheater

Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii was one of my very first experiences with the Floyd. In fact it was the first time I saw the band play live. Back in 92 – 93 when the Internet was not an option for me I was looking for names and pictures of the band members everywhere, pretty much like a person wearing a blindfold looking for a needle in a dark room.

After much research and asking people who I thought may have known the names of these legends, I have finally acquired the information I was looking for. The next step was sitting in front of the TV for endless hours, days, weeks; in hope of catching a glimpse or a video clip for one of Pink Floyd’s songs. And of course I was able to see both video clips for High Hopes??and Take it Back, both of which unfortunately do not show the musicians.

One of these days, while I was watching music shows that TV stations used to air in our times, they showed a very short clip from Live at Pompeii. That was actually my source and my next goal to find and purchase this video tape somewhere in the record stores. Fortunately I was able to find the only available (back then) Pink Floyd VHS tape from a record store in Lebanon (6-7 hours drive) and it was actually Live at Pompeii. Super excited, jumping and screaming like a little girl I ran home with my friends who also were Pink Floyd fans whom I discovered the band with.

The images from the movie are forever burned in my mind, the slow camera panning behind their gear and amps, the boiling lava scenes, Gilmour’s experiment with the slide sitting down in the ruins of the amphitheater, Waters’ screeching, Mason’s drum solo, Wright’s haunting keyboard sounds and piano keys smashing, the psychedelic tunes, and spooky themes, the gong, and then Echos! It’s a completely new and one amazing experience that I consider myself lucky to witness.

What’s your favorite rockumentary or album based movie ?