Roger Waters on David Gilmour and Rick Wright: “They Are Not Artists”
Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters fired at other legends David Gilmour and the late Rick Wright, saying they “are not artists.”
Roger Waters was the main man who drove Pink Floyd’s success during the 1960s. He even led the band, becoming a lyricist during the late 1960s when Syd Barrett left the band in 1968. He also shared vocals with the band’s successful guitarist David Gilmour and sometimes Rick Wright later then. From his early days, until he left the band in 1985, Waters contributed to a big part of Pink Floyd’s albums, from The Dark Side of the Moon to The Final Cut.
READ MORE: Roger Waters: “Pink Floyd Dragged Me Back From My Natural Instinct”
Roger Waters made his comments during his appearance on The Telegraph. He first said Syd Barrett had “gone loopy” due to drug use. He then revealed what they told him, saying, “They said I was autocratic,” downplaying David Gilmour’s contributions to Pink Floyd, commenting, “You play the guitar and sing and do as you’re bloody well told.”
The 79-year-old musician then made harsh criticism of David Gilmour and Rick Wright. He mocked their career and musical successes.
“Gilmour and Rick [Wright, the keyboardist]? They can’t write songs, they’ve nothing to say. They are not artists,” Waters thought about David Gilmour and Rick Wright. “They have no ideas, not a single one between them. They never have had, and that drives them crazy.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Roger Waters also issued an announcement about the band’s classic album Dark Side Of The Moon, saying he has been hard at work on re-recording the album: “I wrote The Dark Side of the Moon. Let’s get rid of all this ‘we’ crap! Of course, we were a band, there were four of us, and we all contributed – but it’s my project, and I wrote it. So… blah!”
In September 2021, Roger Waters once again fired at his former bandmates in Pink Floyd. He said David Gilmour and Rick Wright tried to drag him down.
“I was in a very toxic environment where I was around some people,” Waters said in 2021. “David and Rick mainly were always trying to drag me down.
“They were always trying to knock me off. By claiming that I was tone-deaf and that I didn’t understand music. ‘Oh, he’s just a boring teacher figure who tells us what to do but he can’t tune his own guitar…’
Concluding, he claimed they “were very snotty and snippy because they felt very insignificant, I think.”
What a way to ruin a reputation (yours)…keep spouting this crap Roger, you’re only making yourself look like an old man suffering from dementia.
Just another dick in the hall.
I’m pretty sure they also got sick of him and his obsession with his childhood. Waters is now a shill for Putin too it would seem.
Long live ROGER WATERS !!!. Pink Floyd died in the mid 80s
The lunatic has strayed from the path, onto the grass of Putin.
Pink Floyd was about the chemistry of four musicians and artists. A perfect example of this Echoes.
He left the band, they were successful without him. Preferences are subjective but they were successful without him.
It’s a shame it’s gone this way!
Last year, Waters released a version of “Comfortably Numb”, thereby erasing Gilmour’s amazing solo. It was almost as if Waters feared any other member of the band receiving recognition. And now he will completely redo “Dark Side” as a solo album? I’m not very angry as I am saddened by the fact that something that had previously brought so much joy in my life is turning this ugly.
Roger Waters has reached a pinnacle of his own self indulgence. His Narcissism has over taken the once incredible artist. I saw his last show and was not entertained so much as lectured to about his political nonsense, which is childish at best. He was boo’ed when he disrespectfully display distorted photos of American presidents during his show. Waters destructive version of Comfortably Numb merely displays his hatred for his fellow band members…. And the fans of Pink Floyd. Waters turned that song into this dark unapproachable, dystopic crap from an iconic piece of music. He has not written anything coherent since The Wall around 1982. I will never buy any of his products or see any of his shows. Roger stop killing your self by killing our Love of Pink Floyd. Without the other members you would be NOTHING..
It sounds like Roger Waters has an acute case of sour grapes.
This constant bitching by Roger on who did what on any of the lp’s or wrote them is like a spoiled little kid, the music that ALL of you had a part was fantastic that’s the way your fans remember it and that’s ALL that matters to us, so any problems you have we just don’t give a dam, grow up your all worth millions that we made it possible your Bitching will bring on your own downfall, be great full
What what you have,, we your fans care about the music not your complaints…
It just sucks I mean decades later and it still goes on and Rick wright is gone and let it rest. Huge Floyd fan, huge fan of all the members. Of course I get Roger was a primary catalyst but to keep it going and not let all have a place in the greatness is sad.