As far as Roger Waters' solo career goes, it's endured a dry spell for nearly two dozen years since his last release of 1992's Amused to Death. Back on track with his solo endeavors, the former Pink Floyd bassist plans to end the over 20 year drought in an interesting way--a war-themed "radio play."
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Waters discusses his impending theatrical release of his Roger Waters The Wall concert film and his most recent idea to pen rock songs and a script for a still untitled radio play. Excerpts from the war-centered work could come together as a new album and potentially an arena show like his reprisal of The Wall. "I can see it in my mind's eye," he said.
The drama will center on two characters in Belfast, Northern Ireland who are generations apart. "It's a grandfather, and he is a bit of a misanthrope, and he's complaining - maybe he's me - about a war he's watching on TV," Waters explains. "He's sitting there with his dog, drinking whiskey, and then this kid wakes up and you realize he's babysitting. The kid is having a nightmare and the nightmare is that they're killing the children and the grandfather says, 'No, no, they aren't killing the children, not for 20 years,' since it is in Northern Ireland, where they had the Troubles."
"The kid says, 'No, not here, Grandpa. Over there,'" he continued to detail. "And so the grandfather promises the child to find out what's happening, and he gets him to go back to sleep, reads a bit of Winnie the Pooh, which I always do on my records. And the rest of the record is the grandfather and the kid going on a magic carpet ride to see if they can find an answer to that question: 'Why are they killing the children?'"
The 72-year-old musician's latest project will carry similar themes and opinions as most of his works do, concerning "antipathy" towards organized religion and war, while one song conjures drones. Cuts of the demo recordings took place in L.A. alongside Nigel Godrich, a producer known heavily for his work with Radiohead and Paul McCartney, UltimateClassicRock notes. Godrich also lent a hand at mixing music for the film Roger Waters The Wall, in which the singer praises his work.
A time line of completion is still unknown for Water's upcoming war project but for fans looking for a sneak peek at his latest music, check out "Crystal Clear Brooks," a song he revealed during this year's Newport Folk Festival. Waters admits that the track could very well find its way into the radio play and even ponders embarking on another tour. "I'd like to do one more if I can," he said. "I think I've got one more in me."
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
