Musical Mondays Pink Floyd's The Wall

[grudlian. 4725]

Honest question for the people who like Pink Floyd: why?

 

Even if I don’t like a musician, I can usually “get” why people do (“I’m looking at you Rolling Stones.) I like a couple of Pink Floyd songs, but more often than not, I tend to skip through them. I would like to hear a fan explain their appeal. I’m open to liking them - as long as it’s not dependent on me getting high.

I liked them before I even started smoking weed. I've never been good about explaining why I like a band though but the melodies of a lot of their songs really get me. "Wish You Were Here" is still one of my favorite songs of all time. I don't think they're the best band in the world but their hits are hits for a reason imo.

Basically, what Taylor Anne said.

 

I assume you've listened to a few notable albums like Dark Side Of The Moon and aren't basing your opinion on just The Wall. They definitely have eras I like much more than others and long runs where their experiments were mostly unsuccessful.

 

You definitely don't need to use drugs to appreciate them but out can definitely help (or hurt, depending on the circumstances).

[PollyDarton 1807]

Re Hammers: Hammers are tools of construction and destruction. The hammers represent Pink's ability to build the wall and destroy it.

 

Re Pink the Nazi leader: This is a large rif on a thing that happened to Roger Waters. He found himself so disgusted with an overzealous fan that he spit in the guy's face and instantly felt like a nazi asshole. I think it's also supposed to be tied into the WWII imagery that is used throughout. Pink's whole life trajectory was changed due to, well, Hitler... and here he is metaphorically becoming him.

 

Re Fantasy after Comfortably numb: The album has 2 sides. The first should be taken literally, and the second should not. The wall is built by the time we get to "Hey you" in the album - I think it's by the end of the last Brick in the wall reprise in the movie? The wall is built, and now we are inside Pink's mind/soul.

 

Re Pink Floyd Fan: I am an enormous Floyd fan, before and after I was friends with Maryjane (IFYAKNOWWHATIMEAN... how could you not?) I find their music beautiful, sludgy, hard, dark, and dreamy... and all the concept stuff makes it extra meaningful for me. The Wall is a harder album to grab onto fer sure, the easiest "in" is Dark Side of the Moon which means a great deal to me. Wish You were Here, Meddle, and Animals are all just good fucking music. The Wall is most definitely Floyd's most concepty album... It is also Roger Water's opus as he still performs a stage version, but now with more Trump like themes I'm pretty sure.

[PollyDarton 1807]

And of course The Wall is also about Syd Barrett, one of their original members who went crazy.

 

Pink Floyd: no other famous rock band ever made so much famous music about being a famous rock band.

[SlidePocket 707]

Next week should be Grudlian's turn for the first time, any hints as to what film you'll be picking?

[grudlian. 4725]

Re Pink Floyd Fan: I am an enormous Floyd fan, before and after I was friends with Maryjane (IFYAKNOWWHATIMEAN... how could you not?) I find their music beautiful, sludgy, hard, deep, and melodious... and all the concept stuff makes it extra meaningful for me. The Wall is a harder album to grab onto fer sure, the easiest "in" is Dark Side of the Moon which means a great deal to me. Wish You were Here, Meddle, and Animals are all just good fucking music.

Pretty much all this.

 

I get why The Wall is so big, but it teeters on the line of being listenable and being too Roger Waters. If this is too much, definitely don't listen to The Final Cut.

[PollyDarton 1807]

And of course, if you need a Pink Floyd concept movie - this is always the better choice.

 

Great Gig in the Sky played over the tornado scene, IMO, is one of the most beautiful things out there.

[grudlian. 4725]

Next week should be Grudlian's turn for the first time, any hints as to what film you'll be picking?

I'm strongly considering not picking a movie at all.

 

Interpret that as you wish.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Re Pink the Nazi leader: This is a large rif on a thing that happened to Roger Waters. He found himself so disgusted with an overzealous fan that he spit in the guy's face and instantly felt like a nazi asshole. I think it's also supposed to be tied into the WWII imagery that is used throughout. Pink's whole life trajectory was changed due to, well, Hitler... and here he is metaphorically becoming him.

Thaaat makes more sense. I wish they had strung these two thoughts together better because it definitely is a lot easier to be able to tell that he would in fact view himself as that kind of person after the life he had been leading up to that point. But they paint it so literally (as literally as you can in a movie like The Wall) that I was like uhhhh does he actually become the next Hitler?

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

I'm strongly considering not picking a movie at all.

 

Interpret that as you wish.

 

That would be a shame, but let us know. I’ll take you off the rotation.

[grudlian. 4725]

 

That would be a shame, but let us know. I’ll take you off the rotation.

No, I'll be picking something for sure. It may not be something originally from television. Im still debating between two things.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

No, I'll be picking something for sure. It may not be something originally from television. Im still debating between two things.

 

Ohhhhhhhh! Gotcha!

 

 

I interpreted wrongly

 

 

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Someone might want to research this, but I think some early depictions of Thor’s hammer Mjölner were carved as swastikas. Maybe it’s a play on that..?

I don't remember where I saw or heard it but it's a partial play on a British politician, Oswald Mosley, who became the head of the British Union of Fascists. His look was all black and the symbol was the lightning bolt.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

This is the making of documentary from the DVD.

 

[media='']

[/media]

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

I felt that they thought a lot of their metaphors and such were really deep but were pretty surface and obvious. Like the sex flowers or the school kids going into a meat grinder. I'm just trying to figure out if the butthole face masks all the kids were wearing is suppose to be reflect something beyond them just being all the same and why they went with butthole face parts instead of just a blank featureless face.

I don't understand the meat grinder reference in regards to the schoolkids. I always heard war and soldiery described as a meat grinder but not school.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

I don't understand the meat grinder reference in regards to the schoolkids. I always heard war and soldiery described as a meat grinder but not school.

 

I assume it’s the idea of grinding out individualism and turning us all into the same formless mush...or something

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

I assume it’s the idea of grinding out individualism and turning us all into the same formless mush...or something

That makes sense. The teacher makes fun of Pink for having creativity. I also liked how they took our the recorded teacher's voice from the music and put in the movie teacher's. I'd never understood what the teacher was saying. Now I know it's "Wrong! Do it again!"

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

I assume it’s the idea of grinding out individualism and turning us all into the same formless mush...or something

Yes, the opressive machine of institutionalized schooling. This is supported by the teacher ridiculing Pink’s poetry (I.e. the lyrics to Money from Dark Side. )

[taylor anne photo 11311]

My issue with that teacher was that Pink wasn't even actually do anything to spark him going over to him other than having an unrecognized notebook on his desk. At least when I was watching it it just appeared that he walked by and unprompted he picked up this notebook and ridiculed this kid who was working quietly. What a fuckin' dick!

 

But I did think it was quite interesting that they then showed the teacher at home being in a very controlling marriage so the only way for him to express his anger is by emotionally abusing kids.

[Cameron H. 23786]

At least when I was watching it it just appeared that he walked by and unprompted he picked up this notebook and ridiculed this kid who was working quietly. What a fuckin' dick!

 

It’s kind of like when Harry gets called out by Snape for just taking notes. Like, wtf? He’s literally just copying down what you’re saying!

 

I think this is a common experience in British schooling. At least, it sure seems to come up a lot when I read biographies of British people.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

It’s kind of like when Harry gets called out by Snape for just taking notes. Like, wtf? He’s literally just copying down what you’re saying!

Flawless Harry Potter tie in.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

Flawless Harry Potter tie in.

 

Lol - That scene pisses me off. Harry should be like “Look! ‘Stopper on Death!’l

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Lol - That scene pisses me off. Harry should be like “Look! ‘Stopper on Death!’l

Also how he yells at Hermione for actually knowing the correct answer???

 

Fuck The Wall let's talk about how Snape is the FUCKIN WORST

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

No, I'll be picking something for sure. It may not be something originally from television. Im still debating between two things.

I suppose you can pick an episode of The Sonny and Cher Hour, but really?!?!

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

I don't understand the meat grinder reference in regards to the schoolkids. I always heard war and soldiery described as a meat grinder but not school.

Well, specifically postwar grammar schools.

 

It seems that rampant abuse was supported (perhaps even encouraged) in these schools. I mean you can easily draw a close analogy to current events (USA Gymnastics).

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

My issue with that teacher was that Pink wasn't even actually do anything to spark him going over to him other than having an unrecognized notebook on his desk. At least when I was watching it it just appeared that he walked by and unprompted he picked up this notebook and ridiculed this kid who was working quietly. What a fuckin' dick!

 

But I did think it was quite interesting that they then showed the teacher at home being in a very controlling marriage so the only way for him to express his anger is by emotionally abusing kids.

To the lady who played the wife I say Boo!!!

 

 

It's the same actress, Margery Mason.