Roger Waters and David Gilmour stand as two key members of Pink Floyd with the longest feud that has ever trickled down to recent years.
However, in hindsight, Waters has had the time to see his part in the split all those years ago. In a 2007 interview with The Washington Post, he revealed that he could have handled his initial split from the band more carefully. The singer even criticized and admitted blame for some of his wrongdoings during that time period.
Here’s what Rogers had to say about his part in the split and why he felt like the act’s scapegoat despite Gilmour and his other bandmates:
“I don’t think any of us came out of the years from 1985 with any credit, really. It was a bad, negative time, really. And I regret my part in that negativity. I was actually more attached to the philosophy and politics of Pink Floyd than the others were — certainly more so than David [Gilmour] was.”
Waters shared that he realized him and his former bandmates were never on the same page of where the band was heading. So he said:
“In a way, whatever I did, I did in a way to protect the integrity of what I saw as being important about the work that the four of us did together. I realize now that move was doomed to failure … and why should I have imposed my feelings about the work and what it was worth on the others if they didn’t feel the same? I was wrong in attempting to do that.”
However, from the perspective of drummer Nick Mason, he saw the conflict as a benefit to the band in most cases when looking at the relationship of his bandmates. Although Mason expressed to ABC Radio that he could have been the mediator between Gilmour and Waters, he saw the creative tension as their tool in creating the hits they’ve made over the years.
Nick explained:
“It’s odd, really, being famous for fighting. It’s sometimes quite hard work, but I think my usual sort of when it breaks out, maybe try and remember that actually, it’s people who don’t get on who quite often produce some of the best work. I mean, there are a number of other bands that managed to turn out incredible things, even if they’re punching each other out on stage.”
You can read Roger Waters’ 2007 interview with The Washington Times here.
