Roger Waters CBS 60 Minutes Interview

Roger Waters Tickets are selling so fast the tour is breaking attendance records. Roger Waters spoke with CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ on Sunday May 20 to talk about the tour, reasons for leaving Pink Floyd, and how he wishes everyone would just leave their cell phones at home. Interviewer Steve Kroft calls Roger Waters “prickly” however he adds that even at 68, the legendary songwriter is also “gracious” and “totally committed to his work.” Steve Asked why ‘The Wall’ has had such staying power with fans, Waters replied, “I think it strikes some chords that may be just beneath surface in most of us. What it’s about is the walls that exist between human beings, whether on a family level or on a global level. And I think that resonates with people.” Roger Waters has taken great pains in the stage show to reproduce the sound of the original record, even using several artists to replicate — note for note — what Pink Floyd’s singer and guitarist David Gilmour did. That made Steve ask the obvious question: did Waters ever think about pulling his old band mates back in? He barely had the question out of his mouth before Waters stopped him. “There must have been a reason back in 1985 why I left Pink Floyd, left the name, left that big umbrella of comfort … and there was a reason for why I did, okay,” he said. “And [that reason] didn’t go away, certainly, in the intervening 25 years or however long it’s been.” But something Roger feels has changed are concert-goers — specially, the ones who wield cell phones at his shows. “It drives me insane,” he said, adding that he does not understand why people are so focused on taking photos of the show and staring at a tiny screen when there’s “this huge spectacle” going on in front of them. Bitching aside, though, Waters loves his job — and has no illusions about the life of a rock star. “People always used to say, it must be so hard you know, how do you do it? You know, it must be so hard being on the road, being in a rock and roll band. It’s amazing that you survived. And I would look at them like, what are you talking about?” he said. “It’s the easiest job in the world … I mean, compared with something really hard, like for instance, looking after a two-year-old child, it’s an absolute doddle.” Roger Waters Tour CBS 60 Minutes Video