In a recent interview with BBC News, singer and bassist for Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, admits to having regrets over the lawsuit between himself and his bandmates in 1987.
The suit was filed after Waters left the band in 1985 and sued Nick Mason and David Gilmour in 1986 over their continued use of the band’s name and material. Pink Floyd’s most notable album The Wall was written almost entirely by Waters and chronicles his life. They settled out of court in 1987 with the remaining members able to continue working under the name Pink Floyd. Waters has been touring mostly as a solo artist since.
Now, Waters has come forward to BBC regarding the 1986 suit to state, “I was wrong! Of course I was. Who cares?” At the time, the decision to file the suit came after creative differences caused Waters to leave the band. The resulting suit over use of the name, according to Waters was,
“… one of the few times that the legal profession has taught me something… Because when I went to these chaps and said, ‘Listen we’re broke, this isn’t Pink Floyd anymore,’ they went, ‘What do you mean? That’s irrelevant, it is a label and it has commercial value. You can’t say it’s going to cease to exist… you obviously don’t understand English jurisprudence.'”
The band reconciled and performed at the 2005 Live 8 show in London’s Hyde Park. It was the first and final performance with the original members since their last performance of The Wall 24 years earlier. 2011 saw Mason and Gilmour join Waters for a one-off performance in London for one of Water’s The Wall shows. The band has also recently come together in outrage over Pandora Radio’s unfair royalties.
Waters appears to be doing just fine now. He has written three albums and a soundtrack in his solo career and continues to tour around the world. His political ideals have gotten him into some hot water with the symbols he uses on stage and he has recently began reconsidering his plans to boycott Israel.
He has also announced that he is currently planning on a new album,
“I’ve had a very, very strong idea and I shall pursue it. I will make at least one more record and I am really looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into it.”
Last year, he told Rolling Stone that he had finished a song for an album which he was tentatively dubbing “Heartland.” Once completed, it will be his first album since 1992’s LP Amused to Death.
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