Roger Waters says he could ‘never aspire’ to write like one Pink Floyd bandmate

After taking over the reins of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters claimed he could “never aspire” to write like his former bandmate.

Though Waters was the lead songwriter on all-time great albums like The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, his leadership of the group marked a significant change in Pink Floyd’s sound. David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright began piecing together progressive rock songs rather than the psychedelic-tinged sounds which formed the Syd Barrett-featuring debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. This psychedelic edge would be lost by Pink Floyd over the years as they began focusing on sprawling narratives like The Wall and The Final Cut. But it was an active choice, rather than a gradual evolution, according to bassist Waters.

Speaking to Q Magazine just two years after he left the group, Waters suggested he could never have written like former frontman Barrett. He told the magazine: “Well, replacing Syd as leader of the Pink Floyd was OK.

“But Syd as a writer was a one-off. I could never aspire to his crazed insights and perceptions. In fact, for a long time I wouldn’t have dreamt of claiming any insights whatsoever.”

Though unable to replicate the unique writing style Barrett provided the band in their early years, Waters says he was able to learn from the former band member. He added: “But I’d always credit Syd with the connection he made to his personal unconscious and to the collective, group conscious.

“It’s taken me fifteen years to get anywhere near there. But what enabled Syd to see things in the way he did? It’s like, why is an artist an artist? Artists simply do feel and see things in a different way to other people.

“In a way, it’s a blessing, but it can also be a terrible curse. There’s a great deal of satisfaction to be earned from it, but often it’s also a terrible burden.”

Waters went on to praise the “intense passion” Barrett had for his music, and shared the names of several musicians he believed held that intensity also. The bassist added: “In spite the fact that he was clearly out of control when making his two albums, some of the work is staggeringly evocative.

“Dave Gilmour and I worked with him on the first one [The Madcap Laughs]; there was a backlog of material he’d written before he flipped. It’s the humanity of it all that is so impressive. It’s about deeply felt values and beliefs and feelings.

“Maybe that’s what The Dark Side Of The Moon was aspiring to. A similar feeling. That’s what I get from the musicians who I really care for: Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young – that intense passion.