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Roger Waters honors fallen father

Posted February 20, 2014 by Floydian Slip

This past Tuesday, 70 years to the day his father was killed at the Battle of Anzio, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters honored Eric Fletcher Waters at a memorial ceremony in Italy.

“I have finally come to the end of a journey to discover what really happened to him,” Waters said at the site of a new marble monument in the town of Aprilia, south of Rome. “I feel an enormous attachment to my father today. I’m very happy to be here.”

The monument, which commemorates Eric Waters “and all the other fallen who have no known grave,” displays lyrics taken from Roger’s “Two Suns in the Sunset” from Floyd’s “The Final Cut” album: “Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend; we were all equal in the end.”

The younger Waters was 5-months-old when his father was killed Feb. 18, 1944. His body was never found.

Roger learned details of his death just recently, when WWII veteran Harry Schindler, 93, who also fought at Anzio, researched the battle and managed to recover a War Diary providing details.

Schindler also attended this week’s ceremony.

“Roger, I hope that you can go into calmer waters now and that this wall at least is down for you,” he said.

Read more about Roger Waters’s father and the battle that took his life.


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Roger Waters to be made honorary citizen of Anzio

Posted January 23, 2014 by Floydian Slip

Officials of the Italian city of Anzio will make Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters an honorary citizen.The city will hold a ceremony Feb. 18, 70 years to the day Waters’ father, Eric Fletcher Waters, died at the Battle of Anzio.

In addition to honoring Roger, officials will erect a monument to his father, inscribed with the lyrics to Roger’s “Two Suns in the Sunset” from Pink Floyd’s “The Final Cut” (1983).

Waters received details of his father’s death only last autumn, when WWII vet Harry Shindler discovered a War Diary describing the day’s events. (See “New documents reveal final day of Roger Water’s father“)


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WWII vet who aided Roger Waters awarded MBE

Posted January 3, 2014 by Floydian Slip

Veteran Harry Shindler, who survived the Battle of Anzio and helped liberate Rome during World War II, has been appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

Shindler was in the news last year for digging into government records and discovering details about the death of Eric Fletcher Waters, the father of Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, who died at Anzio when the younger Waters was an infant. (See “New documents reveal final day of Roger Water’s father“)

The battle was described in Roger’s “When the Tigers Broke Free,” an outtake from Floyd’s “The Wall” album, later to become part of “The Final Cut” when that album was reissued in 2004.

Shindler received the honor for helping find graves of British soldiers killed or listed as missing in action.

He moved to Italy in the 1980s and has campaigned for years to restore the voting rights of UK citizens living abroad.


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Roger Waters on cover of Guitar World

Posted November 15, 2013 by Floydian Slip

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters is the cover story for the latest issue of Guitar World magazine.

In the Holiday 2013 issue, available now in the United States, Waters talks about his recent three-year world tour of “The Wall.”

The issue also includes interviews with bandmates Snowy White, G.E. Smith, Dave Kilminster and Jon Carin, who talk about life on the road with Waters; as well as tab for guitar and bass for Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.”

You can purchase the issue online.


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Roger Waters completes demo of new album

Posted November 14, 2013 by Floydian Slip

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters has told Rolling Stone he’s completed a demo for a new album.

“I finished a demo of it last night,” he says. “It’s 55-minutes long. It’s songs and theater as well.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s couched as a radio play,” he adds. “It has characters who speak to each other, and it’s a quest. It’s about an old man and a young child trying to figure out why they are killing the children.”

The album would be Waters’ first studio project of new material since 1992’s “Amused to Death.”

Read the Rolling Stone article


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New documents reveal final day of Roger Water’s father

Posted October 12, 2013 by Floydian Slip

Documents recently unearthed reveal details about the final 24 hours of Eric Fletcher Waters, the father of Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters who died in Italy’s Battle of Anzio on Feb. 18, 1944.

The documents, from the National Archives in Kew, were discovered by World War II veteran Harry Shindler, 93, who started his research after learning of Roger’s recent trip to Italy to pay tribute to his father.

“I was very moved that he wanted to find out more about his father’s death and the circumstances of how he was killed,” Shindler tells the Daily Mail.” I don’t know who Pink Floyd are, my music stops at The Beatles.”

The remains of Eric Waters, a second lieutenant with Z Company of the Royal Fusiliers, were never recovered. But his name is on a memorial in Cassino, Italy, commemorating the fallen soldiers.

An entry in the War Diary made at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18, 1944, reads: “Lt Waters killed and Lt Hill wounded, situation now critical. Message received over air that assistance would now be too late.”

The younger Waters wrote about the battle in “When the Tigers Broke Free” from the film “Pink Floyd The Wall,” and later a part of Pink Floyd’s “The Final Cut” album.

Read more about the battle at the Daily News website.

 


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Roger Waters breaks solo tour record

Posted October 5, 2013 by Floydian Slip

Roger Waters’ three-year world tour of “The Wall” has broken Billboard’s Boxscore record for a solo act.

The tour took in $459 million over the course of 219 performances, breaking the previous record of $407 million set by Madonna on her 2008-09 Sweet and Sticky Tour.

Waters now holds third place for highest-grossing tour of all time, solo or group act. U2 is at number one with $736 million for its 360° tour in 2009-2011. The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour grossed $558 million from 2005-2007.

Waters launched “The Wall” revival in September 2010 playing six legs in North and South America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand over three years.


Posted in Concerts, Events, Personnel, Roger Waters | 2 comments

“The Body” coming to DVD

Posted September 13, 2013 by Floydian Slip

The 1970 Roy Battersby documentary “The Body,” best known to Pink Floyd fans for its soundtrack including work by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, will be issued on DVD next month.

Network Distributing Ltd. will release the film on DVD in its entirety for the first time. The disc will include the original theatrical trailer, a gallery of still images, and promotional material.

Waters composed and recorded the soundtrack along with Ron Geesin. The track “Give Birth to a Smile” included the rest of Pink Floyd, who appeared without credit.

The DVD will be issued as a Region 2 disc, playable in Europe, the Middle East and several other countries, but not the United States.

Network describes “The Body” as “a deeply intimate feature-length film exploring the physical experience of being human.”

Narrated by Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay, with commentary by poet/playwright Adrian Mitchell, the film follows the human life-cycle from conception to death.

Battersby has worked as a director mostly in television since 1969.

The DVD will be priced at £6.98.


Posted in DVDs, Films, Merchandise, Personnel, Roger Waters | 1 comment

Roger Waters to play Stand Up for Heroes

Posted September 11, 2013 by Floydian Slip

Roger Waters will perform at the 7th Annual Stand Up for Heroes event in New York City on Nov. 6.

The event, to raise funds for wounded service members, will include Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Stewart.

Waters performed at the 2012 event (pictured).

The event’s organized by The Bob Woodruff Foundation and held in conjunction with the New York Comedy Festival.

Since its inception, Stand Up for Heroes has raised $16 million to help wounded veterans.


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Roger Waters wins Pollstar awards

Posted February 10, 2013 by Floydian Slip

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters received two Pollstar Awards this week: Major Tour of the Year and Most Creative Stage Production.

The 24th annual award winners were nominated by music industry leaders and voted on by concert professionals.

The awards were presented at the Los Angeles’ Club Nokia this past Thursday.

Pollstar is a music industry trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry. It’s supplied information to professional concert promoters, booking agents, artist managers and facility executives for more than 25 years.


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