Waters sat down with BBC Radio 4 as part of their Desert Island Discs feature to pick out eight songs that he cherishes. (Farout magazine)
When it comes to his position as a listener of music, his favourite songs are imbued with the same esteem that his own songs are. He brilliantly notes his favourite songs’ value in wider culture, as well as the effect they had on him personally. Listening to Waters discuss his favourite music is a brilliant way of learning how he forms his own distinct musical style.
One of the tracks he showered with praise was Neil Young’s iconic 1970 track ‘Helpless’. Recorded by the Canadian troubadour as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for their classic album Déjà Vu, it has endured as one of Young’s best-loved pieces. A heart-wrenching piece, it’s a tearjerker and makes a strong claim for being the most emotive Young ever penned.
Waters’ pick reflected the path that he followed throughout the rest of the episode. “Neil Young singing ‘Helpless’,” Waters began. “There is an honesty and a truth in everything that he’s done. You feel the man’s integrity and passion. I can feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck now remembering the purity with which he hits the first notes of this song. It’s extraordinarily moving and eloquent.”
It’s a testament to Neil Young’s genius that he is so lauded by one of his most eminent peers. The pick also shows a more candid side to Waters, as these days he’s more known for the barbs he directs and former Pink Floyd partner David Gilmour. Indicative of the honest quality of Young’s music, his work touches even the consistently spiky Waters.
Pink Floyd star Roger Waters has rejected an offer from Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg for the use of his classic track Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2).
The rocker has made it clear he's not a fan of the Facebook founder and even the lure of a lucrative deal didn't sway Waters. (Music-News)
Speaking at an event linked to a campaign to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Waters opened up about the offer from Zuckerberg, who he called "one of the most powerful idiots in the world", revealing the Facebook boss wanted to use his 1979 song in a film to promote Instagram.
"So it's a missive from Mark Zuckerberg to me," Waters said. "Arrived this morning, with an offer of a huge, huge amount of money, and the answer is, 'F**k you! No f**king way!'
"(It's an) insidious movement of them to take over absolutely everything."
Waters read from Zuckerberg's letter, stating, "We want to thank you for considering this project. We feel that the core sentiment of this song is still so prevalent and necessary today, which speaks to how timeless your work is, truly."
He then added, "And yet they want to use it to make Facebook and Instagram even bigger and more powerful than it already is, so it can continue to censor all of us in this room and prevent this story about Julian Assange getting out. So the general public could go, 'What? What? No! No more!'
"I will not be a party to this bulls**t, Zuckerberg. You think, 'How did this little p**ck, who started off by saying, 'She is pretty, we'll give her a four out of five', 'She's ugly, we'll give her a one' - how the f**k did he get any power in anything?' And yet here he is, one of the most powerful idiots in the world."
