New York Times interview

Waters is interviewed by the New York Times, where he discusses The Wall.

Maybe the making of the piece was my way of escaping from the cell of isolation I found myself in as a young man. I’ve spent my life trying to find the courage to expose myself to other people in order that they may love me or not, and to discover who other people are and get them to expose themselves to me. Which is tearing down walls.

He says that after the final performance of The Wall in 2103 he decided to visit his father and grandfather’s graves.

I had an absolute need to go and visit my grandfather’s grave, because I’d never been. And I knew I wanted my three children to be with me; I wanted them standing by that grave with me. And I knew I had to go and visit the memorial to my father, which was in Monte Cassino, because I’d never been to that garden, either. Here I was, 70 years old, and I had never done it, so I had to do it. And I thought, This is what the movie’s about, so we will film it.

He says he is working on a new album, with the working title Lay Down Jerusalem, the story of a boy who has nightmares and asks his grandfather, “Why are they killing the children?”

The grandfather promises that they will find out the answer to that question, and so they go looking. And, of course, they don’t find that answer because it’s too difficult.