Pink Floyd's "The Wall"

[occ]

I was watching the movie last night, and I know how much you all love interpreting songs and albums. Anyway, does The Wall have a distinct plot/storyline? My general interpretation is that its about Pink, a rock star who's driven crazy and begins to see himself as a demigogue, and the movie parallels his own power over his audiences with a dictator's. There are numerous WW2 references throughout the movie; Pink seems to have grown up during this era, and this shapes his later madness. His father was a pilot (I think) during WW2, (note the airplane sounds present in the album). So, the movie has heavy World War 2 connections, it would appear. Anyway, anyone have any other thoughts or interpretations?

[jayron 32]

I think you hit the nail mostly on the head. After Dark Side of the Moon, MOST of Pink Floyd's music turned to writing about life as a Rock Star (esp. Wish You Were Here) and the Wall is no exception. A few key plot points I think you might have missed, however.

Pink is in a drug-induced scizophrenia. I'm fairly certain that the entire film is in reality supposed to be happening while Pink sits in the chair, baked out of his mind, while his manager (Bob Hoskins) later tries to wake him up. He spends his time halucinating that he's a dictator, AND that he's being persecuted by said dictator. He also has numerous flashbacks about his childhood (where he was tormentented for being a "creative child" and lost his father; he was also a bit of a Mama's Boy, not having the masculine influence around) and his destroyed marriage (Vera, Dirty Woman). The dictator/pursecuted motif merely shows how he is both in total control due to his fame, and totally controlled by it. The Wall is symbolic of the barrier between the Stage personality (dictator/prisoner) and his own real life (the flashbacks) and he's going through an internal struggle to decide who he is. It's all heavily layered dualism.

Now, if that rambled, I apologize, but the film rambles a bit itself.

[Gazoo]

First off, although this may be my favorite album of all time, I must admit I haven't researched it as much as one may expect. Anyway, I think you're both right on the mark, and Jayron makes some very good points.

A quick search on the 'net found this info:

Pink Floyd's the Wall is perhaps one of the most intriguing and imaginative albums in the history of music. Recorded in 1979 and made into a film in 1982, The Wall tells the story of a man named Pink Floyd who, as a child, lost his father in World War II. Being raised by an overprotective mother, Pink leads a dreary life, finally turning to drugs. As a result of the drugs and his gloomy memories, Pink spirals into a void of insanity. This monumental album is loosely based on the lives of two members of Pink Floyd. Pink's childhood is very similar to that of Roger Waters, the main writer of the Wall. Waters, who lost his father in World War II, drew on his many emotions of abandonment and loneliness for this album. Pink's adult life is loosely based on that of the original lead singer Syd Barret. After suffering a mental breakdown due to mind altering drugs, Barret was replaced soon after by David Gilmour. By combining these life stories, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright create a mystical and disturbing adventure into the depths of man's psyche.

From: http://members.surfsouth.com/~breezy/

[orestes543]

I first of all want to thank you for asking a question that I can actually answer!

Anyways, about the movie, it's kind of hard to explain really. The beginning is when Pink is looking back on his childhood years, mainly thinking about his father leaving home for the war and never returning again. During the middle, it starts to show Pink's descent into madness, more or less, and his withdrawal from society. The part about the dictator is basically Pink's inner desire to have control of his life and being able to not listen to everybody else's ideas around him. The ending I'm not exactly sure about because I haven't watched the movie in a long time. I guess I should go do that now and let you know what I think about that later.

[Milossarian]

There was a very good special on "The Wall" on VH-1 not long ago (more about the album and concert than the movie).

Roger Waters was saying the original concept for the album grew from the band's growing disillusionment with their fans. Many were coming to Floyd concerts after they really hit with "DSOTM" and just yelling, screaming and acting like your typical drunken jerks at most rock concerts.

Waters felt the people didn't seem to "get" the music or the band at all. And the thought occurred to him, Why not make the disconnection complete, and just build a wall between the band and the audience?

The idea was then expanded to explore the inner walls people put up all the time, to shield their feelings from others in an attempt to avoid being hurt.

I think the Nazi references are meant as a warning, as to what can happen when a powerful person or a group of people get fully self-absorbed and disconnected from others.

And ultimately, at the end, it shows that no one really wants to be behind that wall.

[HorseloverFat]

I've also heard of this interpretation, though The Wall is a metaphor for a lot of things one of them definately is the growing distance between band and audience, especially after achieving stardom. Which, in hindsight, is pretty obvious in the movie as Pink eventually becomes an abusive Nazi-esque fascist yet still has many loyal fans willing to degenerate into a lynch mob.

Another major theme, other than the distance between artist and audience, is that the abused tend to become like their abusers and carry on the evil deeds of their oppressors. In the end, Pink gave up and became everything he hated, a kind of pathetic 'if you can't beat them' solution which ended in his final breakdown.

For the most part I see this as a pretty hypocritical album as PF's mysterious image, which is a wall of sorts, is what really sells their records. Their indictment of the record industry is so thickly veiled I wonder what would have happened if the 'the fans just don't get us' message was a lot more obvious in the recordings. Do we really need millionare rockstars to warn us of alienation, at this point of their career they've lost all street credibility. I don't see the problems illustrated in The Wall having much to do with how people protect themselves as much as the trappings of fame, something PF couldn't admit as being mainstream big-label rockers its exactly what they wanted.

There's an interesting analysis of The Wall here:

http://members.surfsouth.com/~breezy/

[yabob]

In general, artists wallowing in self-pity about the conditions their art has brought them to because the world doesn't understand them is hollow, boring, and often hypocritical, as has been suggested. Roger Waters is the exception, a guy who somehow raised wallowing in self-pity to a high art form. Before The Wall, he was already obsessed with the general theme. Technically, it helps that Waters has a terrific ear for a hook - that "we don't want no education" line, for instance. That thing managed to find its way into the charts, and we had people with advanced degrees wandering around humming "we don't want no education ...".

Let's not forget that the movie was a visual stunner, particularly Gerald Scarfe's animation. Let's give him and Alan Parker some credit for the impact as well.

[Gazoo]

Technically, it helps that Waters has a terrific ear for a hook - that "we don't want no education" line, for instance. That thing managed to find its way into the charts, and we had people with advanced degrees wandering around humming "we don't want no education ...".

I'm sure you mean "we don't need no education."

[yabob]

need - you are correct. Been a while since I last heard it.