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A few commonly e-mailed questions: 2. What does (recurrent theme / imagery) mean? 3. May I use your web site as a resource for my class essay? 5. Is a the Wall movie soundtrack available with the alternate, movie versions of the songs? 6. Is the Final Cut really a sequel to the Wall? 7. Does "Another Brick in the Wall, part 2" really condone overthrowing schools / the education system? 9. Is Pink Floyd a racist / neo-nazi band? 10. Have you written or do you know of any more Pink Floyd analyses? 11. Has anyone from the band ever contacted you about your site? 12. Do you know if Pink Floyd will tour in the future / what is the latest scoop on the band? 13. Why in the world did you even write this analysis? 14. Why do you exploring the movie when everyone knows that it is inferior to the album?
Answers: 1. Asking what the Wall means is like asking for a brief explanation of what makes Hamlet a brilliant play. It's possible to summarize the work in one sentence, but the true meaning lies in the depth and complexities of the work. The short answer: sit back, relax and listen to the album. The shorter longer answer: the Wall is about the golden mean and realizing that what you do affects others just as much as the things that are done to you; it's about being an individual but not to the point of personal and social alienation; it's about how a person can be so consumed with hatred that he becomes the very thing he hates; it's about the danger of making gods of men; it's about the importance of communication, the void of excess, the fullness of the little moments; and above all, it's about personal, communal and social responsibility. 2. There are a lot of recurrent images and themes throughout the album and movie, and a lot of people out there who simply want to know what one bit or piece means without having to wade through the entire analysis. Below you'll find a short list of the images and themes most commonly asked about, each a link to the song/part of my analysis that discusses that specific topic.
A further note on hammers, and especially the Marching
Hammers, since it appears to be one of the most asked about symbols:
Hammers (as used in the movie) in general are a dichotomous symbol,
representing both positive and negative qualities: the hammer that
builds a house can also destroy it, etc. So naturally, hammers are
both a creative and destructive symbol, it just largely depends
on the context in which they are used symbolically. For the most
part, the hammers found in "the Wall" are cast as a negative
tool, showing the more destructive power of creation, of humanity.
There are hammers in the cogs of the machines that mold the school
children into formless meat, there are hammers in the barbed wire
fence that surrounds Pink during the "Nobody Home" sequence.
And, most famously of all, the marching hammers in "Waiting
for the Worms." Personally, I think these hammers (in conjunction
with the swastika-like crossed hammers on the flags) are meant to
call to mind the Nazi forces of World War II and all their oppressive
might. The Nazis true power lay in their unflinching destructive
power...they didn't mark society through subtle changes, but rather
hammered in (for lack of a better metaphor) their particular oppressive
ideology, destroying those who would not bend. One can't help but
feel that Waters is, when all is said and done, an eternal optimist
who believes in the creative power of humanity...yet for him (and
pretty much all of the world), this WWII era was the lowest point
of human existence. So the marching hammers...if I were to condense the complex symbolism down to one thing, I'd say the hammers in this instant represent the total dark, destructive half of humanity, a dark side that is willing to exterminate an entire people because of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. These are the hammers with dual negative capabilities, that not only seek to destroy a culture, but also to build walls that will separate factions of society. They are both a reference to the Nazis as well as to the dark side of all of mankind. 3. Feel free to use my analysis as a resource as long as you site my web site as a reference. 4. Chances are Shakespeare didn't put nearly as much thought into his works as our English teachers have led us to believe, yet there are libraries of books and scholarly journals solely dedicated to bard's work. What I'm trying to say is that yes, I am probably reading a lot into Pink Floyd's work, moreso than even the band intended. But art is subjective. Just because a clue, nuance or theme wasn't intentional doesn't mean that it's not there. What an artist puts into a piece is only 50% of the artistic process; it is up to the audience to contribute the other 50%, bringing in their own unique experiences, interpretations and feelings and applying it to the work. After all, when we talk about a piece of art (book, CD, painting, whatever) we generally don't discuss what this work means to the artist, but what this work means to us. Artist intention (or lack thereof) is neither full validation or dismissal. If a person can back up his or her interpretationswith logical, well thought arguments based on the body of the work, that only makes the art richer and more complex. We must always remember that even though the medium of art is inflexible (once a CD is recorded, a book printed, or a painting painted, it is unchanging) art itself is a living thing, and derives a great deal of its meaning from the audience and not the artist alone. 5. I have seen supposed the Wall movie soundtracks on sale in bootleg CD stores. More than likely they aren't official, and are probably the work of some Floyd fan who simply recorded the songs straight from his DVD player. But still, if you're looking for these different versions, they are out there. Try searching independent record stores or the internet. And let me know what you find. 6. Yes and no. Many of the songs from the Final Cut were left over from the Wall recording sessions. While the character of Pink seems to pop up in a few songs on the Final Cut (the title track, specifically, and all it's talk of discovering what's "behind the wall" and "tear[ing] the curtain down"), the album itself does little, if anything, to advance the Wall's plot, and so shouldn't really be considered an actual sequel in terms of Pink's story. However, Waters does exptrapolate further on many of the same themes (war, alienation, social and personal responsibility), and so in this way the Final Cut does continue thematically where the Wall leaves off. 7. No. "Another Brick in the Wall, part 2" speaks out against certain kinds of education, namely those that try to stifle creativity and individuality through rote learning, producing nameless, faceless drones. For more on this topic, read this part of my "Brick in the Wall, 2" analysis. 8. The beginning of the album says "...we came in?" and the ending says "Isn't this where..." For more info on this circular tidbit, click here. You wouldn't believe the number of e-mails I've received on this question. Someone's brother or sister happens to walk in during the part in the movie when Pink has turned into his dictator persona, or they listen to the lyrics of "In the Flesh" out of context, jumping to the conclusion that the blatantly racist lyrics are a direct reflection of the band's beliefs. Pink's dictator self and the racism of "In the Flesh" / "Run Like Hell" / "Waiting for the Worms" are all satirical. Waters' point is that miscommunication, misunderstanding and building up walls around ourselves eventually lead to a myopic existence, a kind of xenophobic hatred. He is arguing that wars are waged and people are killed because of the personal and social walls we construct, to keep ourselves in and to keep all others out. Click here for more on this topic. 10. I haven't written any other album analyses, nor do I plan on doing so at the moment. I have moved on and am trying my hand at fiction (those things called books that people used to read before TV was invented). I'm not saying I'll never write another Floydian analysis, but the possiblity is slim at this time. When I originally wrote my Wall analysis, I was hoping it would inspire other music fans to write similar essays on their own favorite albums. So if you're one of those wondering why I won't tackle the Final Cut or Animals, have a go at it yourself. I'd love to read what you come up with! In the meantime, there are two other web sites out there (that I know of) dedicated to specific Pink Floyd albums. Vince Amendolare's interpretation of "Dark Side of the Moon" and The Battersea Power Station: an Entire Web Site Dedicated to Pink Floyd's "Animals" Album. 11. There are rumors that certain members of the band like to surf the net for Pink Floyd sites. Who knows if those rumors are really true or not. All I can say is that no one from Pink Floyd has ever contacted me concerning my site...that I am aware of. David Gilmour could have easily written me under the guise of John Q. Public and I would have been none the wiser. I would absolutely love to get any feedback from the legendary Floyd themselves, but to my knowledge, it hasn't happened. 12. If you're e-mailing me for the latest in Pink Floyd news or info, you'll be sorely disappointed with my absolute lack of band knowledge. I might have written a lenghty interpretation of the Wall but I am by no means a Pink Floyd expert. If you want to know specifics about the band, the latest happenings / concerts / album news / whatever, you'd be better off writing some other Floyd web guy. 13. Temporary insanity. That, and because I had no idea what the Wall was about when I first listened to it. Later, when I finally started to grasp it's meaning, I was surprised that no one on the net had even attempted to explain the storyline or themes of the album, and so I gave it a shot. 14. Even if you think the album version of the Wall is far superior, I still believe the movie has some merit. Yes, the movie is a bit heavy-handed at times, a bit self-indulgent at others, but it also adds nuances and complexities that the music alone cannot acheive (the very image of the facless masks are icons in themselves). Truth be told, the Wall has always been a visual album, even before the movie was made. Why else would the band have put on such elaborate concerts complete with Gerald Scarfe animation, inflatable characters and a giant wall that was built across the stage? It is also important to keep in mind that Roger Waters was very involved in the making of the movie, though he did have major differences of opinion with director Alan Parker (the unflattering song "Not Now John" from the Final Cut is said to be about their working relationship with Waters wanting to create an artistic film to compliment the album, and Parker wanting to party with a legendary rock band, not caring what the movie was about "as long as the kids go"). Though Roger is said to have been disappointed with the final product, it is interesting to note that it is Waters (and art director Gerald Scarfe) who provide the feature length commentary for the DVD edition, and not Alan Parker. So whether the movie is inferior to the album or not, I still argue that it is a commendable effort that adds to the overall Wall experience. 15. Session singer Jimmy Haas, who is credited with backup vocals on "the Wall," e-mailed me to set the record straight. He says that while Toni Tennille, the Beach Boys and others originally provided backup vocals on "the Wall," their parts were ultimately scrapped and re-recorded using Haas and three other backup vocalists. Haas asserts that "We [the four session singers] re-did everything that was on tape up to that point. Some of it was just bare ideas that Roger had, but the intonation and flow just wasn't there, at least on the Beach Boy parts. The only thing I recall Toni on was a bit of 'Goodbye Blue Sky.' She may well have done more, but once Roger and David got our first tune in the can after about an hour's work, they erased everything [the previously recorded Beach Boys and Tennille vocals] and started over." Another "Wall" mystery put to rest! One thing is certain, though: Toni Tennille is not the voice of the groupie on the album version of "Empty Spaces." (This rumor was effectively put to rest after Floyd fan Brian Magnuson e-mailed Tennille's official web site, the reply stating that Toni did sing backup on the album, but did not voice "the Groupie.") |
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