1979 – the end of a tough decade in the UK which was bringing a lot of change. It’s the year I feel I became broadly self-aware and the start of a tortuous period of confused adolescence and angst ridden young adulthood.

It’s also the year that Pink Floyd released The Wall – a powerful ‘rock opera’ written by the band’s then leader Roger Waters.

One of the main tracks that gained immediate notoriety was ‘Another Brick in The Wall’ – As a teenager the lyrics ” We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control – Teacher leave them kids alone” was a powerful anthem. I still remember watching the video and performances on Top of the Pops when that track reached number one.

As a keen fan of punk music at that time, my previous knowledge of Pink Floyd was the T-shirt John Lydon of the Sex Pistols was famed for wearing – an iconic punk image of a torn Pink Floyd shirt with the words ‘I hate’ added to it. So I was predisposed to not liking the band at that time.

The more I listened to The Wall though, the more it resonated with me. Roger Waters wrote it when he felt most alienated from those around him, including his own bandmates. It was a very personal statement at the time and one that no doubt contributed to the subsequent splits in the band, with Waters and Gilmore frequently expressing that they are very different personalities. Continue reading →