• Presentation at the Mostra.Roger against fascism

Roger Waters arrives, sits down and starts talking. All followed. No presentations "Well, what do you want to know? [Laughs] Have you heard of Biggles, the character created by WE Johns? He has a scene where the Nazis are torturing him and Algernon and Ginger, his two faithful companions, are out of the When Biggles comes out, Algernon asks him what happened to him and Biggles replies: "Well, you know, they tortured me." And Algernon: "What horror, and did you tell them something?" And Biggles answers. "No nothing. Although I did mention that maybe you knew something. " Sorry? "Well, maybe it's time for you to speak, " he says and laughs. Roger Waters (Surrey, 1943) is handled with incendiary manners. At 76, co-founder Pink Floyd has turned each of his public appearances into soflama. While presenting Roger Waters Us + Them , a documentary-concert recorded mostly in Amsterdam and directed by himself in the company of Sean Evans, he reviews the world today with a vehemence near suicide . The movie, just released, gives an account of each one of his songs (the unforgettable and the new ones) with the help of such a spectacular and hypnotic visual display. All as surprising as himself. " I do not know if Boris Johnson is more or less pig than Winston Churchill. Yes it is true that Churchill was better educated and spoke better, but the two are there to defend the privileges of the rich. The privileged pigs of before are those of now" . It is clear.

Each of his concerts is an exercise of denunciation. In Brazil, for example, he lived tense moments ... They warned me to walk carefully. He had very clear rules about what he could and what he couldn't do on stage. The night before the elections they told me that after 10 pm I couldn't say anything political using the microphone. So what we did was calculate what song we were going to be playing when there were five minutes to 22.00. It was Welcome to the machine . We decided to stop at that moment and said what I had to say. What did he say? Basically, I insisted that the most serious threat we suffer in today's world is that of populist neo-fascism. Boris Johnson, Donald Trump or Bolsonaro are enemies of the planet and are put there by those who only defend their privileges. What has happened with Lula in Brazil? He was imprisoned with false evidence and there it continues. I remember that they did not let me see Lula, although I tried. We are in Italy and with Salvini, another of his beasts, in decline ... It is too early to think that he may be in decline. The emergence of the extreme right is a terrible threat to all. Think about what happened in Germany between 1930 and 1934. When the laws begin to be rewritten, as is happening in the United States, we rush into the void. After September 11 they approved the Patriot Act , which legalized torture. Habeas corpus have been loaded! And people go on with their normal life as if nothing happens. But if you are an American, you no longer have that basic right. They can arrest you and lock you up without even letting you make a phone call. We must be very aware of what the legislative and judicial power do in different countries because the disaster can come very quickly. One day you can be free and the next day you are against the wall and you are being legally executed because the legality is another. Do you feel alone in the music scene? In general, what is heard now has nothing to do with its political implication. I am no expert, but the impression I have is that the main impulse of many of those who call themselves artists is completely narcissistic and consumer oriented. Current music is vain narcissism. I am impressed that there are no more people protesting what is happening. Palestine is one of my workhorses and I am surprised at how scared the musicians are. On the other hand, it is surprising, as seen in the movie, to see so many young people at their concerts. Does it give you hope in the future? It is moving and I feel very fortunate that people identify with the ideas and feelings of the songs. So, unlike some of my contemporaries, I don't have to see how my audience ages. Most popular music today lacks emotion and content. It is logical that young people look for new meanings for their life wherever they are. And I invite you to look for ideas, to reread 1984 and A happy world , to realize the world in which we are. The ideas are good. Not the iPhones. What is the primary social and political impulse that moves you? I have already reduced my arguments to one: have you ever heard of the Declaration of Human Rights ? The UN thought that the articles of that declaration would prevent us from killing each other in the future. And, if it were fulfilled, it should be that way. Do you remember the first time you decided to express your political ideas in public? Talking about politics came before writing songs. When he was 15 he was the president of the Young Socialists of Cambridge. And my mother was a member of the Communist Party until 1956. I have always been taught that the only important thing was to do the right thing. Sometimes I went to political meetings with my mother in the afternoon. One day he told me: 'Do you know where we meet? It is a religious, Christian building, they are called Quakers. I can't be with them, because you already know that I am a radical atheist, but never forget that they are very, very good people. ' And it is an important teaching for a child. You don't necessarily have to subscribe to their ideology, but you have to be clear about the idea that good people are always trying to cross over to the other side, be good Samaritans, tear down the wall. Could there be a reconciliation of the classic members of Pink Floyd? What member are you thinking about? David Gilmour? I think you may have to mature a little. I am always willing. Not everyone develops at the same speed, so I don't want to say that it will never happen. You never know what can happen. Now there are only three left ... Then maybe it's time to get back together ... But for what? We will never work together again. I don't think that meeting comes. I love David, he's like my brother, he's one of my oldest friends.

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