Not only did Pink Floyd bring the world albums like The Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, and Wish You Were Here, but they also hosted one of the largest rock concerts in history thanks to The Wall – Live in Berlin. While performing in front of over 450,000 people at once is historic for band members like Roger Waters, his son, Harry Waters, remembered walking into the studio as an infant to record for “Goodbye Blue Sky”. Not only that, but Harry eventually landed a spot in Pink Floyd. Although no longer part of the group, Harry recently discussed his history and being fired.
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From Son to Bandmate to Fired
Being fired is never a great moment in a person’s life. Especially when you find yourself playing alongside Pink Floyd. But for Harry, the news of being fired took on a whole new meaning when it came from his father. In 2016, the musician prepared for the holiday season with family and friends. At the time, his career flourished thanks to Pink Floyd. But the holidays quickly turned sour when Roger notified his first son he was no longer in the band.
Performing with Pink Floyd for nearly 14 years, Harry recalled the moment his father told him, admitting, “It was pretty miserable.”
Seven years after he left the band, Harry still doesn’t exactly know why Roger decided to fire him. He suggested, “I think he just wanted a change of blood, something new, something fresh. I’m not sure of his exact reasoning, but everyone except two people got fired. But the other guys that got the sack weren’t his son, so it was doubly hurtful for me.”
Harry Continues To Play Pink Floyd
With Harry finding himself without a band, he eventually moved on, recently finishing a tour with Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. Although no longer affiliated with Pink Floyd, Harry covered the entire list of songs from Animals on the tour. Not only that, he even accepted a gig playing with the tribute band Brit Floyd. The act consists of former Floyd band members such as saxophonist Scott Page and singer Durga McBroom.
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While Harry hasn’t met the former members before, it seemed second nature to just “turn up and play.” “I’ve been playing this music for 30 years or so. I think we’ll be OK without rehearsal. I think we all know the material pretty well.”
Getting fired by his dad wasn’t ideal, but Harry continues to support and defend his father as former bandmate David Gilmour accused Roger of being antisemite. Harry insisted, “It’s satire.”
(Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
