Roger Waters Hated These Bob Dylan Records (A Lot of Other People Did, Too)

Former Pink Floyd bassist and infamous ideologue Roger Waters is never one to mince words about his true feelings, including when talking about Bob Dylan records that he hated. (Though to be fair, a lot of people walked away from this particular Dylan phase, scratching their heads.)

Waters managed to slide in his opinion about the songwriting icon in a 2017 Billboard interview that covered everything from U.S. elections to John Prine to, yes, Bob Dylan.

The Bob Dylan Records Roger Waters Hated

Roger Waters’ Billboard interview came on the heels of his 2017 solo release Is This the Life We Really Want? The Pink Floyd co-founder was staying incredibly busy with his massive “Us + Them” tour, which covered the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and Latin America. While discussing his minimal time to spare, Waters matter-of-factly stated, “I haven’t got time to do an album of Frank Sinatra covers.”

He then referenced Bob Dylan, who has put out three albums of Sinatra or Sinatra-adjacent covers: Triplicate (2017), Fallen Angels (2016), and Shadows in the Night (2015). Waters described the series as “weird.” “You go, ‘F*** me, Bob, what is wrong with you? Why would you do that?’”

“I guess it’s because he can’t bear the thought of not being on the road,” Waters said, “and he couldn’t think of anything else to do. I can’t believe he really has an affinity for all that schlock. But maybe he does.” Waters had previously sung high praises for Dylan, even citing Blonde on Blonde as a major influence on his writing in his later years with Pink Floyd. So, perhaps Waters’ grievances lay in the idea that someone he admired so much could pursue a creative endeavor Waters so vehemently hated.

The Former Pink Floyd Bassist Has One Caveat

Roger Waters told Billboard that his love of theatre and passion for headier subjects like society, poverty, war, and mental health contribute to his preference for concept albums. He conceded that he might be interested in putting out an album that’s more of a collection of individual tracks as opposed to an overarching idea but added, “I like the idea of putting something together that has a coherent theme. I care about the issues I write about.”

As for a covers album like Dylan’s? That he was less privy to, although he mentioned there was one American songwriter he wouldn’t mind crafting a live performance around: long-time influence and “Hello in There” singer John Prine.

“I love the opportunity to drift into a different genre,” Waters said. “When it’s not my show, and I’m not feeling expectations, maybe I would break all the rules and do a short concert that was only John Prine songs because he’s so f***ing good. But I probably won’t because it takes a lot of energy, and I still have my own work to do. So, there’s all kinds of other things I would do before pouring all the energy required in that.”

We think it’s safe to say a Frank Sinatra tribute won’t be making the list anytime soon.

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