The Jump Blog

I’ve long contended that Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” (both the album and the movie) have been done an incredible disservice by the druggie reputation of their fanbase. Admittedly there is no doubt that Floyd attracted psychedelic stoners as fans (and with good reasons), and –in the interest of full disclosure– I was more than a little involved in drug culture myself as a teenager. That said, the album and movie get an incredibly raw deal (as does “Dark Side of the Moon”) when serious works of Rock’n'Roll concept art are discussed. It is seen as a stoner movie from a stoner band, inspired by a stoner album.

Meanwhile, The Who’s “Tommy” is hailed as a rock opera masterpiece.

If any work of rock is worthy of the title “Rock Opera” it is “The Wall” (with a close second being “Dark Side of the Moon”). It deals with so many issues in such a profound way, and I am unaware of any rock album that translates so easily (and so well) to the stage. Granted that some of the political points made are at odds with my personal views but the way in which Roger Waters made them was sheer brilliance.

I sincerely believe someone could obtain a PhD by doing a dissertation on all of the political, social, psychological, and cultural issues addressed by “The Wall” and how they are addressed. Of course this is all dismissed because you are “supposed” to be stoned when you watch the movie or listen to the album (never mind that you’ll never understand the movie if you are smoking pot, won’t sit still for it on coke, crank, or crack and will only project your own trip on to it if you are on mescaline, LSD, shrooms, peyote, or any other psychedelic; heroin is the only drug that this movie or album might work on) but this work of art is not, was not, meant as side dressing for a drug trip. I am biased a bit because I have loved it since hearing “Another Brick in the Wall” on KSHE 95 in 1982.

I really wanted to do a stage production of “The Wall” in high school but couldn’t get enough good musicians and vocalists to sign on to my idea. I was ecstatic when it was done as a stage play in Berlin right after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first time I ever annoyed Mrs. GoldFalcon through the length of a movie with my running commentary was when I had her sit and watch this movie with me in my dusty barracks room in Camp Casey.

My bias notwithstanding the work effectively addresses:

-The effects of WWI and WWII on British society.
-How WWII affected baby boomers
-How single parent homes affect both parent and child.
-How the parent child relationship affects interpersonal relationships later.
-The creative struggle
-The use of chemicals to maintain comfort in human relationships
-The inability to connect with other humans
-The potential for corruption
-The pliability of the masses

and so much more.

If you have never seen the film and have been put off by its reputation (or the album, though the film is more accessible for first timers), or if you have never watched it straight, watch it sober.

You’ll be surprised.

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