Dave Grohl discusses the most “punk rock” Pink Floyd song
Undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and vital bands of all time, Pink Floyd covered many bases in their long and oscillating career. Yet, despite tinkering with a host of different sonic palettes, the band are widely considered one of the foremost prog-rock outfits. However, their actual similarities with the other genre forerunners are sparse.
From the searing psychedelia of their first Syd-Barret-led period to the cerebral ambience of their final album, The Endless River, Pink Floyd’s musical development is one of the most compelling and impressive creative arcs. As each member had their finger firmly on the pulse of the latest sonic innovations and was committed to continually refining their craft, the group’s metamorphosis kept them relevant in the face of a changing world and zeitgeist. It kept them apart from the groups they are so often and lazily tied to.
It might sound absurd given their supposed connection to prog rock, but there was always a distinctly punk aspect to Pink Floyd. Whether it be the spiky clamour of Syd Barrett’s guitar, their subversive experiments of the late 1960s and 1970s, or, most explicitly, Roger Waters’ incisive political commentaries found on records such as The Wall, as well as refinement, the group always had an authentic bite. These very earthly matters could not have been further removed from the high fantasy other prog acts were concerned with.
A man who knows more about punk than most, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl, has even gone as far as to name Pink Floyd’s punkiest track. He thinks it’s ‘Have a Cigar’ from 1974’s Wish You Were Here, and it’s not hard to see why. Thematically and musically, it is more in-your-face than most other songs by the British quartet.
In a traditional punk manner, the composition is about corporations and how they control musicians. The line, “We call it riding the gravy train”, is also central to the message, with it emphasising the point that the powers that be effectively make slaves of their clients despite ensuring them that they will go far and will “never die”.
Interestingly, ‘Have a Cigar’ resonated so profoundly with Pink Floyd fans that in 2000, Queen guitarist Brian May collaborated with Foo Fighters to record a cover for the Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack. Notably, the late drummer Taylor Hawkins sang on it as Dave Grohl kept forgetting the lyrics, so he switched to the rhythm section. Grohl would later say they picked the song because “It’s the most punk rock thing Pink Floyd ever did”. It’s hard to disagree with his point.
Listen to both versions of ‘Have a Cigar’ below.
