The pig testicles at the centre of a feud between Pink Floyd
No one has ever labelled Pink Floyd as a comedic band. The group was always looking to make the kind of music that appealed to the serious set of rock fans, and if you can find more than one picture of the band actually smiling, you’re a better man than I. The group did have a sense of humour when they wanted to, though, and when Roger Waters and David Gilmour fell out, they figured that they would settle their differences with genitalia.
That’s because if there’s one thing the band could be counted on for, it was their live show. Gilmour and Waters may not have had the most engaging stage presence by just standing and playing their instruments, but seeing them transform their venues into a spectacle was a sight to behold throughout the prime, usually with fantastic light shows.
Once the tour for Animals rolled around, they needed something more on the nose. Like the cover would imply, the entire show featured a giant pig balloon flying around the venue, which may have been a clever jab at the music industry or an insult to the fans that mindlessly listen to the band, depending on what you saw the pig as.
While Waters wanted to take things one step further with The Wall, the fallout from the stage show led to Richard Wright’s firing, the band making one of their most lacklustre albums afterwards, and Waters leaving with his middle finger to the sky. Gilmour still had the name to hold onto, and he would carry on with Pink Floyd no matter who was playing with him.
One small problem, though: Waters walked away with the use of a lot of their props. Along with using the rights to The Wall stage show, Waters ended up securing the rights to use the inflatable pig whenever he played live, meaning that Gilmour would have to pay him $800 whenever they brought the swine out on tour.
If you’ve been taking orders from someone like Waters for the past few years, you’re not about to go on tour and fork over more money to him. Someone in the Pink Floyd camp had a brainstorm, though, and it was about time that the band let the audience know that that pig was, in fact, a male.
For every show that Pink Floyd played with the pig, the new and improved balloon sported a pair of testicles at the bottom, which meant that everyone saw the pig in all its glory whenever he hovered ahead. This also begs the question: How do you feel if you’re on the ground floor of the arena at a Pink Floyd show?
Sure, you can see the band you love up close, but is it worth it when you have to deal with a pair of swinging balls right above you? It may have been admirable for Gilmour to stick to his guns and make something completely different from Waters’ vision, but God help any member of the crowd that ran the risk of getting smacked with the wrong end of a pig if that thing ended up deflating.
