“Third-rate”: Roger Waters on the one department David Gilmour could never beat him in
The members of Pink Floyd are revered as some of the greatest musicians in history. David Gilmour is regularly ranked among the best, hailed as one of the finest guitarists of all time. Nick Mason’s drumming has been influential since the beginning, while Richard Wright’s work on keys added immeasurably to the band’s sound. But still, according to Roger Waters, if he wanted a song written well, he had to do it himself.
Since Pink Floyd split up, things have become incredibly frosty between Gilmour and Rogers. Once a powerful musical team who helped pick the band back up following Syd Barrett’s exit and reinvent it into something bigger and more future-thinking, the friends descended into arguments that still rage on today.
Even in 2022, the pair were still at odds, with Waters accusing Gilmour of trying to steal credit for the band and refusing to let him use their website or social media. By 2023, the fight was still raging, with repeated attempts to sell their back catalogue falling through as they failed to agree on a deal. But this feud is nothing new—it’s a long-running tension.
Even in a 1987 interview, it was there as Waters shared some pretty catty comments about his bandmates’ talent. “There was no point in Gilmour, Mason or Wright trying to write lyrics. Because they’ll never be as good as mine,” he told Rolling Stone before adding, “Gilmour’s lyrics are very third-rate. They always will be.”
And there lies the key to their entire feud. From even as early as the 1970s, Gilmour felt like Rogers became a kind of dictator over the band, demanding more and more creative control over what they did, and claiming more stake over the music making. As an incredibly talented bunch, all the members could contribute something and wanted to, especially Gilmour. While it’s true that everyone has their strengths and a band often works best when the members harness that, Waters’ comments about his band members’ abilities as “third-rate” would certainly prompt some resentment.
But Waters didn’t see that. “And in comparison with what I do, I’m sure he’d agree. He’s just not as good. I didn’t play the guitar solos; he didn’t write any lyrics,” he continued, implying that Gilmour always knew that he could never beat Waters in the songwriting department and that perhaps he simply shouldn’t try.
Yet while it’s true that it was Waters’ words that colour the band’s music, I’d argue that they’re not what powers it. When thinking of Pink Floyd’s best moments, it rarely comes down to lyricism. Instead, you think of songs like ‘Comfortably Numb’ or the epic proportions of an album like The Dark Side of the Moon, which, while solely song written by Waters, is revered more so for the epic musicality that the rest of the band brought especially Gilmour’s guitars.
So, while Waters’ belief that he could never be beaten in the songwriting department may be true, that’s not the only making of greatness and calling your bandmates “third-rate” is not conducive to collaboration.
