Roger Waters has been carving out his path in rock and roll since the inception of Pink Floyd. Leader Syd Barrett may have done the majority of the heavy lifting in the band’s early days. But Waters was looking to set the tone with his melodies every time he went into the studio. He created unique works like The Wall by pulling at the fabric of his upbringing. Despite his great music, Waters has ignored some of the world’s best musicians.
Throughout his work with Pink Floyd and solo, Waters has never followed anyone else’s lead. Going through his entire back catalogue, Waters wanted to push the boundaries of the traditional rock song structure, rather than being limited to the typical verse/chorus formula in rock at the time. Waters was releasing his demons through music. But another band was just getting started in Southern California.
As the glam rock movement faded, Van Halen was just getting started as one of the world’s most popular bands. It was with Eddie Van Halen emerging as the most sought-after guitarist. Every song released by the band emphasized the group’s good-time party spirit, Eddie’s leads were a completely different story. But playing massive runs on one string using a tapping technique that is still unrivaled today.
Although Waters saw competition with Van Halen over the years, he also admitted that he did not want to listen to him. When speaking with Joe Rogan, Waters stated that he had no interest in Eddie Van Halen or AC/DC. “I just… Who?” I don’t go ‘Who?’ Because I recognize the name. I’m sure Eddie is brilliant, a great guitarist, and wonderful… But that doesn’t interest me.”
While Roger Waters may have ignored Van Halen’s music, that did not prevent him from featuring the budding guitarist in one of his songs. During the 1990s, Waters would contribute a song to the film The Legend of 1900. He worked alongside film composer Ennio Morricone. Waters may have been responsible for writing pieces of the song ‘Lost Boys Calling’. But the guitar solo on the song came courtesy of Van Halen. His delivery of the solo surpassed his usual face-melting tracks in soulfulness.
Despite Waters’ initial criticism of Van Halen as a group, his former bandmate David Gilmour praised Eddie’s technique, stating, “I can’t play like Eddie Van Halen.” I wished I could. I sat down to try some of those ideas, but I couldn’t do it. I’m not sure if I could ever get all of that together. Sometimes I think I should practice the guitar more.”
Regardless of what Waters and Eddie may have accomplished on their own, both have cemented their places as towering figures in rock history.
