Friday Nite Floyd: Pigs Might Fly
Lat
ely, I have been combining two of my favorite past times into one multimedia experience:
Books & Music.
This began over the summer — I was done with my book, and I really wanted to read something mindless, having nothing to do with Wall Street or Washington DC.
That’s when I started reading Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of “Pink Floyd. To paraphrase, reading about music is like dancing about architecture.
However, it mis much less an abstract experience when you can combine the two.
What made the book so interesting is that many years ago, I had been given as a gift the Shine On [BOX SET].
(I think you can see where this is going).
It is quite an intriguing experience reading about the early days of a seminal rock band, while listening to each of their albums in sequence and simultaneously with each relevant chapter.
This may be terribly obvious, but I had never done this before.
![Shine On [BOX SET]](http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Shine-On-BOX-SET.png "Shine On [BOX SET]")
The Pink Floyd book is by Mark Blake, and I am about 2/3rds of the way through it — past the Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals — and its terrific mindless fun.
I don’t know how many BP readers are Floyd fans, but I can imagine it would work for any major artist or band with a significant catalog, a box set, a good biographer, and some Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll in their history: Think the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, CCR, — even the gloved one.
Its a fun way to kill some hours on the beach or where ever you like to chill out.
~~~
I will be interesting to see what other combos can be made . . .
October 16th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Outstanding idea. I’ll need a bit of mindless recreation after I sit for the CFA in December.
Here’s an extemely obscure musician reference, but it’d make an outstanding story + music — Roky Erickson (formerly of 13th Floor Elevators). His story is mind-blowing, and he’s back making awesome live music on the Austin scene.
October 16th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
What I hope will be true of many of the banksters and kleptocrats:
“And it’s too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around…”
October 16th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
morticia – I have a fantastic old fillmore or avalon poster featuring the Elevators lying around somewhere… Bought a copy of Levon Helm’s Dirt Farmer today. Lifer can be a term of respect. Latter day Dave Ray is something that can superglue a smile on your face as well. The more you know about the last century of American music the better they get.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I suspect that Roger Waters is one of those people who you might greatly admire, but you wouldn’t want to get too close too in person…
October 16th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I’ve read a few of books on (dead) and by (alive, autobiography) musicians –
Eric Dolphy
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Eric Clapton
Reading about the lives of really creative people can be interesting…
I think it is a cleaver analogy, “reading about music is like dancing about architecture”…but, in any case, i did enjoy the books, in the order of preference listed, kind of like their music
October 16th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
One of my favorite lines from The Wall is; “All we are is just another brick in the wall”. So very true.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Love Pink Floyd, too cheap to get Shine On (though am inspired), my PF albums still reside on those black dinner plate-thingies with holes in the middle of them wrapped in poster- and sticker-clad colorful cardboard covers. Yes, I even have Ummagumma and some of the earlier warpings. Great thought to combine media to sink in the experience.
My reco is Apocalypse Now and Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (by Mrs. Coppola) combined with readings from: Conrad’s Heart of Darkness; Bonner & Rajiva’s Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets; and of course, Barry’s own Bailout Nation (plug).
October 16th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Many movies can be enhanced by listening to Dark Side of the Moon, not just the Wizard of Oz. We foudn this out when we rented a kids’ movie that was really bad and turned the sound off and played Dark Side of the Moon. The synchronicities were amazing.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
BR-
i am shocked that you are again displaying disparaging images of women- first the Capitol w/ the neon stripper- now this-
i come here to intellectually stimulated-
i am aghast- and disappointed–
and by the way- “Time”- after a little weed- with headphones on- doesn’t get better than that musically- at least when you’re 14
October 16th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Thanks BR… Sounds like a good read. Can’t get enough of reads for breaks away from all this stressful financial mess. I’m doing the Julia Child book (her early years in France, learning to cook after working for the forerunner to the CIA in China during WWII where she met her husband who was dragged up before McCarthy hearings) which is very political…and interesting…but looking for the next book to read after the intrigue of her book.
This “You Tube” of “Another Brick in the Wall” is a good one for both visuals and sound…if you have good sound system with your computer. (I’m SURE that you DO) Your book has been an excellent read after my taking it on vacation at NC Beach…and bringing it home. You have some insights that aren’t in the mainstream and therefore something to think about as New and Contrary to the CNBC folks and much of MSM pap reporting..
Another Brick in the Wall:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Pink+Floyd,+%22We+Don%27t+Need+no+Education.%22&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=dgXZSvTOH8zk8QaV69y2BQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQqwQwAA#
October 16th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
What’s his take on Syd Barrett?
Visionary, drug addict or mentally ill person?
The rest of the band seemed quite workmanlike.
~~~
BR: Pretty much all three — started out as a the charismatic center of the band, but after way too many acid trips, he became very paranoid and very detached from reality.
You dont know if it was all the tripping, but the narrative’s chronology sure makes it look like that was a major factor.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
bergsten:
He seems a pleasure to meet. Hell to work with.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
What about Queen?
Freddie Mercury, perhaps one of the greatest showmen to ever perform live on stage (think the Wembley Live Aid concert), and his band Queen definitely qualify on the sex drugs and rock and roll metric.
I think their music catalog is also extensive enough to carry off the read and listen trade.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
atswimtwobirds:
I’d say visionary. Just my 2 cents. He was one of those guys that got caught up in the trappings of fame.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Their album themes were part of a great era in rock. Their breakup got me to go see Gilmore and Waters separately afterward hoping for new magic. David Gilmore was a great guitarist but his and Roger’s inspiration faded quickly on their own. That was disappointing. Some bands have produced even better follow ups but their magic was clearly together.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Any love for The Band??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMHyovwX7JM
October 16th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I bought ‘The Wall’ before I’d heard any of its songs on the radio; between my brother and I we already owned the earlier albums. DSOTM was my first LP purchase.
In the early 80’s I read ‘Born To Run’ while listening through Bruce’s back catalog of the day… it wasn’t really until the live set came out that some of the text made sense.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
thanks for the idea!
doors would be another great combination read/listen
October 16th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
I think Syd and Roger ate a little too much L…
Gilmore is one of my favorite guitarists.
Animals is my favorite Floyd album.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
I own U2 BY U2 and it’s really cool to read the “behind the scenes” stories about every album and the various eras.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
andy-
you and I – in a face off this sunday on the Ritholtz FF league-
should be a good match-
pretty evenly matched teams- should be fun-
good luck to you
October 16th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
A little, appropriate update. I believe the quote is – Writing about music is like dancing about architecture… and the author of the quote is the one and only Thelonius Sphere Monk. More on topic you might want to read Grievous Angel with some Graham Parsons listening. Gilded Palace of Sin is kind of fun for a start. Moanin at Midnight lacks the dish of more modern bios, but makes a good read while you crank up Built for Comfort or other Wolf favorites. I’d like to see a Butterfield book accompanied by Driftin Blues from Pigboy Crabshaw. Like a ship out on the sea…
October 16th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
saw roger waters last year at the hollywood bowl. he performed dark side of the moon from start to finish, with an intermission occurring when you would flip the album over (remember albums !)
it was phenomenal.
October 17th, 2009 at 12:12 am
“This may be terribly obvious, but I had never done this before.”
Welcome to the world of your senses, aka Art, finance boy :c)
Never too late ! Check out Bill Bruford’s Biography while taking in the older Yes stuff, King Crimson, Genesis and so on. Bill is a treat to read, extremely sensible and clever.
Wish You Were Here is my favourite Floyd trip, always was, probably always will be.
~~~
BR: I just saw Yes at a very small hall a few months ago — amazing!
I’ve seen Fripp & Eno, and Adrian Belew, but never Crimson.
Gabriel I must have a dozen times,
Genesis w/Phil him once
October 17th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Heh. I’d like to try that early to latest with the Firesign Theatre sometime. You can’t go wrong with titles like:
* Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him
* How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All
* Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers
* I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus
* Not Insane or Anything You Want To
* The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra
* Everything You Know Is Wrong
* In the Next World, You’re on Your Own
* Forward Into The Past
* Nick Danger: The Case of the Missing Shoe
* Eat Or Be Eaten
.
.
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firesign_Theatre
They also have a book!
http://www.amazon.com/Firesign-Theatres-big-book-plays/dp/0879320273
October 17th, 2009 at 1:02 am
“reading about music is like dancing about architecture.”– old saying, quoted above
“Welcome to the world of your senses, aka Art, finance boy :c)” -gloppie
BR,
w/this:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/interpretive+dance
http://www.aluminumfilms.com/lautner/lautner.html
and your access to “the Culture of the City”, you may care to ask some of your more Artistic friends how they feel about yon’ ‘old saying’..
“Every great architect is – necessarily – a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age.”
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/frank_lloyd_wright.html#
“Form follows function – that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.”
“Get the habit of analysis – analysis will in time enable synthesis to become your habit of mind.”
“No stream rises higher than its source. What ever man might build could never express or reflect more than he was. He could record neither more nor less than he had learned of life when the buildings were built.”
“Noble life demands a noble architecture for noble uses of noble men. Lack of culture means what it has always meant: ignoble civilization and therefore imminent downfall.”
“Space is the breath of art.”
“I believe totally in a Capitalist System, I only wish that someone would try it.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
~~
past that, I’ve long been a Pink Floyd fan, distilling some of the FLW quotes, one may, also wonder/know why we’re not so reverent about Today’s audial offerings.
and, with this one: “Harvard takes perfectly good plums as students, and turns them into prunes.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
seems old boy was no fan of Hartford, either..
October 17th, 2009 at 1:07 am
For anyone who digs the behind the scenes rock ‘n roll stuff my recommendation would be the Warren Zevon bio “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” penned by his ex-wife. The guy was brilliant, alcoholic, maniacal as well as nymphomaniacal, unsavory, and a fascinating character – one of my favorite guilty pleasure reads.
Also loved all the old LA stuff circa 60s, 70s, 80s. Warren knew everyone in the music biz.
October 17th, 2009 at 2:04 am
Barry, I am 32 years of age and Pink Floyd was big SLIGHTLY before my time (I grew up in the MJ/Madonna/early rap era) but have come to really love Pink floyd’s sound. In fact, music has changed historically about every 15 years. However, we have not had a change in the “sound” of popular music for quite some time now…its an R&B world with some pop country as the dominant music for well over 20 years now.
I think its time for a new sound to emerge. Some new blend of music that does not have a formal “name” that will drive record sales (or downloads) and reach a disaffected/disenchanted youth that is dealing with a bad economy. Anyone have any predictions as to what kind of music might emerge?
October 17th, 2009 at 2:14 am
“Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous. ”
-Yehudi Menuhin
October 17th, 2009 at 2:36 am
I’d probably have to have the repeat function on…..I read slow
Pink Floyd peaked when I was in my teens. Yes, I am, a victim/survivor.
I remember going to The Wall all cranked up (or would it be down) on pot with my friends. My friend’s older brother was old enough to get us in to the R movie on his newly acquired adulthoood. It was just another experience then for an angry young man. I watched The Wall again a couple weeks ago to try to get into the head of my teenage youth and look at some skeletons. You can view it on you tube if you’re up to it. I found the experience to be very depressing this time around. It is almost like a videologue of Water’s sessions with his psychotherapist.
The story seems a lot simpler now. It is like going back to the old neighborhood you grew up in. Everything just seemed so much bigger back then. I’m glad I grew up from that. I don’t know if I’d want myself listening to that stuff now if I was my parent
Yes, The Wall was very influential for me as a teenager. That is definitely not a compliment
October 17th, 2009 at 3:00 am
BTW, Another Brick In the Wall was one of the marching anthems of a very marginalized generation
October 17th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Upon landing, Flying Pigs make great bacon, no ?
October 17th, 2009 at 8:45 am
morning .. thanks for the memories …. story here is my copy is on cassette with David Gilmour on the flip-side .. that would be Korea time and the PX didn’t stock super well .. so me or Oly (who ever got something great 1st) .. we’d share …….. kids today have it great .. now we have Napster and for a mere $10 a month – all there is in the world (just about*) is available to hear at a click .. the best jukebox ever invented .. no fear of “here today gone tomorrow” .. and my 500 lbs of LPs Tapes CDs; now in a 8oz box on your hip .. actually with cloud computing infinity and beyond on your hip … just need advice of whats good to pull out of the clouds … btw BR – I think crowds do pretty good at picking **
I was in the mood for Gilmour’s 1st solo self titled last nite .. its a good one (when I’m feeling beat up) .. on pulling it up on Napster I said “thats not how it starts out” .. got the tape out .. back in LP days sometimes we would decide the artist saved the best for side 2 (or editor was just wrong) .. to draw you in slowly .. and the album would get embedded that way .. reminded me of Kansas Monolith – was that way too – so I listened to that next – another good one … cue the chandelier crash in the middle of the party …. oooohhhh
* no Pinky and the Brain doing the Pirates of Penzance … boohoo couldn’t find it on YouTube either
** kids pull up the Billboard Charts thru the years … visaversa this old foegy should do so too ….. but rap beat with little chord progression never got it for me tho
October 17th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Synergism is everywhere except in the big banks and government.
Roger Water solo material is my favourite…lyrics a call to action for everyone in their little corner of the planet we are trapped on.
October 17th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Savor a doobie of Kali Mist while reading Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead by Phil Lesh and listening to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grateful_Dead_discography
October 17th, 2009 at 9:08 am
ps .. since you can’t tell anymore
David Gilmour “David Gilmour” / side2 Mihalis / side1 Short n Sweet
Kansas “Monolith” / side2 Glimpse of Home / side1 On the Other Side
October 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I was in ninth grade when Dark Side came out. It came with two posters, one of which was an earie greenish view of the pyramids. I put it on my bedroom wall. My mother came in and said “Good God, why do you have that on your wall? It looks like the dark side of the moon!”
If you like Belew, check out his new Power Trio. Listen to ‘Side Four’ (from his website). Amazing.
October 17th, 2009 at 10:25 am
“BR: I just saw Yes at a very small hall a few months ago — amazing!
I’ve seen Fripp & Eno, and Adrian Belew, but never Crimson.
Gabriel I must have a dozen times,
Genesis w/Phil him once”
The Eno / Gabriel / Fripp connection is a wonderful convergence. I keep going back to Here comes the Flood lyrics, like there is a mystical meaning in it, that is still secret;
When the night shows
The signals grow on radios
All the strange things
They come and go, as early warnings
Stranded starfish have no place to hide
Still waiting for the swollen Easter tide
There’s no point in direction we cannot even choose a side.
I took the old track
The hollow shoulder, across the waters
On the tall cliffs
They were getting older, sons and daughters
The jaded underworld was riding high
Waves of steel hurled metal at the sky
And as the nail sunk in the cloud, the rain was warm and soaked the crowd.
Lord, here comes the flood
Well say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again the seas are silent
In any still alive
It’ll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up, dreamers, you’re running dry.
When the flood calls,
You have no home, you have no walls
In the thunder crash
You’re a thousand minds, within a flash
Don’t be afraid to cry at what you see
The actors gone, there’s only you and me
And if we break before the dawn, they’ll use up what we used to be.
Lord, here comes the flood
Well say goodbye to flesh and blood
If again, the seas are silent
In any still alive
It’ll be those who gave their island to survive
Drink up, dreamers, you’re running dry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kERnXdbA2y4&feature=related
I’m going to assume you’re not adverse to Ambient /Pop, Barry. Check out the other side of Fripp’s connections; David Sylvian, Riuchi Sakamoto, Thomas Dolby.
You know in the end, it’s all a big circle, like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon http://www.sixdegrees.org/About.aspx
If you really feel adventurous, there’s Jamendo.com; FREE music. And some of it truly astonishing;
Revolution Void (Brainy fusion trance/jazz), Diablo Swing Orchestra (Opera sum HardMetal), David Schombert (Drone) to name a few….
October 17th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
This is precisely the idea I had in mind with one of the multimedia angles of my debut novel, “badbadbad.” I created a 100-song YouTube playlist, based on references to specific bands or tunes in the text, and set it up in sequence on my Web site to function as a soundtrack to the narrative. So interested readers can deepen their literary experience by listening to what the characters are listening to, perhaps feeling what they’re hearing, so to speak, which I think adds another layer to the emotional heft of the story. The range of the set list is massive, from Coltrane to Johnny Cash.
If you like, you can check it out here: http://www.badbadbad.net/Playlist.html — I welcome all feedback; the site was launched last week.
October 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
This kinda makes me feel like someone dosed my coffee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjcK2Yosbu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w79sOmN6yyc
October 17th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I mostly navigate the Fripp/Eno constellation these days, but Pink Floyd shines brightly as ever …
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Hey Ritholtz, I am the biggest Pink Floyd fan, but I am using this older thread to publish my predictive model of the critical next 4 weeks (the final 4 bye weeks) in the Ritholtz FF league without people seeing it. This posting will make sense to only a few of your readers. I need a time-stamped, publicly accessible link that I can reference to show how my analysis turned out, a month or so from now. Ssshhh! Don’t tell anybody.
Currently…
40: 6-0
Bl: 4-2
TG: 4-2
cv: 3-3
Au: 3-3
Gr: 3-3
AA: 2-4
TP: 2-4
OO: 2-4
Mm: 1-5
ASSUMING that I beat Bl this weekend (tough matchup, but I objectively think that I WILL pull it out)…
Objective Predictive Scenario (baseline):
40: 10-0, W, W, W, W
TG: 8-2, W, W, W, W
Bl: 7-3, L, W, W, W
Gr: 5-5, W, L, L, W
AA: 5-5, W, W, W, L
cv: 4-6, W, L, L, L
OO: 4-6, L, W, L, W
Au: 3-7, L, L, L, L
TP: 3-7, L, L, W, L
Mm: 1-9, L, L, L, L
A more desirable, less realistic scenario is:
40: 10-0, W, W, W, W
TG: 8-2, W, W, W, W
Bl: 7-3, L, W, W, W
Gr: 5-5, W, L, L, W
AA: 4-6, W, L, W, L
cv: 4-6, L, W, L, L
OO: 4-6, L, W, L, W
Au: 4-6, W, L, L, L
TP: 3-7, L, L, W, L
Mm: 1-9, L, L, L, L
In other words, either AA or cv could be 5-5, but I am HOPING both will be 4-6. I constructed another “desirable” scenario, but that is less likely so I will hold off. Let’s see how it all shakes out…