Roger Waters talks David Gilmour, 2020 tour & 'Us + Them' film in new interview

Roger Waters will release his Us + Them concert film, which was filmed in Amsterdam during his 2017/2018 tour of the same name, this week in theaters around the world. He talked about the film and lots more in a new interview with Rolling Stone, including its narrative which features more than a little Donald Trump, and what it was like to play against giant images of him night after night:

I didn’t look at it very much. I’m glad it’s on the film. I like the zoom-in on the [doctored photo of Trump’s] tiny dick. I think that’s important to point that out because he clearly is infantile and he almost certainly has got a tiny dick. Anyway, whatever, it’s silly to waste breath on Trump. Or it would be if it wasn’t for the fact he’s conspiring to destroy the United States brick by brick.

He also tells Rolling Stone that plans are already being made for a tour in 2020, with “30 or 40 gigs in North America in election year,” including the U.S., Canada and Mexico City. Politically, he says, there will be “no holds barred”:

It will be even more political than Us + Them was — political and humane. We were listening to songs and looking at set lists today. We were talking about, what should we call it? I shouldn’t be giving this away, but I don’t give a shit because it will probably all change, but imagine the iconic helicopter that normally comes before “Happiest Days” and “Brick 2” — that noise that we all know and love — and imagine a megaphone, somebody abused this device before, I know — but, “This is not a drill.” I thought that could be a good title for the show: This Is Not a Drill. The ruling class is killing us.

What you shouldn’t look for from Waters, however, are nostalgic tours featuring full albums or sets of deep cuts:

Why would I want to do that? I’m writing new shit all the time. I will go on doing what I’ve always done. My work is to think, ‘Well, how can I make rock & roll more interesting or theatrical or exciting or visual or musical or whatever?’ That’s what I’ve spent the last 50 years doing, expressing myself. And I shall continue to do that. I can’t think of anything I want to do less than go and sing ‘Set the Controls’ in a pub.

Speaking of “Set the Controls to the Heart of the Sun,” Roger did join his former Pink Floyd bandmate Nick Mason to play that song in New York earlier this year. “He’s a very old friend, and luckily all those bridges have been rebuilt, “Waters said. “We see each other often, and I adore him. The atmosphere that night was wonderful, and I couldn’t have been happier than to be allowed to share the stage and sing one of my songs with that band.”

Things aren’t so sunny between Roger and David Gilmour, though. Roger says that in June the two had a “big meeting where I came up with a big peace plan” but “that has come to nothing, sadly….They all hoped that we could kiss and make up and everything would be wonderful in a cozy, wonderful world. Well, it wouldn’t be all that cozy or wonderful for me, because I left Pink Floyd in 1985 for a reason. The reason being that I wanted to get on with my work.”

Roger Waters: Us + Them will play for two night only — October 2 & 6 — in theaters worldwide. In NYC, it’s playing in 10 different theaters, including Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn and the IFC Center. Tickets are on sale and you can head here to find out where it’s playing near you. Trailer for the film is below.