Re:Collection - Pink Floyd: The Division Bell
Published April 02, 2008
I'd never realized there was a market for fast-food art, but there I was, in Burger King, washing down my Whopper with an unironic Diet Coke while staring at comic-book style illustrations of hamburgers, fries, onion rings, and soda cups. I'm not sure what the message was - "our food is art," or "we're too cheap and uninspired to do something remotely creative." Possibly, it was just the junction of the two that happens when budget collides with modernizing. I know what they want us to think, but it was ugly. The art looked better than what I was eating. The smell that beckoned me in was better than it actually tasted. Such is Burger King.
I didn't even intend to get Burger King, but I needed to get out. It's been a strange past couple of weeks, this week even stranger. Life is weird. This morning, I left for work a little later than usual, and so as I was heading out I did a little investigating around the yard for a strange sound we keep hearing early in the morning. As I was standing there, I looked around at everything, all the work that I could be doing around the yard, I looked at the sky, I smelled the air. It was a perfect morning. Moreover, it was a perfect morning to be doing all of that, not boxing myself up in my truck to rush off into traffic, then box myself up in my little grey box at work where the light is grey and there are no windows around. That's why life is weird. Humans do weird things to ourselves. Like giving in to the smell of Burger King.
When it came time to eat some lunch, I just had to get out, away from all this greyness and boxiness. I connected my Ipod and spun the wheel to find just the right thing, landing on Pink Floyd's final studio album, The Division Bell, a flawed but underrated farewell. Much of the reason I listen to the two post-Roger Waters Floyd albums is simply to hear David Gilmour unleash his soaring guitar. I maintain that no one can man a pitchshifter like Gilmour, save maybe Joe Satriani. It sounds like a toy at the feet of most others, but with Gilmour weighing in on it, he reaches levels of expression few can match. Like with Satriani, guitar is an extension of voice. Unlike a voice that ages, they never lose that magic touch.
I could smell Burger King from down the street, so strong was the odor of burgers. I couldn't resist, and I'm sure some executive panel high up in the ranks at Burger King headquarters knows this. Somehow, the Whopper itself never actually tastes like the smell that wafts into my nose, the one that is so inviting and promising. Disappointing as my lunch was, relief was found, as before, right there in my paused Ipod. I knew what I was going to get. My anticipation could not be dashed as it was with the burger. Gilmour and his pitchshifted guitar washed away the guilt of that lowly burger, and the art, and the day not spent at home enjoying what real life is all about. And, really, that might be a perfect example of why life is weird, but forgivably so.
- Re:Collection - Pink Floyd: The Division Bell
- Published: April 02, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Adult Alternative, Music: Classic Rock and Oldies, Music: Progressive Rock, Music: Rock
- Part of a feature: Re:Collection
- Writer: Tom Johnson
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- Tom Johnson's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
That was nice, Tom. Life is indeed weird, as is eating Burger King. I'm not so sure about the Division Bell, but like the Bicho here I haven't given it a spin in a very long time. Sounds like I need to give it a go again.
I think tDB is worth the flaws for the beautiful instrumental passages sprinkled throughout. There's some clunky stuff going on occasionally, but overall I think it is better than most Floyd fans give it credit for. Forget about the name on the cover and just enjoy it for what it is: music. (I do too tend to look at the post-Waters output more as Gilmour solo vehicles. I don't really care what the band name is.)
And I think Gilmour really is in a position to say no to 150 million pounds. It might just be his way of gaining a well-deserved upper hand on Waters for all the years when Waters treated him and the rest of the band like servants. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm perfectly happy with Gilmour doing his own thing - that last DVD of his is spectacular, possibly one of the best music DVDs I've ever seen.
i enjoyed both Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell but i think by then i'd grown tired of Waters. i mean, The Final Cut has some cool stuff on it but i had the feeling he was rehashing Wall themes.
and anyway, the point here is that this was a really nice piece Tom.
Yeah Tom I get it, but Burger King? I think Gilmour rates at least a Wendy's, if not a Fatburger. Nice to see the Re:Collection back though.
-Glen
What's with all the congrats here?! For f*cks sake, the man reduced the beauty of life down to a comparison against Burger King! And, because he thinks life sucks this bad that only PF's "Division Bell" can take away his pain?
Dude, it is no one's fault that you still get suckered into eating Burger King. That sh!t was good when I was 15...It also sounds like you need to pull a lateral or change careers all together!
BUT I can agree that "A Great Day for Freedom" along with "High Hopes" are two of the best Pink Floyd songs ever written.
geezus man, there's nothing wrong with a little introspection.
chill the frick out.
Brian, I don't know if you intended to come off like a dick but that's how that reads. If you didn't like the article you could have just moved on.
Great work, Tom.
Brian: chill out. You take EVERYTHING way too seriously. Most of the time I think you simply look for a reason to attack pieces.
And I don't know where I said life sucks - I just said life is weird. Is it not? I think maybe we're getting to see how you feel about life. The "armchair psychologist" in me has deduced that maybe the guy who spends most of his time attacking 90% of the content on Blogcritics is the guy who needs to realign his life. I simply said that I didn't feel like working yesterday. You sound like a really angry, unhappy dude, Brian.
Brian,
Simma down tiny! You got your panties in a huge wad for nuthin! Go twist one up, put on some floyd or gilmour or waters and chill out!
"The "armchair psychologist" in me has deduced that maybe the guy who spends most of his time attacking 90% of the content on Blogcritics is the guy who needs to realign his life."
Actually, it's 90% percent of the shite that you people call "music" that I attack because the music section is where I hang out.
And, Maybe it is the "armchair psychologist" in me that read what most people has missed. You complain about the art & design of a restaurant that is just like all other fast food restaurants in which they plain out suck a$$. You also would like to get away from your cubicle life but you called the last piece of work from a band,that was brilliant & outlasted 95% of the garbage that most of you spew on about, "Flawed"?
Ultimately, I chimed in about this article,that has as much to do with "The Division Bell" as Rolling Stone magazine has to do with Music Journalism,
because I can!!
OH & BTW....
[belated] APRIL FOOLS!!!
No one did anything prank-ish at my job, so, I had to try here....Though, I don't think anyone here will believe me.
PEACE!!
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/75422)
Even with as much attention Gilmour got as a guitar player, I still thought it was short of what he was due because I thought he could hold his own against anyone.
Much as I consider The Wall and The Final Cut Roger Waters solo albums, I consider the last two Floyd albums to really be Gilmour solo albums. I enjoyed Momentary Lapse except for the forced Floydesque parts. I haven't listened to Bell since its release, and remember reacting to it as too New Agey for me. I should try it again.
Must be nice to be in a position to turn down his share of 150 million pounds to tour the States. I know he is tough to deal with, but is Roger really that big of a pain? Nick went out on some dates with him.