WantsOfTheFlesh
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Another aside here.
Does anyone else think that "The Wall" was just a remake of "Tommy"?
Nope.
There are some narrative similarities certainly, but thats true of any two stories that start with childhood trauma and its long term effects. The music itself and the themes are so different that "remake" goes way too far. The Wall is both more personal and more universal than Tommy. The "real world" parts also dont get as "comic book" as Tommy. Charismatic cults built around a rock star is far more believable than a pinball cult which rendered Tommy too silly. (Yes, The Trial is literally "comic book", but that is a depiction of a psychological breakdown, not real world). Those voices and images strike me as quite realistic in that context.
Maybe Roger drew some inspiration from Tommy but yeah they are pretty different. Mind you with Tommy he becomes famous and turns into as tyrant. With "The Wall" the same happens to Pink/Roger the dodger. I have heard some folks make fun of Tommy. A deaf, dumb and blind boy who can play pinball sounds absurd because it is but the entire album was about the transcendant so I took it as a metaphor for rising above affliction: "sickness will surely take a mind / where minds can't usually go" (Amazing Journey). The Pinball aspect was just added during the recording to please an important critic. The first half of Tommy is excellent, less so the second. For me "The Trial" is the Gilbert-and-Sullivan-ification of Waters gangantuan self pity. He had no right to unleash it on the World!!! Anyone with doubts about The Wall could compare it to similar-ish concept albums like Berlin.
On the contrary, something many people overlook about The Trial is Pink's acceptance of guilt.
While the Mother and Teacher are both still trying to control him and obscene in their portions (remember, each voice is not that character but rather a manifestation of his subconscious) the Wife's issues with him are not about control but about things he did that lead to the breakdown of their marriage: "You should have talked to me more often, but no!.... Have you broken any homes up lately?"
Then the judges line: "The way you made them suffer/your exquisite wife and mother" shows an understanding that the marriage not working, though ending with his wife's infidelity, was his own fault and (I may be reaching here) that while his mother was overbearing, she was just trying to be a good mother.
The Trial is a beautiful climax to the story and reaches an amazing crescendo. In the end, it isn't really self-pity so much as it is a condemnation of allowing issues that you've had control you to the extent of blocking yourself out from the world.
Thanks for the detailed reply. I don't see how Pink/Roger was accepting his guilt. What you didn't mention is the delivery of the lyrics. Working from memory here as I don't want to pollute my ears any more after hearing Lady Gaga earlier (Lady Kaka anyone?) but the lyrics are delivered in such a way as to clearly indicate Pink/Roger is being persecuted by the court unjustly. They are all caricatures but overwhelmingly ugly and very negative. The wife is fiendish, the mother stifling and reproachful, and the teacher wants to punish him. Worst of all is the Judge. He comes across as a malign tyrannical bully even if the sentence is comical (perhaps unwittingly lol). You left out the part of the line which makes it come across differently IMHO: "The way you made them suffer/your exquisite wife and mother/fills me with the urge to defecate". Also I'm not sure they are different facets of his subconscious as they run through the story as real people ("Mother, One of my turns etc."). Although I don't agree it is very interesting how differently others interpret the album.
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