Waters by the Wall

I remember when I was a teenager blasting Pink Floyd on my older brother’s massive pentagonal Bose speakers that brought to life the haunting tunes of "Dark Side of the Moon." This summer (before the insanity broke out), Roger Waters of Floyd took his world tour to the Israelis. Waters visited the ugly wall the Israelis continue to build in the occupied territories despite widespread protest. Overwhelmed with the hideous look and nature of the edifice, Waters scrawled on the gray “No Thought Control” and “Tear Down the Wall.” Waters received a letter from a group of Palestinian artists who claimed the wall was a symbol of oppression. Waters agreed and moved the venue of his performance from Tel Aviv to Neveh Shalom, a community in which Arabs and Jews live peaceably, according to Rolling Stone (July 13-27). Waters is not unfamiliar with walls. Pink Floyd’s second most popular album is titled: "The Wall." From “Outside of the Wall”:

All alone, or in two's,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall.