During the recent interview with Dan Rather on AXS TV, Roger Waters talked about his work, upcoming album Is This the Life We Really Want?, activism, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, and more.

Asked about his memories from writing “Wish You Were Here” song from the Pink Floyd‘s album of the same name released in 1975, Waters said:

“It’s one of those strange songs that came to me very easily because David Gilmour had been playing the riff [goes on humming the intro riff], and I’d been listening to it, and going ‘what’s that?’ I said ‘play that again,’ so I learned it. And I said ‘and then what happens?’ He said, ‘no that’s it.’ And I went ‘I like it,’ and said ‘do you mind if I see what happens next?’ And so I played a few chords and wrote the song very, very quickly, as I recall. Probably in an hour. It was one of those happy times when stream of consciousness works, and words come out.“

On what does he want the world to know about Syd Barrett, Waters said: “He was a charming, talented friend and I miss him. But I’ve been missing him since 1968, because he succumbed to some sort of mental illness which you might call schizophrenia, but the fact is that if it happens to somebody it prevents them from communicating with friends, loved ones, with anybody. They really do develop a wall, and Syd developed a wall, and it was extremely sad. But he was very talented, but the work is there. And people love him, people love his work, and new people discover the songs that he wrote as the years go by.“

Waters’ first solo album in 25 years, Is This the Life We Really Want?, is out on June 2. Listen to the first single “Smell the Roses” below.

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