On This Day in 1986: Roger Waters Made the Feud Between Him and Pink Floyd Official

It is no surprise that bands often end in a heated turmoil. And it is a timeless tale that has repeated itself with seemingly every other band. However, one band that has seemingly up the stakes of these types of feuds is Pink Floyd. Following Roger Waters’ departure in 1985, Waters sued David Gilmour and Nick Mason for continuing to use the Pink Floyd name. Thanks to Waters’ lawsuit, broken friendships, court appearances, and a heavily documented feud that would span decades is what the event entailed.

The feud between Waters and Floyd is arguably the most famous of all time due to its highly tempestuous nature and public documentation. It seems everything Waters says is widely broadcasted, and as a result, fans continue to see Pink Floyd’s relationship crumble right before their eyes. That being so, one of the major moments that started this lengthy battle happened on this day in 1986.

Roger Waters Sues Gilmour and Mason

Today marks the start of the two-year legal battle between the former bandmates. Given that on this day in 1986, Roger Waters officially filed a lawsuit against Gilmour and Mason in the London High Court. Waters sued the two given that they were still profiting under the Pink Floyd name. That being so, Rogers seemingly believed that if he wasn’t part of the band, they weren’t Pink Floyd. Thus, they should not be making money from the name by continuing to record and tour.

Roger Waters attested to the suit by saying, that Pink Floyd was “a spent force creatively,” per Louder Sound. Evidently, Waters lost the lawsuit thanks to Pink Floyd remaining as Pink Floyd to this day. According to Waters, he lost because the courts were not interested in bringing justice to the moral and idealist issue he wanted resolved. “My QC told me that the kind of justice I was after, I could only get from the public” and “The law is not interested in the moral issue but in the name as a piece of property,” said Waters.

In Retrospect He Regrets It

Years after the case closed, Roger Waters spoke to BBC about his behavior and the lawsuit in its entirety. He vulnerably told BBC, “I was wrong! Of course I was. Who cares?” Despite taking personal responsibility, Waters still believes leaving Pink Floyd was the “correct thing” as it allowed him to “express [his] ideas unfettered.”

Most recently, Waters criticized Gilmour’s music and his wife, Polly Samson. Samson responded by calling Waters “antisemitic to your rotten core” and “a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac.” As you can see, this feud is seemingly far from over and it just keeps getting perpetuated.

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