Welcome everyone, MSN is very proud to present online live, one of *the* greatest musicians of all time. Pink Floyd: The Wall is the ultimate concept album - as well structured as a perfect website, filled full of paranoia, sex, death, insanity, anger, betrayal, flame wars, the collective unconscious, and an extraordinary, awesome music that could have been the sound track to Cyberspace.

If ever there was a band that fits the spirit of the Internet Pink Floyd are it - 20 years ahead of their time!

The album had 3 producers, 1 co-producer, 4 engineers, 1 major writer, 3 collaborators, 2 Orchestras, 6 backing vocalists the stage show had 45 tons of stage gear, 106 decibels, inflatables, Gerald Scarfe's Puppets, 340 bricks and a wall 340 x 35 foot, Hammers, School kids and Teachers, (stats courtesy of MoJo Magazine)

The web has been alight with rumours and counter rumours about everything from tours to solo projects and re-uniting all the major players...tonight is our chance to find out. Ladies and Gentlemen live from Barbados ... Mr Roger Waters!

Host MSNLive :You are very welcome online Roger ...

Roger Waters :Thanks.

MSN Live :Have you ever been online before ?

Roger Waters :Not in one of these sessions :o)

MSN Live :What do you make of the Internet?

Roger Waters :I think it's very exciting. I've just been doing some research on the Internet, trying to find the text of a letter writen during the French revolution of King Louis 16th related to his cousin Carlos 4th of Spain.

I didn't find it, I had to stop looking for it to come to do this :o)

MSN Live :hehe

MSN Live :We have had 10's of thousands of questions in advance and we will take as many as we can live and direct, so we'll get straight on...

Roger Waters :Yes, ok good :o)

MSN Live :--CIVILITY-- whispers to MSNLive : There has been some talk of a production of The Wall as a Broadway/West End Musical play. Might this come to pass?

Roger Waters :Well yes but, that's something that's in the pipeline. I want to do a version of the Wall with some laughs in it.

MSN Live :The process of creation of The Wall is one of the most famous journeys of any album - why was it so fraught do you think?

Roger Waters :Oh, I didn't think it was very fraught. :o)

MSN Live :ColdFusion says: ManCap whispers to RogerWaters: How does it feel to have had the kind of impact on other people, that you have had with your amazing work?

Roger Waters :It feels surprising. It's something I find it hard to grasp. On an individual level sometimes I get letters from people, and they tell me my work is affected in some positive way, that makes me feel very good.

MSN Live :Clive Lathrope/sharon Bruce what would you consider to be your alltime favorite song you have ever performed & why?

Roger Waters :I don't have a favourite.

MSN Live :JenRo Would you consider doing a new tour of The Wall to celebrate this anniversary?

I was at the original performance at Earls Court and can honestly say that it was the best live concert I have ever attended. It would be great if you could do it gain.

Roger Waters :You can't tour The Wall, the show is too complex. I was asked to perform the Wall this summer on 4th July, somewhere in America ... the Indianapolis speedway.

I almost agreed because they said it would be a "free" concert, the idea appealed to me because anybody could go if they wanted.

However, as I looked further into this free concert idea I discovered the concert would actually be paid for by Corporate America like Coca-Cola or AOL and they would want control of the way their tickets were distributed so it would be like I was working for some big corporation, like buy two crates of Coke and get two tickets - it's not quite the same :o)

MSN Live :ephemeral whispers to MSNLive : Roger -- do you read the messages posted to your official website?

Roger Waters :Yes. I can't think of anything specific messages that stood out but I am very interested in the responses to "each small candle" page.

MSN Live :sydfan67 whispers to MSNLive : i want to know if roger has any communication with syd barrett and if so how is he doing these days

Roger Waters :I think nothing much changes.

MSN Live :Flyerboy2 OH! One other thing, if you would please. Would you please put to rest the rumor of the correlation of Dark side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz? It's killing me.

Roger Waters :I hereby put it to rest.

MSN Live :LOL!

MSN Live :Rich NZ whispers to MSNLive : Can you tell us anything yet about the album that you are currently recording?

MSN Live :Will you be touring?

Roger Waters :Yes, I just work from up in Nassau with the band and we recorded 40 minutes of the new songs working very much as a band.

I start in Tampa Florida on June 2. Then Chicago...the information we posted on the official web site and also the Columbia website. We'll be touring through America north to Chicago and ending in Madison Square Garden.

MSN Live :Grant. What, when you where growing up, was the single biggest life changing moment, and how did that infuence your direction in life?

Roger Waters :I suppose my father's death young as I was....

MSN Live :skillful How about releasing a few remixes of old stuff like The Machine from Wish you were here (My all time favourite) or something from Animals. When I listen to today's music I often feel a remix of one of your songs would sound fab! Keep the good work up!

MSN Live :I'm actually going to be recording this tour New Versions and the Machine.

MSN Live :skiff whispers to MSNLive : Tracey Booth (email) When do we get a chance to see and hear you live in the UK again?

Roger Waters :Yes, we will be in the UK

MSN Live :Yap: Did working with Gilmour bring out any good creative stuff. you you?

Roger Waters : Yes, of course. You've only got to listen to the records.

MSN Live :delta1178 whispers to MSNLive :Roger, how do you feel about the reign of the producer in the music industry today as opposed to the reign of the artist in years past?

Roger Waters :Yes, I'm not a good person to ask that question because I'm not very interested in it :o)

MSN Live :Oren whispers to MSNLive :How do you feel about fans exchanging bootlegs?

Roger Waters :I think it sounds like a healthy hobby.

MSN Live :Pink4 whispers to MSNLive :Have you ever seen a 'tribute' Pink Floyd band? (The Australian version and Mac Floyd from Scotland for example) and if so what did you think?

Roger Waters : I never have. I've never seen one but I'm flattered by the notion that one might exist.

MSN Live :JonKade whispers to MSNLive :Are there any charity gig planned for the near future? Any Amnesty International promotions with Each Small Candle?

Roger Waters :No, nothing, though I'm a great supporter of Amesty International. I think they do wonderful work but I've never been approached by them.

MSN Live :peakfreak whispers to Guest: Of ALL the tracks you have written - what do you favor the most? Who you admire Musically?

Roger Waters :I think great singer songwriter is the best part of the musical specturm. Randy Newman's recent one.

Recently, I was watching the Last Waltz because I'll be filming the upcoming tour so I was looking back at some of the Movies made about bands...looking at technique, diirection, angles and so on.

I was struck by the rawness of The Band. They really achieved something. Neil Young is a big favourite of mine. His performance of "Helpless" in that film was stunning.

I think John Lennon's first solo album will always be in my top five.

MSN Live :"Roy Harper" whispers to MSNLive : How do you feel about the comparisons Radiohead draw with Pink Floyd? also: "MR Jones" whispers to MSNLive : Radiohead has been compared frequently to Pink Floyd. What do you think of their music?

Roger Waters :I don't know Radiohead's work because I don't listen that much to other people but people tell me they are a great band.

MSN Live :Do you remember Much about John Latham and The Committee?

Roger Waters :The name John Latham doesnt ring a bell. The Committee was a black and white independent film made in the late 60's about a murder, starring Brian Jones.

Max Stuear produced it. It was just a small film...If it had been Easy Rider we probably would have noticed it.

I have the tapes of these shows, not great quality, at some point their sound will to be mixed. It was shot with 5 or 6 cameras and I've got all this stuff somewhere.

MSN Live :Rubicon whispers to MSNLive :Rumor has it that the Pros and Cons and KAOS tours were professionally filmed and recorded....given how utterly amazing both productions were, visually and sonically, is there a chance of them ever seeing release ?

Roger Waters :Neither were filmed or recorded, sadly.

MSN Live :sistahQ whispers to MSNLive :Your father's absence must have been especially difficult when you had children yourself... where did you look for inspiration in raising your own kids?

Roger Waters :That's a very good question. I just looked at the kids themselves. Without the parental model it was difficult.

MSN Live :sistahQ whispers to MSNLive :The Wall is such a personal piece...were you trepidatious at all about opening up your psyche for everyone to see, and did you censor any of your writing because of that?

Roger Waters :No. If you decide that you're going to try being an artist, you can't censor your feelings.

MSN Live :QM whispers to MSNLive :Roger, do you listen to classical music? Your compositions are so classical.

Roger Waters :Yes, I do.

I listen to opera, to Puccini a lot, Brahms, that sort of thing. I've been working on my own opera so I've been looking at that a lot.

MSN Live :psycprof whispers to MSNLive :If the forthcoming live release of the wall is a success, what are the chances of further releases of live material?

Roger Waters :What live material?

MSN Live :We'll see if she comes back on that one...:o) sistahQ whispers to MSNLive :Fear seems to be a big motivator in your writing. Do you think love is a more powerful creative emotion than love/friendship, and if so what scares you the most these days?

Roger Waters :I believe that love is far more creative a factor. The fear that love generates, is the fear of losing it.

MSN Live :Spencer Kelly Q: Do you think that concept albums are still commercially viable, in this day and age of disposable Pop ?

Roger Waters :Yes.

I mean Amused to Death was successful and so was Kaos, but they didn't sell as well as any Pink Floyd album.

But they still sold a million copies of each so that's still commercially viable.

MSN Live : JonKade whispers to MSNLive :Mr. Waters: Considering how based on improvisation the early days were, don't you think that a release of the Peel Sessions would be a productive addition to the Pink Floyd legacy?

Roger Waters :I'm not sure what Peel Sessions are, but I've heard some recordings from the BBC and they're awful.

MSN Live :Neil Frewin (email) It has been stated that "The Wall" was born out of your desire to build a wall between you and an audience that were less appreciative of your music. Do you still have this feeling about today's audiences? Is there still a need for The Wall?

Roger Waters :(Chuckles) No, come to the shows, you'll see.

A. I'm much more open than I used to be,
B. We're not working in football stadiums so the need for the wall. It derived from my sense of lack of contact with the audience.

MSN Live :bakhos whispers to MSNLive : Mr Waters, you have worked with some fine musicians on your solo albums including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Any indication of who you may be working with on your next album?

Roger Waters :I'm working with the band I toured with. The drummer is Graham Broad, Andy Fairweather-Low, Snowy White, Doyle Bramhall II.

There are two keyboard players, Jon Carin and Andy Wallis, and two singers, Katie Kissoon, P.P. Arnold.

MSN Live :anito_ATD whispers to Nic: From Lima Peru: Roger, what were your feelings about the Atlanta Candle audience participation?

Roger Waters :I was intrigued. They held up bits of paper and little candles.

They held them up to get me to sing the new songs...

I'll be performing either that or one of the other new songs in the upcoming tour.

MSN Live :Miles whispers to MSNLive : Would you ever do a live concert on the Internet? It would be an Intimate club atmosphere but with a huge world wide audience - I will pay by the way :o) (takes out check book)

Roger Waters :I don't know because I've never seen a webcast. I'd be a bit concerned that maybe the quality mightn't be great.

I see no problem with it philosophically.

Although come to think of it.. I remember when I was 10 or 11 listening to Radio Luxemberg on a crystal set with headphones and the quality was appalling.

But listening to early Gene Vincent and early Rock and Roll hidden under the bed covers still created those magic moments.

MSN Live :astar whispers to Nic: Nic: Could you ask Roger how "Pigs" came into being????!!

Roger Waters :I don't know. They're animals, I sat down and wrote it.

MSN Live :Mylena whispers to MSNLive :What is the status of Ca Ira, and are you pleased with the experience of writing an opera?

Roger Waters :Yes, very much, I'm going to Paris in a few days time to record with Ying Huang, a soprano, Paul Groves, a tenor, on the English version. The orchestra and choral recordings are all finished I have to finish the baritone parts later this year.

The experience of writing for an orchestra is wonderful. It's great to learn about orchestration and also learning about Logic which is the software I used.

MSN Live :Spence whispers to MSNLive : Lyrical content aside - what is your favorite era of Pink Floyd for the music alone. (if that is possible to seperate)

Roger Waters :It's definitely pre 1982 :o)

The Wall and in between - I would say 73-82. actually only 4 albums, I think they're all pretty cool.

MSN Live :Heregrima whispers to MSNLive :Is there any sort of a tentative release date for Ca Ira? Also, is the release of your new solo album contingent upon the completion of Ca Ira?

Roger Waters :There is no release date for Ca Ira. The recording and film of the live show, I know the record company wants to wait till September - the new studio album is at least 1 year away I think.

MSN Live :Joseph_ Please explain the concept behind your upcoming album, (i.e Personal Responsibility, "Each Small Candle lights a corner of the dark...", our role in the universe, communication via the internet, etc.) Do you feel that The Wall ties in with the Internet and these themes 20 years later?

Roger Waters :Yes, because The Wall was about alienation and it's only by each of us as individuals understanding that we're all in the same boat as individuals and that is likely to happen via our communications with the internet that we will stand a chance of establishing an overview of the economic and religious dogmas, that in a general sense - fragment our world, and at a personal level can snuff out our individual lights.

MSN Live :I`m 15 and I've only just started playing guitar - for about a year, what exercise do u think is the best?

Roger Waters :Exercise? Eh...Yoga, I would think.

MSN Live :jason_phd whispers to MSNLive :Why not release live recordings of the '73, '75, or '77 tours? They're already sought after by fans in the bootleg industry.

Roger Waters :I don't think we made recordings in those days.

MSN Live :still_waters whispers to MSNLive :do you believe in God and that it was destiny what you achieved or do we control our destiny?

Roger Waters :No, I don't believe in fate.

There is something in the organisation of natural history and in history itself that leaves me to suppose that there is much more out there than we can comprehend. When I say "out there", I'm not sure that I don't really mean "in here"...inside ourselves.

I don't subscribe to any religious dogma, but I'm closer to believing in god than I am to being agnostic.

I believe in the idea that there are matters that are spiritual.

MSN Live :FloydFan whispers to MSNLive :Has there been any contact between you and the other members of Pink Floyd during the production of "Is There Anybody Out There"?

Roger Waters :I don't know if they spoke to each other or not.

MSN Live :tmb whispers to MSNLive :Do you feel better as a performer or composer / textwriter?

Roger Waters :I feel comfortable with wearing either hat. I love performing. I've forgotten that until recently, but I love composing.

MSN Live :ang67must whispers to MSNLive :Will you ever appear/perform on MTV or something of that nature ?

Roger Waters :Yes, in fact a couple years ago they asked if I would do MTV, they wanted to do an unplugged, but I said no thank you.

MSN Live :Was there much of a drugs influence on your music in the 60's?

MSN Live :DaveO2 whispers to MSNLive :Let's boycot MTV!!! Raoul Strachan (email) How big an influence did drugs take in your early work?

Roger Waters :No. I think alcohol has an effect to a certain extent that it loosens tongues. You know somethings "only good in moderation" and I'm not sure that any other drug has been any help. Many can kill you and there are precious few corpses writing good songs.

Hehe and no, I never really liked MTV.

MSN Live :hugephan whispers to MSNLive :how I would looovvvvveeee to see you unplugged!

Roger Waters :Hehe :o)

MSN Live :ryan2 whispers to MSNLive :do you still hold a desire for architecture to this day,

Roger Waters :I've never been that interested in architecture. There are some buildings I quite like.

MSN Live :Hundreds of eMails asked what inspired certain songs or lines, this live question seems to put it all in one go : Host Nic whispers to MSNLive : malik whispers to Nic: can you ask Roger where he gets his inspiration from these days? Thanx!

Roger Waters :What inspires me today is...to go back to an earlier question about fear and love, is love.

MSN Live :Mandalor whispers to MSNLive :Do you like the direction music is going in relation to things being composed more electronically, then with actual real instruments?

Roger Waters :I don't really care about that. If the music moves, so be it. Personally, I prefer real instruments.

MSN Live :hugephan whispers to MSNLive :Is there any artist that you would love to perform with? Or one artist in particular that you really love to jam it out with?

Roger Waters :No.

MSN Live :Daran whispers to MSNLive :getting back to The Wall Roger how has this changed you?

Roger Waters :It did, because it made me confront my own fear. My fear of showing myself, confronting my dark side.

MSN Live :sistahQ whispers to MSNLive : I've read that you're putting together a book of poems for publication. Is this true? When could we look for it in stores?

Roger Waters :I'm sure that will happen at some point. I've been writing a lot, but only have a few poems, so it would be a very slim book.

MSN Live :tmb whispers to MSNLive : If you have three wishes (Amused To Death track) what would you choose today?

Roger Waters :I've been thinking about that 3 wishes question. My three wishes would be:

One, the innocent should be spared.
Two, that the guilty should be forgiven and
Three that John Lennon should have been seen as right when he said all you need is love.

MSN Live :Thanks Roger that seems a perfect note to end on that was brilliant. It was a pleasure to have had you on - we'll be chasing you about the unplugged webcast thing - :o)....

Roger Waters :Thank you, it was my pleasure.

MSN Live :Goodnight and best wishes for the new tour and album ...the opera the slim volume of poetry and everything you do in future. Many many thanks

Roger Waters :Good night!