Whos who?! [Part 2]

I've decided to make this a three part blog post, I don't know if part three will directly follow part two, but I suppose you'll find that out tomorrow.


Today's band in question is the ever changing Pink Floyd, my favorite band ; I'll discuss three "fake characters" and their stories.


Arnold Layne - Pink Floyd's first single (1967)


A cross-dressing transvestites that steals young woman's underwear. What a way to land yourself in the charts. This character was actually based on a man observed by original front man Syd Barret, during his childhood years. A man would grab woman's underwear right from the clothesline (Barrett's house in relation to Cambridge University allowed his mother to rent a room to young college girls). This psychedelic first single landed in the top 20 chart-wise and also garnered them the name "Kinky Pinky"

Coperal Clegg - A track on A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)

This character is one of the first (if not the first) instance of Roger Waters [Bassist] writing about his father. The song loosely follows an old army officer who seems to have lost his mind. Waters's father had served and died in World War II. The lyrics I find most striking are

"Corporal Clegg umbrella in the rain
He's never been the same
No one is to blame"

I think that it's really a double entente showcasing his own hardships due to war with the then current situation of Vietnam. That however is only my opinion ; though it was around this time that other artists began getting political.

The Man Behind The Wall - The Wall - (1979) - The Whole Album.

This isn't a description of a song ; it's the description of an album. The whole album is dedicated to leading the listener through the life of a rock star gone insane. The story (both for the film and album), is pure Roger Waters. Syd Barrett who had long been out of the picture influenced the lyrics quite a lot. The reoccuring theme of war symbolism is once again a throwback to his childhood. It's easy to get sucked into this album ; to feel like you're the one trapped behind the wall. Maybe that's why this album is revered by numerious critics ; because it brings you into the experience. Particularly story-like tracks include "Hey You" and all three parts to "Another Brick in the Wall" although mostly parts one and two.

Thanks for reading



- Peace and Love -