back to article Roger Waters tells Facebook CEO to Zuck off after 'huge' song rights request

Grouchy former Pink Floyd bassist/vocalist Roger Waters launched an expletive-laden attack on human-impersonating Facebook CEObot Mark Zuckerberg after receiving a request from Instagram to use one of his songs in a promotional film. Speaking at an event in New York to advocate for the release of Julian Assange, Waters held up …

  1. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    Not Now John

    Maybe other songs are for sale?

    1. Roger Greenwood

      Re: Not Now John

      I'm sure he weighed up the pros and cons....

      1. Kane
        Go

        Re: Not Now John

        "I'm sure he weighed up the pros and cons...."

        Apparently they were travelling abroad

        1. slimshady76

          Re: Not Now John

          Dunroamin, Duncarin, Dunlivin

    2. teknopaul

      Re: Not Now John

      He should write Zuck a dedicated version, "Just another prick in the walled garden"

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Thumb Up

        Re: Not Now John

        Maybe the Zuck doesn't see himself as "The System", and doesn't get the irony of what Another Brick In The Wall is about, ie rage against The System LOL

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

          Re: Not Now John

          I was/am struggling to imagine what the angle would be using that song in "promotional material" for instagram

      2. bombastic bob Silver badge
        Trollface

        Re: Not Now John

        I smell a PARODY!!

        "We don't need no advertising"

        "We don't need no social control"

        "The dark side of the creepy tracking"

        Hey - ZUCKHEAD - LEAVE US ALL ALONE!!!

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: Not Now John

          Have you thought of doing a short video of that on Whatsapp? It'd probably go viral!

          Well done :-)))

  2. Imhotep

    Lizard OverLords

    Are we sure Zuckerberg is trying to impersonate a human?

    Seems like Facebook's deep-fake program would have flagged that.

    1. macjules
      Alien

      Re: Lizard OverLords

      When you are the CEO of Facebook (Google translated: Arch-Vizor of The Grand Order of First Hatchlings) you can do whatever you like.

    2. Jason Hindle

      Re: Well, we've never seen him trying to eat a rat, whole

      But I think the balance of probabilities is still in favour of Lizard Man.

  3. JimboSmith Silver badge

    What a brilliant takedown of Mr Zuckerberg. If only more musicians thought the same way. I know for some it's their pension. Noddy Holder said their Yuletide hit pays his mortgage. Rolling Stones and Microsoft however, Bob Dylan and Starbucks etc.

    1. nautica Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Good looks surpassed only by enviable political correctness...

      While your very hard work at the astute analysis is deeply appreciated, one has to wonder why you're limiting your comment to musicians and not including the entire rest of the world.

      After all, <pc>we're talking about a THE flaming asshole, here.</pc>

      1. gandalfcn Silver badge

        Re: Good looks surpassed only by enviable political correctness...

        And the photos indicate Zuck was/is in love with Trump!

    2. Irony Deficient

      I know for some it’s their pension.

      The now-octogenarian Dylan sold his song catalogue to Universal Music Publishing Group back in December. I haven’t a clue when the Starbucks transaction took place.

    3. steviebuk Silver badge

      Bob Dylan is a funny one as Steve Jobs loved his music yet Bob declined to have any of it on Apple iTunes from what i remember

      1. DrBobK

        El Bobbo

        El Bobbo is a mysterious enigma within a deep but incomprehensible poem. He probably allowed Starbucks to use a song because the shade of green in their logo reminded him of the guitar owned by some legendary bluesman whose name no one knows and of whom no songs were ever recorded and where none remain alive who heard him play. [ Married to a Dylan fan, so I know of that about which I speak. ]

        1. JimboSmith Silver badge

          Re: El Bobbo

          It was a whole exclusive CD for Starbucks not just one song.

          HMV stores in Canada have removed Bob Dylan CDs from their shelves in protest at the singer's deal to only sell his new album in Starbucks, reports say.

          The rock legend signed an exclusive contract with the coffee giant allowing it to sell Live at the Gaslight 1962.

          http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4244934.stm

          A friend is a fan and thinks he sold out by doing that.

    4. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      I don't think Roger Waters needs a pension from Zuck. Pink Floyd used to be known as "The Richest Band in the World". Although they have been now surpassed by some way, his personal net worth is apparently $310M. He doesn't need anyone's money.

      1. Xalran
        Devil

        You mean he can choose where the money comes from if he wants some pocket money on a given month.

        1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

          RW is currently 77. Assuming he has a fair run and lives another 20 years, and never has any more income, that's $1.3M spending money per month for the rest of his life, or a little over $42,000 per day, £30,500 at today's exchange rate. I think most people would be hard-pressed to spend that much money every day for the rest of their life.

          Perhaps he should enter politics and campaign for "none of the above"?

          1. RegGuy1 Silver badge

            Magic money

            So he takes $1.3m in the first month. Come the second month, assuming he starts with $310m and a growth of 5% I notice:

            (310 - 1.5)*0.05/12 = 1.285

            That is, the money left has just earned 1.3m again. When your money just keeps getting bigger you can tell anyone to fuck off.

            I would just be happy with half a million quid, so he must be much happier than Larry. :-)

            1. Arthur the cat Silver badge

              Re: Magic money

              That is, the money left has just earned 1.3m again. When your money just keeps getting bigger you can tell anyone to fuck off.

              I can't remember who said it, but there's a line that you're well off if you can live off the interest, but that the truly rich live off the interest on the interest,

          2. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

            I'd give it a go

          3. Robert Moore
            Coat

            "$1.3M spending money per month for the rest of his life, or a little over $42,000 per day, £30,500 at today's exchange rate. I think most people would be hard-pressed to spend that much money every day for the rest of their life."

            You have obviously never met my Ex.

          4. eldakka
            Coat

            > I think most people would be hard-pressed to spend that much money every day for the rest of their life.

            Challenge Accepted!

            I assume you'll supply the 1.3m/month?

      2. RegGuy1 Silver badge

        Yep. Wonderful -- because he knows it! What power! :-)

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Noddy Holder

      Hasn't paid his mortgage off yet?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Noddy Holder

        @A/C

        He made that comment years ago. Maybe he has by now

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Noddy Holder

        I once knew a guy who had way more money coming in than he needed and decided to pay off his mortgage. His accountant strongly advised against that and actually suggested he reduce the payments to drag it out even longer as he'd be better off for tax reasons.

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

          Re: Noddy Holder

          I remeber my Dad saying that , in the early 80s sometime.

          I'd imagine whatever tax benefit there was has long since been stripped away.

          1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: Noddy Holder

            In the US, interest on mortgages on first and second homes are still deductible. At least they still were a few years ago. Since they raised the standard deduction a couple of years ago, our itemized deductions no longer beat it, so I don't pay so much attention to them.

            Mortgages, because they're secured with real property, are pretty much the cheapest debt ordinary folks in the US can amass. Combined with the tax advantage, that meant that paying a mortgage off early was not a great financial move if you had any other debt to service.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Noddy Holder

            MIRAS = Mortgage Interest Relief At Source

            I believe it gave you back the tax paid on the interest part of a mortgage payment (the majority of the payment usually).

  4. Zenubi

    Worth ?

    "Mark Zuckerberg is worth $125bn"

    That may be the amount of money he has but I do not think that is what he is worth. Maybe 3.50

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Worth ?

      I dunno, I'd pay considerably more than 3.50 to punch him in the face and even more for him to go away someplace very far away and never interact with the rest of humanity again.

      1. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

        Re: Worth ?

        You'd have to elbow your way to the front of the queue.

        1. My-Handle

          Re: Worth ?

          Maybe we can put together a Kickstarter, that way everyone can chip in.

          1. Return To Sender

            Re: Worth ?

            I'd happily start by kicking him

            1. Andy The Hat Silver badge

              Re: Worth ?

              Perhaps we could combine this with the Bezos petition and buy him the spare seat on the one way trip ...?

              1. Stoneshop
                Coat

                Perhaps we could combine this with the Bezos petition

                Pesos for Bezos.

                (the one with the dog-eared copy of 'Ignition!')

          2. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

            Re: Worth ?

            10 quid per stone and 1 re-throw if you miss!

            1. Hooky

              Re: Worth ?

              I'll have 2 with points, 2 flat ones and a packet of gravel...

              1. NXM Silver badge

                Re: Worth ?

                Are there any women here today?

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: Worth ?

                  Yes.

                  Er, no, no, no.

      2. Wyrdness

        Re: Worth ?

        "...never interact with the rest of humanity again"

        Surely you mean "never interact with humanity again"

      3. Ramis101

        Re: Worth ?

        Tree Fittey??

        are you sure he's not the lockness monster??

        He ain't worth no tree fittey ;)

        1. Zenubi

          Re: Worth ?

          I wondered if anyone would catch that reference.

          1. Rol

            Re: Worth ?

            Vague, but memorable. I picked it up immediately.

            Just love South Park

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Big Brother

      Re: Worth ?

      Came here to make this exact point.

      He may have considerable financial assets but he is _worth_ precisely nothing to humanity.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: Worth ?

        I’ll see your precisely nothing and de-raise you a very negative number.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: he is _worth_ precisely nothing to humanity

        arguably, there's the negative part of the scale. I can't put his share at exact minus-value, but it's nowhere near the 'nothing' (nothing personal, Zuck, you're not some uber-cunt, you just found the way to tap into the cunty side of humanity)

        1. Someone Else Silver badge

          Re: he is _worth_ precisely nothing to humanity

          (nothing personal, Zuck, you're not some uber-cunt, you just found the way to tap into the cunty side of humanity)

          You sure about the uber-cunt part?

      3. Rol

        Re: Worth ?

        I don't know. He is a shining example of how not to act. Like the baddies in the old black and white films, that always came unstuck.

        Perhaps, one day in the distant future, when shameless is returned to the pedestal from where it fell off, society would again unite in their disgust at such antics, and never more will they big up the wankers that should be spat at in the street.

  5. Ol'Peculier

    Money...

    Well if he doesn't need the money, can he reduce his concert ticket prices? Cost me a fair bit to see him in Glasgow a couple of years ago as I figured it might be his tour so got a decent seat.

    Then he goes and announces an American tour...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Money...

      Ticket prices for shows featuring big-name acts are already deeply underpriced. If you imagined having everyone on Earth write down the highest price they'd be willing to pay, sorting it from highest to lowest, and then selling at the price set by the last person on the list who could fit into the venue, you'd have the optimal price, and it would be much higher than face values are actually set.

      This is the result of conscious choices by the promoters; they want to make sure every show sells out quickly, and they like to avoid bad publicity. That is, they have successfully normalised the experience of being unable to obtain tickets, so they know that people will be less disappointed by that than they would by being unable to afford them. In places where "scalping" (properly called market-price resale) is allowed or its prohibition unenforced, you can see the true fair market prices -- or nearly so, given that the supply is artificially restricted at that point -- which are usually anywhere from 3x to 10x face value. If the promoters let the market set the prices through that single-price dutch auction, the price you'd pay would be a little lower than those resale prices (and the resellers wouldn't exist because they couldn't make money). You obviously don't really want to pay that price. On the flip side, if that's a price you're willing to pay, you'd be pretty much assured of getting a ticket and you wouldn't have to fight with bot armies clicking furiously at a web page for the 32 seconds tickets are available before selling out.

      Me, I always ask the acts I really like to raise their prices. That way I might get to see them, and the money would go to the players and venue staff instead of the ticket resellers with the most effective bots. To each his own, though.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: Money...

        I’ve been paying very big money lately before Covid to get a decent seat. By decent I mean not having to watch the back of some twat trying to do really bad dancing in the tiny confines of their seat space, from the very first song of the support act.

        1. slimshady76

          Re: Money...

          Back when Waters brought The Wall to Argentina, my wife spent a whole lot of money to get me a perfect seat at the concert (it was my birthday present). It was totally worth it: the River Stadium is so big they would be able to put out the longer, bigger wall, and the quadraponic sound really played well in it (I had already seen Waters there back at the In The Flesh tour).

          I even picked up the location, knowing I would be exactly in front of the place where they hollowed the wall to show Pinky's room... It was perfect! Until the very moment when the music started. We have all seen the myriad of phones/cameras held up in front of us for those fools trying to capture a tiny, ill-sounded, shaky memory...

          But the guy in front of me was shorter than myself, and HE RAISED A FUCKING IPAD. Right in front of my face. I had the best seat in the concert and I was staring at a goddamn Retina screen...

          First reaction: grab the stupid 10-inch iPad and make it ingress into Mr. Short's anatomy at a place where it wasn't meant to do be. Second thought: I tapped his shoulder, and proceeded to point the HD cameras filming the concert, and asked him if he wanted to remember this unique experience as he saw it through the iPad's screen, or if he would enjoy the incomparable display of light, quadraphonic sound and effects through his own senses. Hell, he could buy a BluRay with a quality he wouldn't be able to achieve if he wanted to afterwards.

          The guy looked at me, bafled, then put the iPad in his backpack, and thanked me for saving him from ostracizing himself from the experience The Wall was.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Money...

          @werdsmith

          At least you can have a laugh at people dancing badly! Which is more than I can say about the cunts that stand up, blocking the view of the people behind them, whilst vidding the gig on their mobiles

      2. Mooseman Silver badge

        Re: Money...

        Would this also price out the deeply irritating morons who pay to apparently talk/shout/take phone calls (yes, seriously) and/or constantly push past me on the way to and from the bar and toilets?

        1. werdsmith Silver badge

          Re: Money...

          Yes it does that. It's reserved seating areas and has a bar service to your seat and often its own toilts.

        2. Graham Cobb Silver badge

          Re: Money...

          Maybe just change genres? Renaissance and Baroque music concerts rarely suffer from those problems, although there are occasional hard stares when someone wakes up and starts applauding at the end of a movement instead of waiting for the end of the piece.

          1. keithpeter Silver badge
            Windows

            Re: Money...

            "...occasional hard stares when someone wakes up and starts applauding at the end of a movement..."

            which response makes me chuckle quietly given performance practices and behavioural norms in the historical periods you mention.

        3. Old Tom

          Re: Mooseman

          I'm with you on the talking/phone call things, but gigs are best experienced with beer, which does mean that one occasionally needs to go to the bar/toilet - it would be best if you didn't place yourself in a high-traffic place.

          1. adam 40 Silver badge

            Re: Mooseman

            If I have to go to the toilet, I always applaud at the end of a movement!

            Anyhow, once I went to see Kraftwerk, and their supporting band U2, at GMEX. Probably the Stop Sellafield gig.

            When U2 came on, we sat down, and were berated by some Manc mank behind us who exhorted us to get up and dance along. He was most put out by our lack of enthusiasm for the Edge.

            1. HorseflySteve

              Re: Mooseman

              "If I have to go to the toilet, I always applaud at the end of a movement!"

              Eww! I just wash my hands...

          2. Mooseman Silver badge

            Re: Mooseman

            "it would be best if you didn't place yourself in a high-traffic place."

            True, but with assigned seating at a lot of shows you don't get the choice.

        4. ICL1900-G3

          Re: Money...

          I went to see Dr Feelgood a few years back. They had just started playing when some woman in the front row answered her phone. Phil Mitchell stopped playing and said 'let us know when you're ready and we'll start the set'. At least she had the grace to leave.

      3. slimshady76

        Re: Money...

        A few years ago Pearl Jam cancelled a leg of their North American tour because a fan reached out for them in (anti)social media, complaining about the price of the tickets. The band had chosen to play more dates in smaller venues so they would get to be closer to the crowd, and apparently the company selling the tickets decided it was a great opportunity to take advantage of the supply/demand imbalance. So IIRC they sacked the tour organizers and went with a much more modest concert schedule, but a lower prices and in a much more familiar environment.

        1. J__M__M

          Re: Money...

          A few years? I'm pretty sure it was a few more years ago than that, since I can now only vaguely remember going to a free show with 750 other people.

  6. Version 1.0 Silver badge
    Pint

    Cheers Roger!

    He's a good guy, I saw them a lot back in the days when Syd was playing, and then, a few years afterwards I had to deliver a parcel to their roadies at a show - it was great, I got to watch them, sitting up there with the pig and afterwards we had a nice little get together before I headed home again.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Cheers Roger!

      I met Dave Gilmour one time, in my aviation days. Chatted to him for a few minutes at a refuel, didn’t know who he was until I was told afterwards. Just a fellow pilot worried about the weather getting worse.

      1. RichText

        Re: Cheers Roger!

        Was he struggling to keep his eyes from the circling sky? Maybe you inspired something if the conversation went like this...

        Ice is forming on the tips of my wings.. Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything..

        No navigator to find my way home.. Unladened, empty and turned to stone

  7. A. Coatsworth Silver badge
    Meh

    "The answer is: fuck you! No fucking way!" Waters told the cheering crowd

    I can't but wonder how many of them were live-tweeting or streaming the event, and couldn't hear the deafening Woosh! of irony flying by their heads because of the cheers...

  8. Mark Exclamation

    I am conflicted: I love Roger's music and have been to several of his concerts, and I support his calling out of Zuck, but supporting Assange? Nah!

    1. Tom 7

      I cant stand Assange but the idea he can be sent to the US is even more appalling!

      1. Zolko Silver badge

        Assange -vs- Navalny

        @Tom 7

        I cant stand Assange

        do you know him personally, or is your opinion based on what you get from the media ? Did it occur to you that the CIA might have spent recent years smearing his reputation exactly so that people like you "dislike " him ? And the same CIA might have whitewashed Navalny's reputation so that people like you "like " him ?

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

        2. Stoneshop
          FAIL

          Re: Assange -vs- Navalny

          I know two people who went to high school with Assange, and he was a downright self-centered prick back then already.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: do you know him personally, or is your opinion based on what you get from the media ?

          I know him from his personal opinions, that's more than enough. Obviously, all the sage opinions he spouts in his spare time never gets published by those horrible (jelous, I say!) media, which tend to amplify those that make his a narcissist (and then some), so I guess I'm being manipulated by this media...

        4. Jason Hindle

          Re: Assange -vs- Navalny

          Assange is a true Marmite man. I can't stand him either, but tend to be against extradition to the States on general principles.

      2. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

        Assange is a bit of a funny one.

        On the one hand, Wikileaks is a worthy endeavour (even if the release of documents that might endanger people's lives is questionable).

        On the other hand, as a person he does seem to be a bit of a self-promoting sleazeball, and jumping bail and hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy rather than voluntarily returning to Sweden to face some charges that he would probably have shaken off anyway, seems to be the actions of someone tying to martyr themselves for the purposes of self-publicity. It's worth noting that at the time, he was far more likely to get himself extradited from the UK to the US than from Sweden, so committing an unquestionable crime here (skipping bail) increased, not decreased, his odds of getting deported and tried in the US.

        I agree though - he shouldn't be subject to the trumped-up charges and cumulative prison sentences that the corrupt US legal system would impose on him. I also wouldn't trust him to be left alone with my daughter (if I had one).

      3. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

        Assange is just a publisher and what is being done to him is chilling in a free society. I am no fan of the media but when government starts prosecuting news publishers freedom dies. Think about what would have been the reaction if Nixon had arrested the publishers of the Pentagon Papers.

        Manning on the other hand, should have been hanged or put in front of a firing squad, and his commanding officer (who put him in that position) should have been revealed and drummed out of the service!

        1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

          Assange is just a publisher

          So is Rupert Murdoch.

    2. martinusher Silver badge

      >supporting Assange..

      I think its called "keeping people in jail for extended periods of time because they're an Enemy Of The State". You don't have to be in love with someone to regard this as abhorrent.

      As for facing American justice, look up "Anming Hu". The FBI is currently conducting a purge of academic institutions of people originally from China. This case was so ludicrous that it failed to get a conviction but the government has endless resources. This fellow is just one of many.

      Then there's the Chelsa Manning saga. Having refused to 'name names' she's back in jail. No charges, no conviction, no sentence, just 'contempt' because she was unwilling or unable to name names.

      If Assange gets here he's better off dead -- or in Cuba (Guantanamo -- its still going string in case you've forgotten)

    3. J__M__M

      No shit. There are others stuck in places like Russia who are a lot more deserving than Assange ever was.

  9. Norman123

    Did he really say this?

    "Another prick on the wall"!

    1. chivo243 Silver badge
      Go

      Re: Did he really say this?

      If he didn't, I will go on record as saying it... Zuck is another prick on the wall. That is all.

      1. Stoneshop
        Pirate

        Re: Did he really say this?

        :s/on/who should be first against/

        There, much better.

      2. steelpillow Silver badge
        Boffin

        Re: Did he really say this?

        Sadly, the Borg is another prick in the wall.

    2. slimshady76
      FAIL

      Re: Did he really say this?

      Here in Argentina the libertarian asshats used an Another Brick In The Wall cover to claim for the return of the children to the schools when we were in lockdown... They never got to understand the lyrics, just picked up the song for the music...

  10. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
    Mushroom

    Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

    I'm also an old Floyd fan from the Syd days and was at the premiere of DSOTM (50 years next January) so well done Roger, you fellow GOM.

    Zuck personifies what much of Floyd's Music is about.

    I just wish that Zuck would build a spaceship... like fellow billionaires Bezos and Musk and mistakenly 'Set the controls for the heart of the sun' on its first flight with him on board. The world would be a far better place without Facefart and the like.

    Eat this Zuck [see icon]

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

      It’s good to see him called out, but people need to actually do the right thing and stop using Faecebook, what’s crap and the rest of his toxic shit. And stop making excuses for using it. Just laziness.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

        Giving up Whatsapp is tough. I realised that really, it's the very worst form of social media - you get interrupted constantly throughout your day by messages that could be anything from pointless chatter and meme gifs, to a family memeber saying they need help.

        I'm now smartphone-less, and it's much better.

        I read "Digital Minimalism" (by Cal Newport) after I'd made that decision, but it was really interesting to read someone who had carefully researched all the things I intuitively had reasoned to be true. He talks a lot about the effects on your brain, thought processes, and productivity when you have constant interruptions and distractions.

        1. Graham Cobb Silver badge

          Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

          Giving up WhatsApp is a lot less tough than it used to be. Many people already have Telegram or Signal on their phones as well, because they already know people who have moved from WhatsApp to those. It is much less weird to tell people "I won't use WhatsApp" now.

        2. Charlie Clark Silver badge

          Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

          I just mute any conversations that get too noisy and SWMBO got me to mute all the apps. That largely solves the problem of the interruptions. You're right about the effects on the brain but muting is pretty easy.

          People have been leaving WhatsApp here in Germany in droves because of the badly managed planned data grab. I guess that's progress of a sort.

        3. iron Silver badge

          Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

          > Giving up Whatsapp is tough.

          It really isn't. Just delete your accounts, uninstall the apps and tell people if they want to contact you use the phone (or whatever alternative you prefer). If they can't be bothered to contact you by a method of your chosing then you don't need them in your life anyway.

      2. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

        Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

        Truly you dont have to use social media at all. It is mostly a distraction from real life and often toxic.

    2. Zarno

      Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

      "Eat this Zuck [see icon]"

      His dense ego would likely act as a neutron poison

      and kill the reaction... :/

    3. chivo243 Silver badge
      Megaphone

      Re: Welcome to the 'Zuck' Machine

      yes...Yes! the heart of the sun, the heart of the sun! Brilliant! I can't think of a better place for the .00001 % hodling all the marbles... My math is purely a guesstamate!

  11. Steve Kerr

    Careful with that axe Eugene

    On second thoughts, hack away.

  12. Chasola

    Pedant alert.

    I don't think that Bob Klose was ever actually in The Pink Floyd but he was in several pre Floyd acts.

    He may have been in The Pink Floyd Sound but not The Pink Floyd and certainly never in Pink Floyd.

    I don't know why bands drop the definite article.

    It upsets me.

    Third world problems.

    1. Captain Hogwash

      Re: Pedant alert.

      I much prefer it when bands drop the definite article. It would have caused a few problems for The The however.

      1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: Pedant alert.

        Who?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Pedant alert.

          The Who, not The The

        2. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

          Re: Pedant alert.

          I'll not get fooled again

      2. Mooseman Silver badge

        Re: Pedant alert.

        The

      3. MarkB
        IT Angle

        Re: Pedant alert.

        "I much prefer it when bands drop the definite article. It would have caused a few problems for The The however."

        I used to play with a band where we couldn't decide on a name, so went out as "The Band With No Name" or "BWNN" for short (I thought the short name looked kind of Welsh).

        1. Blitheringeejit
          Headmaster

          Re: Pedant alert.

          I think "The Band" beat you to that one.

          1. That Badger

            Re: Pedant alert.

            The Dutch band "BZN" (Band without (a) name) predates "The Band". They formed in 1966.

        2. Stoneshop

          "The Band With No Name"

          There was a Dutch band, MOtR style, calling itself BZN, short for Band Zonder Naam (Band Without a Name).

          Also a kind of spoof (riffing on the name, their music style was rather different), the Band Zonder Banaan.

  13. tel2016
    Pirate

    I wonder...

    what FB wanted to use the song for? Maybe part of their next advert, where they'll continue to cry over the fate of small businesses everywhere, who, as a result of the FB's reducing ability to datamine everyone, face financial disaster. Just Another Brick in the Wall (of data-mining)?

  14. BebopWeBop
    Happy

    Waters dove have a point

  15. Anon Coward (there are nutters out there - I've worked with them)

    This is an IT rag and not a music rag - f**k off muso and leave our IT gods alone.

    1. Kane
      Boffin

      "This is an IT rag and not a music rag - f**k off muso and leave our IT gods alone."

      ♩♫♩♩♩♩

      Bootnotes.

      It's a thing.

      Don't get

      Worked up

      Or you'll bust a vein.

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      This is an IT rag. Sure, but even after years of Brain Damage reading it, you should be Comfortably Numb to the fact that Bootnotes exists? El Reg have got to make Money after all, and they also cover Astronomy Domine.

      So just relax, Breathe, don't have too High Hopes, and feel Welcome to the Machine.

      1. Someone Else Silver badge

        One of These Days, they'll get El Reg

        1. keithpeter Silver badge
          Windows

          Has he got it yet?

      2. Stoneshop

        Welcome to the Machine.

        Careful with that VAX, Eugene.

  16. Nifty Silver badge

    Maybe Zuck wanted the tune for a protest ad against some governments that want a backdoor to WhatsApp's end to end encryption. Sorting the good guys from the bad is complicated these days.

    1. Val Halla

      Another reason to dump Farcebook.

      If it didn't exist, governments would have to find other ways to spy on us. Probably too late to worry about it now.

      1. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

        Re: Another reason to dump Farcebook.

        It IS too late to worry about it, Facebook isnt afterall the only ones watching.

  17. Fr. Ted Crilly Silver badge

    What did he say?

    Take your filthy hands off my desert....

    1. 42656e4d203239 Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: What did he say?

      You missed this --->

      That is all.

  18. Mooseman Silver badge

    The trouble I have with Waters is that he is turning into a self-important prick himself. The man who declared Pink Floyd was over (without consulting his bandmates) and who's immediate response to any challenge was to lawyer up, and now whines that Pink Floyd won't let him promote his solo material on their website. I quite liked some of his solo material, apart from the latest which was tedious guff, but he really needs to learn to think before he speaks. His constant ranting about Israel is annoying too (he was quite happy to tour there and take the money until he decided to go bonkers)

    1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      The problem with talking about Israel is that in people's minds they don't separate the actions of the state from the people living there. The Israeli state has done some pretty dodgy things, and has been sanctioned internationally from them. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things. This is further muddied by some who would claim that any criticism of the state is a de facto argument against the existence of that state, and thus antisemitic.

      No state, and no government, should be beyond criticism, and trying to divert that criticism into an argument about race and religion is deeply disingenuous.

      Don't get me wrong - the situation between Israel and Palestine is a bloody mess and I don't claim to have any solutions. I've no idea what Waters has said on the matter, but I suspect it's a good deal more coherent than some of those who shout the loudest on the matter, such as Israel's new far-right Prime Minister.

      Waters may be opposed to the actions of Israel as a state, but that does, of course, have no bearing on whether he should visit the country and play to the people there who want to hear his music. If that were the case, should all left-leaning musicians in the UK (which I suspect is a majority) stop playing whilst we have a right-wing populist cabal in power here?

      1. Mooseman Silver badge

        Waters is quite happy to repeat questionable "truths" he's been fed by Palestinian sources. My comment on taking their money was to highlight that his opposition to Israel seems to be rather late in the day. He like many others doesn't consider that a nation under constant attack might tend to lean towards a more aggressive response to perceived threats. Yes, the Israeli government has been guilty of some very dubious decisions, but it has never set out an official policy of the destruction of its neighbours (unlike Hamas, for example), but to many like Waters there is one "bad guy" and he is quite happy to push this viewpoint. Attacks on jews in the UK have soared, I don't see Waters and his fellow apologists speaking out against this.

        1. Dr Kerfuffle

          I have to agree here. Roger Waters has arrogantly decided that other musicians should boycott Israel and actively lobbies them not to play there. His understanding of the situation there seems to be minimal and he just jumps onto whatever trendy left wing bandwagon happens to be passing by.

          Despite loving Pink Floyd for many years, I now boycott his music and refuse to listen or buy anything by him. See how he likes it now!

        2. sebacoustic
          Megaphone

          > never set out an official policy of the destruction of its neighbours

          no too busy for that, they just get on with destroying their "neighbours" (i.e. the people who lived on the land they consider theirs as "promised")

          Agree on Waters to be gullible though, e.g. the White Helmets being terrorists does reek of conspiracy theory bullshit planted by Assad, Putin and assorrted sycophants.

        3. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

          One of the myriad problems in the region is that Israel does not officially recognise the existence of Palestine as their neighbour at all. It's hard to argue that there is an official policy of destruction of something they claim does not exist. They just bulldoze Palestinian houses and build their own settlements on disputed land, then wall it off.

          None of this excuses the actions of Hamas, but to claim the situation is one-sided is simply untrue.

          As I said, I don't claim to have any solutions to the situation, but selectively denying that problems exist on both sides of the argument is one of those problems.

      2. Fr. Ted Crilly Silver badge
        Coat

        Easy now, such dangerously even-handed sensible comments are not what the internets are for...

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

        well, one take, which I (unahappily) support, is that yes, the citizens of Israel ARE responsible for 'those things' - collectively, including those that did not vote for their government. The government represents the 'nation', and the 'nation' represents their government. Just like the Brits, all Brits, are collectively responsible for the (current) and all previous wankers ruling the UK. And for their decisions, the good, the bad, and the wonderful.

        1. Cliffwilliams44 Silver badge

          Re: re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

          And are the people of Iran responsible for their government? Responsible for their government spreading terrorism around the region? If the Est were to exact revenge on them for their support of terrorism and Iranian civilians dies would you stand by your decision that "the citizens if Iran ARE responsible for those actions"

          ........ I thought not!

          1. Cav Bronze badge

            Re: re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

            The difference is that one is a totalitarian state, in which protests are crushed and the other is a democracy. Yes, the people of a democracy are resposible for the actions of the government THEY elect. An oppressed population that has resistance crushed, is not.

        2. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

          Re: re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

          But the general populace wasn't responsible for anything before universal suffrage. Nor are they responsible for the results of propagangda, as they can't know better for the source of information is tainted by Daily Mail / Facebook etc

        3. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

          Re: re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

          Just like the Brits, all Brits, are collectively responsible for the (current) and all previous wankers ruling the UK

          I'd dispute that I am in anyway responsible for the current shower of *expletive deleted*s. I've never voted for that party, in any election. I never voted for their policies (including *that* referendum) and actively oppose many of the things they come up with. I bear zero responsibility for any of that.

          The reductio ad hitlerum disproof of your argument would be to blame the citizens of 1930's Germany who were rounded up and murdered for their own extermination, since it was done by their legally elected government. Such an argument would be both crass and entirely wrong.

        4. werdsmith Silver badge

          Re: re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

          Just like the Brits, all Brits, are collectively responsible for the (current) and all previous wankers ruling the UK

          Tosh. Absolute bollocks from someone who is desperate for a grievance. Your kind of shit stirring attitude is the greater problem.

        5. Mooseman Silver badge

          Re: re. That doesn't mean that the citizens of Israel are responsible for those things.

          "the citizens of Israel ARE responsible for 'those things' - collectively, including those that did not vote for their government. The government represents the 'nation', and the 'nation' represents their government"

          By this logic then the opponents of national socialism in Germany were responsible for the Holocaust, CND are responsible for Britain's nuclear arsenal and remain voters are responsible for brexit.

          I think your logic circuits are on the blink.

    2. Zippy´s Sausage Factory

      I thought his latest solo effort was his best for years, myself. If anything, a little less whinge than usual.

    3. Adrian 4

      I think Israel has the problem of being an abused child; it often results in abusing as an adult.

      People who love Israel should help it recover, not unthinkingly support it.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "a huge, huge amount of money."

    ok Roger, how about... lemme see what I have in my backpocket... yeah, how about 56bn?

  20. batfink

    Insufficiently succinct

    I wonder whether Roger Waters was being too polite, and held back a bit. Maybe he should have said what he REALLY thought.

  21. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    Should have asked Bono

    He sold out years ago and is more than happy to play for anyone who'll pay enough.

    1. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

      Re: Should have asked Bono

      isnt that what a working musician does, play for pay?

  22. Damo t

    And not to mention Roger's raging anti semitism....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Not sure why anyone would downvote the point about him being anti semitic. Unless those downvoters are likewise racist anti semites

      1. markrand
        Holmes

        Do you still beat your wife?

      2. Mooseman Silver badge

        Anti-semitic? Well I have yet to see or hear any evidence of that. Gullible? Yes.

        If you equate criticism of Israel with anti-semitism I would say you are wrong, unfortunately there are a lot of people who cannot differentiate the two, which is why we get attacks on jews living in London, for example, or the constant low evel anti-semitism that the labour party failed to eradicate (and to add balance, that the conservatives have never bothered to even try to).

        Waters blithely accepts anything he is told by pro palestinian sources without verifying it. This doesn't make him antisemitic.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Zuckerborg

    Ha ha charade you are!

  24. ForthIsNotDead
    Happy

    Plagiarised...

    "Fuck off Zuck, I've got to get on with this,

    I don't know what it is, but it goes on here like this."

    (From my fave PF album!)

    1. Ol'Peculier

      Re: Plagiarised...

      Also known as Roger Waters first solo album...

  25. teknopaul

    Facebook will sue

    They can find plenty of evidence to prove that they _are_ the wall.

    1. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: Facebook will sue

      they _are_ the wall.

      and their users are just bricks in that wall. Unimportant, identical, mook-like bricks with no individuality and complete obedience. Just sitting there being monitized and holding up the big FB wall...

      (I wonder if Zuck realizes the irony of that particular song in an ad related to one of his companies...)

  26. NXM Silver badge

    On one of the circuit boards I designed, it says 'There is no dark side of the moon really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark'.

    Been on there for years. Nobody's noticed.

    1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      yup, with an albedo of 0.12, it's pretty dark all round [sic]

  27. NuffSed?
    Thumb Up

    And the score is...

    I was asked to teach my 9 year old granddaughter some basics functions in spreadsheets. In need of data I suggested she pick a topic and count the votes.

    Nothing scientific but...

    Total posts 130

    Total up 1070

    Total down 142

    First 45 posts, 579 up, 0 down

    21 posts with 0 up

    111 posts with 0 down

    19 posts with 142 down votes

    When I asked what doe this mean, she pondered a moment before saying...

    "Mark Zuckerburg is an arsehole and Facebook is bad"

    And no, she is not an active Facebook user, our family use Signal groups.

  28. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

    I wonder if Simon & Garfunkel...

    ...will let Zuck use Bridge Over Troubled Waters

  29. J__M__M

    Activist

    Waters activism is telling Zuck to fuck off, Gilmour's is auctioning his guitars for 128 million and donating it all to charity.

    Looks like Gilmour is better at this, too.

    1. Mooseman Silver badge

      Re: Activist

      Gilmour also sold his London house and gave the proceeds to Crisis (about £4.5 million) which for those of you across the pond is a homeless support charity.

  30. dol
    Coat

    "Oh by the way, which one's pink?"

    As they entered the meeting room, The Lizardman turned his cold reptilian gaze to his PR drone and asked

    "Oh by the way, which one's pink?"

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: "Oh by the way, which one's pink?"

      " for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green."

      RiP Ted Lowe

  31. tonique

    Most powerful ...

    I think "one of the most powerful cunts" would be slightly more decriptive of Zuck but I can settle with Waters's version.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I expect Boris Johnson wants the use of that track too, He won't bother paying for it - even after signing a deal.

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