Het verhaal van een jonge muzikant die door een gladde executive een grote carrière voorgespiegeld krijgt – mits hij bereid is elke vorm van artistieke integriteit te laten varen (“What did you dream? / It’s all right, we told you what to dream”).
Pink Floyd was halverwege de jaren ’70 – naast Led Zeppelin – de grootste band ter wereld, maar niet alle bandleden waren even gelukkig met die status. Met name basgitarist Roger Waters ontwikkelde een steeds grotere weerzin tegen het circus dat gepaard ging met de status van superster:
“1973, ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ was the first time we made any cash, we were reasonably generous with one another at that time. I think once you’ve achieved that measure of success, you’ve really done what it was that you set out to do together. From then on it was really about clinging to the trademark in a kind of frightened way, not wanting to lose the umbrella with the words Pink and Floyd together.”
Where have you been? It’s alright we know where you’ve been.
You’ve been in the pipeline, filling in time,
provided with toys and Scouting for Boys.
You bought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you didn’t like school, and you know you’re nobody’s fool,
So welcome to the machine.
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
What did you dream? It’s alright we told you what to dream.
You dreamed of a big star, he played a mean guitar,
He always ate in the Steak Bar. He loved to drive in his Jaguar.
So welcome to the machine.
