The Autism Diaries?! (Part 4)
A new occasional series here at “Sounds Good”
“I’m not autistic, I just really like Pink Floyd”, I said to someone the other day. Evidently, I wasn’t even joking. Although it’s getting harder to tell, either way. Of course, Pink Floyd is my preferred candidate to take Final Boss level in the Autistic Bands category; as an entity they are shining on down one particular end of the spectrum, like… like…a big ole crazy diamond? Two guys with their heads down, refusing to engage in the personal politics that was tearing the band apart, hanging on in quiet desperation for their pay checks. The other two at permanent war with each other, and only ever looking at the negative attributes their counterpart brought to the table, unable to truly celebrate the groundbreaking positives — merely seeing that as the expectation, not something exceptional. They even drew a line down the centre of the stage like a place to put the net. Or fence. Don’t cross over to the other side of the stage, you’re not allowed! A band that literally built a wall across the front of the stage to hide from the audience, and then tried to call it just a metaphor. Riding grooves and improvisations for 10 and 20 minutes instead of the more acceptable four and five. Pink Floyd is a band all but dedicated to lyrical themes of boredom, alienation, loneliness, and art as catharsis. And then one grumpy old man leaves the band and when they fire back up, even if it’s with a lighter touch, the lyrical themes are all about communication, how hard it is for humans to be on the same wavelength, and how we’re all just a moment away from being doomed. (That’s the light approach by the ‘softer’ version of the group. Still with the grumpy old men). Also, lol, isn’t prog-rock really just the Autism of music? Oh, but wait, I’m infodumping again. Sorry. (Not sorry!) Anyway, did I mention I really like Pink Floyd.
