Gilmour and Waters performed live with each other on stage yesterday (think it’s the first time since Live8)
Don’t they look like the best of buds?
Swingers:
Way cool. Wasn’t a fan of their reunion, though. Live8 was kind of eh.
Mick, do you know anything about this performance?
All I can tell you is that they played just one song, ‘Wish You Were Here’, at a charity do, the Hoping Foundation, in Oxfordshire.
awesome…thanks Mick.
The fact that Waters and Gilmour are getting along well enough to play together every now and then is why I don’t say we’ll NEVER see a Jourgensen/Barker reunion. I used to say “never” about Gilmour and Waters, and look where we are.
Now, I don’t think it’ll be anytime SOON…
david gilmore can get more out of a single note/bend on a strat than most people can on a synth.
That’s awesome! Roger Waters is about to go on tour here in a few months. It would be fucking great if Gilmour made a brief appearence.
Re: Gilmour/Waters - Jourgensen/Barker
As acrimonious as the Gilmour - Waters thing was, the fact that they can bury it and cooperate (albeit fleetingly) might suggest Jourgensen - Barker could be resolved, as it was arguably not as severe. However, it’s a different beast of a feud. Waters, a founding member of PF, left in the 80s and tried to fuck over the rest who stayed. Gilmour stood his ground and made Waters look like a child. Barker left and did nothing bad to Al (that I know of anyway… tortious interference my ass). Ministry is Jourgensen’s baby, regardless of how much of a juvenile asshole he is. Barker could only come back if Jourgensen wanted him to. Why would Jourgensen want him back? The only thing I can think of is that it would be for a “proper” reunion, that might be good for the pocket. But then again it’s Ministry, they were hardly ever big money spinners. All signs point to no on that reason.
Just out of interest, of those who rue Nu-Ministry (like Paul, dislike what Al has become)- which is probably over 90% of us - do you actually want Barker to come back? If so, why and what would you expect?
Personally I don’t want Barker to go back. Why would he? The shit he has had flung on him by Al, complete disrespect.
With Waters, he wanted to get back into PF. Gilmour didn’t really want that at first but was man enough to allow it for Live 8 and was proud of how it turned out (he did suggest however that even during the few days they practiced together it nearly boiled over, and thus categorically ruled out any notions of a tour.) Also it took two decades for the Gilmour and Waters to reunite. By 2024 I’d say Barker will probably have grandkids to look after, and Al… well I don’t wish it but he’ll probably be dead. Anyway I’m falling into the trap of comparing the two examples which is a mistake I feel.
But seriously, what would you like Barker to do if he had options of coming back? Former Ministry dudes chip in too (Wemp, Connelly,…)
The big thing these days is to do tours of classic albums. It gets the old fans out, they charge a bunch for tickets, easy money.
Psalm 69’s 20th is coming up in a couple of years…
But seriously, what would you like Barker to do if he had options of coming back? Former Ministry dudes chip in too (Wemp, Connelly,…)
Since you asked, mick…
Coming back as in “a reunion playing a classic album” which is so en vogue these days as the rev points out? Something like that could be lucrative I guess. For Paul’s sake, I’d only like to see that happen if he (Paul) received an equal share of the profits of the reunion.
The thing is, how many Ministry fans are really aware of how important Barker was to the band?
I know a lot of people who are casual fans and think Al Jourgesen is Ministry.
So I don’t think Barker returning would necessarily be a big money maker for the band, and Al could do ‘Psalm 69’ (the album) live without him.
Also I think Paul was the one keeping Al from “selling out” to the metal crowd by retaining the postpunk sensibility that is now gone from Ministry.
I’d bet Al feels more free without him and I’d venture to guess that ‘Houses of the Mole’ sold better than ‘Animositisomina’. Not sure on that one. Does anyone have a way of knowing?
But anyway the bottom line is that Barker left after two “dud” albums (commercially speaking…though they were IMO the best Ministry albums) so if a reunion happened I don’t see how it would be financially motivated.
As far as would I like them to reunite? Yes I would because they both did shitty music after splitting up and ‘Animositisomina’ is one of my favorite albums.
When I listen to Flowering Blight I think “he really needs Jourgensen” because the grooves are excellent I love it them but it just doesn’t work with Paul doing the vocals and something is missing.
Hell, it amazes me how hell can freeze over and Waters/Gilmore can reconcile, but Sascha K. and En Esch can’t. The fuck!? heh. Fuck Al and Paul (jk)! Sascha and Esch need to make up and make good music again. That’s still pretty damn cool news though. No one would’ve expected this, even after Live 8. Gilmore shut any possibilities down and out after that. Wow, were we wrong.