David Gilmour's lead guitar has always attracted me to "In the Flesh," but it's the correspondence of Donald Trump and his campaign to Roger Waters's lyrics that cause me to share it (it hardly bears noting that the album's title is also Trump's signature issue):
We cannot ignore the fact that the populist sensation of this election hasn’t been Bernie Sanders. It’s been a racist, nationalist demagogue-for-hire with no sincere ideology beyond his own vanity. Mr. Trump is a cipher; his voters love him because he does nothing but hold up a mirror to their basest prejudices and bask in the feedback loop of narcissism. They’re not “afraid”; they’re leading Mr. Trump as much as following him. They called him into being, not the other way around.
First stanza:
So ya
Thought ya
Might like to go to the show.
To feel the warm thrill of confusion
That space cadet glow.
Tell me is something eluding you sunshine?
Is this not what you expected to see?
If you wanna to find out what's behind these cold eyes?
You'll just have to claw your way through this
Disguise
The second stanza (from "In the Flesh, Part II") is an easier but still accurate prediction about the intolerance of demagogues:
Are there any queers in the theatre tonight?
Get them up against the wall!
There's one in the spotlight, he don't look right to me
Get him up against the wall!
That one looks Jewish!
And that one's a coon!
Who let all of this riff-raff into the room?
There's one smoking a joint,
And another with spots
If I had my way,
I'd have all of you shot!
Donald Trump feels
pretty much the same way.
