Comfortably
Numb
A History of
“The Wall”
Front
Cover
The cover
of this book was designed by Vernon Fitch, with thematic assistance from
co-author Richard Mahon.
The
centerpiece of the cover is The Wall, as seen in a photograph taken by concert
stage designer Mark Fisher at a Wall concert in
At the top
of the cover, above the title, is the central character in the Wall story. Pink
is shown sitting atop The Wall, with vacant eyes staring down at the audience
below. On either side of Pink are two of the Wall characters that play
significant roles in the story, namely the Mother and the Schoolteacher. Both of
these characters caused Pink to add bricks to his Wall, as did the Wife, who
hovers below the Schoolteacher, her eyes glaring menacingly at The Wall.
At the
bottom of the cover are two pictures of artist Gerald Scarfe’s animation, as
projected on The Wall during one of the concerts. On the left, the
Schoolteacher processes his pupils through a meat grinder schoolhouse, while on
the right, hammers march across The Wall in formation as the band plays on.
These scenes not only were important elements in the Wall story, but they also
proved to be among the most spectacular moments during The Wall live
performances.
