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Roger Waters signs his Wall super deluxe as someone else!

By Paul Sinclair

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92

Roger Waters / The Wall super deluxe edition

Jimmy Smith, make yourself known to a member of staff..

Picture the scene… you’ve spent a small fortune on Roger Waters‘ The Wall super deluxe edition box set. Your wallet may be empty, but hey, at least the man himself has signed it. Er, well, not quite, in the case for one fan…

The super deluxe edition box set (“5 1/2 feet when fully open”, size fans) was announced last October and contains four 180g coloured vinyl records, a book, two CDs and three blu-rays and costs $500 plus taxes and shipping. The official website has all the details but clearly states “each one will by signed by Roger”.

So imagine Waters’ fan Jim Clarke’s surprise when he opened his book within the SDE and saw that “Jimmy Smith” had apparently chosen to sign his copy, with ‘love’.

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Jim Clarke’s The Wall super deluxe… with love from ‘Jimmy Smith’

What is going on here? And who is Jimmy Smith fella? Was Roger so bored while signing 3000 of these sets that he thought he’d ‘have a laugh’ (let’s face it, not something he’s known for) and sign someone else’s name? Presumably. Or maybe a lackey called Jimmy Smith was told to sign for Roger, but accidentally wrote his own name – who knows?!

Assuming it’s the former, do any SDE readers, who also practise law, want to tell us whether writing “Love, Jimmy Smith” satisfies the promise of  this being “signed by Roger”. Should Mr Clarke be demanding that Roger writes “Love Roger Waters” on a new book? Has anyone else received one of these super deluxe boxes signed by ‘someone else’?

Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

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92 Comments

92 thoughts on “Roger Waters signs his Wall super deluxe as someone else!”

  2. Almost pulled the trigger and bought this set. I’m so glad I passed. Roger signing alternate random names, or just a large R … he was obviously amusing himself at the expense of his fans. What a wanker. I’d be seriously PO’d if I had received this crop. I laugh at all the eBay sellers trying to get $1000 to $3000 for these. Love your music Roger, but loathe your arrogance.

  4. Mine was signed “Love Salman, What???”. It’s a terrific box set with or without his autograph. I happen to agree with another who said it’s a wonderful example of British humor.

    1. I got one of the last ones before it sold out. It was signed ‘Love Donald Trump’. He was either bored or drunk and mine is being returned. Anybody keeping it, when he has not signed it in his own name, and is trying to justify it is a deluded idiot.

  5. Since all the online attention my set has garnered, I’m quite happy with the signature now. Thanks to all who offered a trade. :) I think I will keep it! (Unless of course someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse ;0) but that would take a lot! )

  6. Mine is signed ‘Love Nigel’. Have had a battle with the supplier about paying return postage, and I asked them to tell me what number set they would replace it with, but they said they can’t tell me. Not sure whether to send it back or not. Credit Card company have said I can do a chargeback.

  7. Pingback: Other artists please note: This is how you sign an item | superdeluxeedition

  8. Apropos of nothing in particular but I have just received a Travis album…this one being an “Ode to J. Smith”…wouldn’t’t have thought much of it until I read this thread and looking at the artwork of the album is that the sun in the middle of the album cover or a reference to the dark side of the moon?

  10. At first glance at the photo, I thought it said “Jimmy Savile”. What a relief.

    I suppose if RW was known for his japes, this would be easier to understand and accept. But he isn’t, is he?

  12. I would personally be livid if I paid $500 and it wasn’t signed as Roger Waters.

    Here’s a clue Roger, if you don’t want to sign your name 3000 times, then don’t put 3000 of any item to be signed “Roger Waters” up for sale. Problem solved.

  13. If I got one that was not signed Roger Waters, I would demand my money back.
    With all the negative comments, my question is – Will Anyone Who Bought One Signed With Another Name Return It For A Full Refund?

    1. David, I would love to buy that box-set from you because it it not signed the usual way, it shows his british humor and it is far more unique than anything else! A truly one-of-a-kind-piece…

      Jim Clarke, if you reed this and you are still not satisfied with this very special and unique piece, we can exchange our books immediately and you will get a “standard” book signed “Love R.”. Get in touch!

  15. Of all the fans on here saying that the ones With other peoples names written in would be worth more than the regular signature, would any of them fork out extra money for one, or would they prefer him to write his own name?

  16. I honestly cannot see the funny side to this – I think it’s something a bratty child would do. I’d expect this sort of crap from Justin Beiber. Or perhaps it was just A Momentary Lapse Of Reason (although RW wasn’t on that album so the joke doesn’t really work…)

    I’ve never had to sign 3000 (or 1500) autographs but I suppose it would get a bit tedious. But when someone is paying you a LOT of their hard-earned cash for a signed item, you really need to just suck it up, make an effort and get on with it Princess! Show some damn respect to the fans.

    “Love, Roger Waters” is only 15 letters – if Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou (Greek judge and former caretaker PM) can sign documents all day, so can you!

    RW’s manager’s response that it makes it ‘unique’ seems pretty arrogant too – if I bought a signed item expecting one person’s name but getting another, I’d see that as ‘defaced’ not ‘unique,’ even if it’s signed by the person I wanted to sign it.

    Which raises the question, if he’s signing other people’s real names – not ‘made-up’ ones – isn’t that technically fraud/ID theft?

  17. Mine was signed “love Brazil”. No idea what the reference was to. Mine was also missing the poster of the mural. I emailed his Mgmt company complaining of both issues and they agreed to send a replacement (probably because of the missing poster, not the bogus signature). I agree that the only day the alternate signature will be worth more is of the sigs tire said something like “pink” or “Davis gilmour”. These other ones will have no value. I’ll let you know what my replacement says if/when I get it! It’s been two week!

  19. Did anyone expect better behavior from Roger Waters? The only thing I find more disturbing is that anyone would pay so much for this “collector’s item.”

  20. …these were all clearly signed by roger; i think the variations (clearly musician in-jokes) give each unique edition that much more character…i still regret that i was unable to buy one before they’d sold out, and would gladly take an alternate-signature edition off anyone’s hands for $500!..

  22. I bought the last BEF project CD and the early copies were signed by Martin Ware. He said on just a few he had signed using different fictitious characters’ names – mine was signed ‘love, Jessica Rabbit’. Personally, I liked it, thought it was a creative and original idea, and, frankly, funny. I didn’t feel the joke was at my expense. But in this case, (a) it was only costing something like £15 or £20 ish, and (b) he at least went on YouTube with a short video, sent to those who preordered the signed editions, showing him actually signing some of the ‘random funnies’ and explaining that he’d done it and why (partly to alleviate the tedium of signing a few thousand copies). And also, I guess I didn’t mind cos I already have his ‘serious’ signature on something else. I dunno how I’d feel if I’d stumped up £500!

  23. What a shame. While I do think it’s comical, ultimately signing other names was bound to upset some people. It would be nice if RW truly made recompense for this in a special way – so that his comedic gesture is overcome with some truly special.

  24. Pingback: Roger Waters Reportedly Signing Select Deluxe 'Wall' Boxes With Different Names

  25. This is one of the reasons why I would never pay an extra single $ for an autograph. Who assures me that the artist himself signed 3000 (!) copies. I for one would get bored after less than 50 signatures. It’s the music that counts, I think.

  26. I don’t know a ton about the collectibles marketplace, but wouldn’t a unique signature from Roger Waters make the collectible more valuable than a standard signature?

    Genuinely asking. If I’m wrong, fine. But, it strikes me this would up the value.

    1. The signature values truly depends on the buyer. Put yourself in that role. Would you personally bid higher for a sig that read “Roger Waters”, or an alternate text?

      If anything, I would think the official “Roger Waters” text would now be worth more, since that’s his name and those are now LESS than 3000 in count! Someone who got an alt signature may now be willing to shell out more for the actual name.

      As far as the alternate signatures values, I would think the value would be based primarily on what the text read. If he signed “David Gilmour”, like another poster mused, then that might very well go for much more!

  27. I have a copy of ‘Amused To Death’, signed in blue marker on the front by me, very limited – sensible offers only please.

  31. I’d prefer a Jimmy Smith than that lazy R-squiggle. Couldn’t he think of 3,000 jazz and blues musicians to sign? Whoever gets the Pink Anderson or Floyd Council is going to be a very, very happy bunny.

    You will note the photo shows him signing the pages before they’re bound into the books, so they can’t claim this was a last minute giggle.

  32. Jean Michel Jarre filmed himself signing all the cards for his recent box set so you knew he’d done it. It’s not difficult to set up and something other artists should consider. You even got to see him having his lunch which was funny.
    If Roger had filmed himself and shown to the camera his ‘funny’ signatures then at least the punters who got those one offs would have been chuffed to have received them rather than leaving them confused and agree. I sure Roger will go off now and write a triple album which can be turned into a stage show about this situation now.

  33. As someone who’s a fan of Roger Waters and a collector of autographs, this is worse than the Jimmy Page stamp debacle, in my opinion. If you queued up to meet Page at any of those events, you knew what you were getting beforehand. However, people have forked out top dollar for the Wall box set in the expectation of getting a proper Roger Waters signature, not some joke alternative. Signing with an alternate name is less than useless. If I’d ordered a box set and it wasn’t signed as Roger Waters, I’d be seriously p***ed off and I’d probably send it back for a refund. Why should the majority get a proper autograph and a few people get gypped with him signing a different name? Would Genesis Publications allow any of their similarly-priced books be signed by the relevant artist with a name other than their own? Not a chance.

  34. maybe the people who now have a copy signed as Jimmy Smith, Johnny Dodds or Jelly Lord will be invited for a special meet & greet with Waters and spend an entire day with their hero. Now that would be a nice gesture especially as no letter of authenticity is included in the box which for 500$ is kind of unacceptable. Look at what Genesis Publications has been doing since their launch and for less money!

  35. Everyone does seem very anti-Roger, which is a bit odd, considering how much they love his work, or the Pink Floyd bit of it at least. As mentioned several times already, he has not been known to be a Jolly Roger, so any form of joke from him is most certainly a Collector’s Item, and given the fame this particular set has now achieved, if I was Jim Clarke I would be getting this on sale as soon as I could. There also seems to be a lot of rancour about Roger’s wealth, but he only has that because so many people want what he produces [if these sets brought in $1.5m, that’s only about a couple of concerts for Roger, far less time that he would have spent signing the sets; also, post-Pink Floyd legal settlement, he’s a far lot less rich than David Gilmour is].

  36. It’s all a load of rubbish. Roger Waters the genius is behaving like a lunatic. The Fletcher Memorial….are you having a nice time?

  38. “As a fan, I’d feel particularly stung if I shelled out that kind of cash for a signed, limited edition and the artist in question felt like taking the piss by signing someone else’s name.”

    I agree, these “so called” signed versions should have at the very minimum included a letter of provenance that would legally prove it was Waters who signed it. What was Roger thinking, that people were actually paying $500 just for a few LP’s and cd/bluray disc’s. A total insult to the people who put out their hard earned money over and over only to NOT get what they purchased. Way to piss on the people who made you a multi-millionare Roger….

    1. Well, Roger got upset with Syd’s “Have you got it yet?” song, so his sense of humor seems to be one way only.

      At these prices give the people what you promised. Or instead of “Signed by Roger”, perhaps advertise it as “Written on by Roger”.

  40. There are a few more signed by Roger e.g. with Johnny Dodds and Mr Jelly Lord. All American Jazz legends which he admires. It’s just british humour…

    And he releases just 1,500 instead of 3,000 boxes. Sometimes I am wondering about the lack of knowledge….

      1. You’re correct that’s what the page says, but Martin is correct about the 1,500 sets only been released. They don’t want to lose face and say “Well we couldn’t actually sell the full allotment on pre-sale, so they prefer to keep this info quiet” To be honest it was always going to be a pretty big ask to shift 3,000 at that price, but I think they did well to sell half that, it’s still a good amount.

        What they don’t realize is that they gave the game away when they showed all them wonderful pictures of them building the big wall, you could quite easily work out the amount (the boxes were stacked 15 high X 100 wide) = 1,500, and they definitely didn’t do 2 murals.

  42. I’m sure the alternate names will have value, but for me, I think I’d rather have Roger’s name on there. Just seems more official.

  43. Jelly Roll Morton (Jelly Lord) a famous jazz pianist, now dead

    Jimmy Smith, a famous jazz pianist, now dead

    Johnny Dodds, a famous jazz clarinetist now dead

    The theme is either Jazz, or dead!

  44. There were several knows instances where he has singed these box sets with different names. Love, r with a swooping R seems to be the common way he signed most. There is another one he signed as “Jelly Lord” and Rogers manager did confirm he signed it in a “unique way”.

  46. Rogers managements response to an e mail re the “Lord Jelly” autograph was:

    “Roger’s ‘autograph’ is genuine and what is more, that in the style of signing, it’s totally unique to the limited edition of this package.

    Regards
    Mark Fenwick
    Manager, Roger Waters”

    Its well known that Roger likes his glasses of wine (only after 11am though!), and im sure there were a couple of bottles consumed during the sessions of him signing the front pages of said book. I believe he signed 300 pieces at a time over a few days.

    Heres another one he did signed “Johnny Dodds” !

    http://i64.tinypic.com/30b1jec.jpg

  48. The Wall live shows used to open with a ‘surrogate band’ playing – four people who the audience would assume were Pink Floyd, but weren’t. The real Floyd would appear a little while later. Maybe Waters is sort of continuing that idea.
    It looks like his writing.

  51. In the end, Mr. Waters will probably send this fellow a “correct” signature, or another correctly signed set, and he’ll get to keep the one he already has which has probably already tripled in value.

  52. so let me get this straight – $500 each and all 3,000 sold… (does quick math!)… $1.5m – now thats worth signing as jummy smith!

  55. Paul…please hold your concerns as I have this fully sorted. Jimmy Smith plays cornerback on the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. By definition, a raven (noun) is a large heavily built crow with mainly black plumage, feeding chiefly on carrion. In the case of this raven, Roger Waters, he’s elected to feed on pocket books of Pink Floyd fans. Super Deluxe indeed!

  57. Funny. I figured it was Roger just by the handwriting.

    I will say, the price notwithstanding, these sets do appear to be gorgeous. Which, if nothing else, they absolutely should be.

  59. On a more detached level, it’s kind of funny.

    As a fan, I’d feel particularly stung if I shelled out that kind of cash for a signed, limited edition and the artist in question felt like taking the piss by signing someone else’s name.

    For a guy who has made a career pontificating on human connection and tearing down walls between people, this really just comes off as so much adolescent trolling.

    Oh, and it’s also a real knuckle-dragger of a move to charge $500 and not have the decency to deliver on the promises of the contents of the product.

  63. If officially confirmed (by letter) it was Roger having a giggle – then result! It will be worth a lot of money I guess someday. If it is not confirmed (even by a handwriting expert) then I would be calling my solicitor…. The price was only justified by RW’s signature – not the box set contents. Perhaps hard to prove in law, but in common sense terms a no brainer.

    1. “If officially confirmed (by letter) it was Roger having a giggle – then result!”

      Depends on whether the letter was signed by Roger or Jimmy Smith!

  64. Agree about Dexys thing. Was very odd but I guess some signatures can be very strange indeed.

    I think most folks would reasonably assume signed by Roger Waters would mean they expect to see Roger Waters signature.
    If Roger was asked to sign anything official, then it’d have to be his name, or a recognised signature that is accepted as representing his name. . Can’t see someone else’s name entirely satisfying that condition. Chaos would ensue.
    Funny though.

  65. I actually find this amusing. I know the punter who coughed up $500 for this doesn’t and I don’t mean to add insult to injury but this cracks me up.

      2. Hey DougS, Are you thinking that it is 1500 SDE’s rather than the expected 3000 SDE’s due to the number tag on the box for the set ie: 237/1500 or did you learn that 1500 rather than 3000 SDE box sets were released from some other source?
        I ask because I was curious after seeing that tag which has ×××/1500 on back of mine.
        Thanks for your help

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