# The 1991 song that made Roger Waters feel physically sick: “That affects me”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1991-song-that-made-roger-waters-feel-physically-sick-that-affects-me/
- Published: 2026-07-21T08:35:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-29T05:18:53+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1991-song-that-made-roger-waters-feel-physically-sick/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Waters disliked Marky Mark’s sampling of Lou Reed.
- He felt ‘Wildside’ commercialised a revered song.
- Lou Reed reportedly did not object.

## Summary

Roger Waters said Marky Mark’s 1991 hit ‘Wildside’ made him feel physically sick because it sampled Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’. His reaction reflects his broader objection to sampling when he believes an original work’s character or meaning has been repurposed into a commercial product.

‘Wildside’, released by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, used elements of Reed’s 1972 song, with Reed reportedly accepting the use. Waters nevertheless said the track “turned [his] stomach”, while acknowledging that the songwriter’s approval made his own objection less consequential. The article contrasts this with A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Can I Kick It?’, which it presents as a more sympathetic use of Reed’s music.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.