The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released as a double album on 30 November 1979 in the United Kingdom by Harvest Records and in the United States by Columbia Records. Bassist and songwriter Roger Waters conceived the album as a rock opera during Pink Floyd's 1977 In the Flesh Tour, when he became so frustrated with the audience that he spat on them. Its story explores Pink, a jaded rockstar character that Waters modeled after himself and the band's original leader Syd Barrett. Pink's life begins with the loss of his father during the Second World War and continues with abuse from his schoolteachers, an overprotective mother, and the breakdown of his marriage; all contribute to his eventual self-imposed isolation from society, symbolised by a wall. The band, who were then struggling with personal and financial difficulties, supported the idea. Recording lasted from December 1978 to November 1979, with stops in France, England, New York, and Los Angeles. Waters enlisted Canadian producer Bob Ezrin, who helped refine the concept and bridge band tensions. Keyboardist Richard Wright was fired by Waters during production, but stayed as a salaried musician, making The Wall the last album recorded with Waters, Wright, guitarist David Gilmour, and drummer Nick Mason, a lineup which had spanned 11 years. From 1980 to 1981, Pink Floyd staged The Wall as a live tour in support of the album featuring elaborate theatrical effects.