One of the most bizarre and mysterious publicity stunts/hoaxes/practical jokes ever put on in rock
history. In
short, a series of odd messages started showing up on alt.music.pink-floyd around the
time "The Division Bell" and the subsequent tour was launched. The poster, going by the name of Publius, claimed that he had a message to convey from
Pink Floyd that tied in with the central themes from their newest album. People began assuming that he was actually in some way associated with the band rather than a prankster or joker, although skeptics abounded. It became apparent that the poster was the genuine article when he announced a light display that would be seen during the band's stop in East Rutherford,
New Jersey on July 18 of that year. Surely enough, "Enigma Publius" was seen in a light display during "Keep Talking" that night. Plenty of other displays would follow, all predicted by Publius. The
words "Publius" and "Enigma" would actually show up in the light displays during shows a few more times, including an occasion captured on the "PULSE" video. The band denied having any pre-knowledge of these events, while lighting director Mark Brickman only said that he was told to do certain things to the lights otherwise he would lose his job.
Things became stranger yet as the
words "Enigma" and "Publius" showed up in tiny print on the "Momentary Lapse of Reason" mini-discs released in 1994. There are numerous other odd happenings associated with the Publius Enigma that continued until April
5, 1997. The actual identity of the poster and his relationship, if any, with
Pink Floyd and/or its management remains a mystery to this
day. The
Pink Floyd and Co. website maintains all of the original posts and provides a much more detailed history of the Enigma Publius in the "Us and Them" section of the site.
