I was still looking for some media outlet where I could tell the story. It wasn’t just mine to keep to myself. It was a huge deal, and it was apparent that I was to tell what happened and use the lyrics and artwork clues so I’d be believed and get some justice. And I was sure the fans would want to know the story.
I decided to look for David Gilmour’s interviews in rock magazines to see if he’d say anything. Sure enough, he talked about Detroit, the Publius Enigma, and the internet in the 1995 Guitar World magazine article. That’s all I needed to know and where I had to tell the story. It was like a clue from Gilmour himself.
When my family received a complimentary computer from Ford Motor Company, my son hooked it up, and I got busy searching for the Publius Enigma. That’s when I learned that on June 11, 1994, a user of the anonymous Penet remailer service posted the following message to the Usenet Newsgroup for Pink Floyd fans (which is now defunct).
(It was 1995, and the Internet had a worldwide user base of less than 40 million. The Internet user base of today is 50 times larger.)
>>>>>>>> T H E M E S S A G E <<<<<<<<
My friends,
You have heard the message Pink Floyd has delivered,but have you listened?
Perhaps I can be your guide, but I will not solve the enigma for you.
All of you must open your minds and communicate with each other, as this is the only way, the answers can be revealed.
I may help you, but only if obstacles arise.
Listen.
Read.
Think.
Communicate.
If I don’t promise you the answers would you go.
Publius
———
Pink Floyd was still on tour while Publius was posting on the internet to the newsgroup. Fans were very skeptical and kept posting, asking him or her who they were. I knew immediately that no one within the Pink Floyd camp could ever reveal their name since they were giving clues about The Division Bell. I knew Publius had to be someone connected to the band or the band members themselves because the Publius clues were very closely tied to the tour guide artwork, which revealed my location. Publius posted about 22 messages to the newsgroup. But there were also fraudulent Publius messages that were sent from a different place from the original. After that, the true Publius stopped posting to the newsgroup. He posted on and off for about three years.
Below are more of the original posts that reveal the most important clues. All of the other Publius messages are on the internet.
A message from Publius posted July 8, 1994:
AS SOME OF YOU HAVE SUSPECTED, “The Division Bell” is not like its predecessors. Although all great music is subject to multiple interpretations, in this case there is a central purpose and a designed solution. For the ingenious person (or group of persons) who recognizes this – and where this information points to – a unique prize has been secreted.
How and Where?
The Division Bell
Listen again
Look again
As your thoughts will steer you
Leading the blind while I stared out the steel in your eyes
Lyrics, artwork and music will take you there
FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, I have watched and found that you have speculated on one level on meanings. However, no one among you has yet discovered the beginnings of what has always been there and the unusual challenge that has been included. So now I have been given a task — as your “guide” — to begin pointing you in the right direction.
LET ME BE CLEAR: For those of you willing to think through this perplexing and intricate problem, a singular prize awaits. But, the challenge is accompanied by a particularly complex solution. For those of you who choose to ignore or even ridicule this posting, it is your loss. It will be your own skepticism that precludes you from participating.
If you choose to discuss your progress openly on this forum, I will be able to help steer you from time to time.
CAREFULLY REVIEW my previous messages and this very posting for additional help and a place to begin.
Best of luck.
– Publius
When I first signed onto the newsgroup in ‘95, I chose the username “thesun” because of the sun’s importance to the album concept. When I read that Publius had posted that The Division Bell had a central theme and purpose, I knew for sure its purpose. But I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to play the enigma game along with fans. I didn’t think that I had to. I already knew the story.
The Enigma was obviously set up to get fans worldwide to communicate with each other and to decipher the clues by offering them a prize which would bring even more fans and more interest. For me, it was a place I could tell the story. I already knew there were clues in the artwork that went along with the story. I could interpret the clues in the lyrics and in the artwork in the CD booklet before I ever heard of Publius. But there were more clues that I didn’t know about. And the clues in the Publius posts helped me to find them.
In the first few messages Publius wrote, “Perhaps I can be your guide.” And in another post, “and where this information points to.” Then Publius put the two ideas together and wrote:
So now I have been given a task — as your
“guide” — to begin pointing you in the right direction”
In The Division Bell tour guide for North America, there is a page with a list of cities from the tour, if you hold that page up to the light, the cape from the other side points to the IT from the word DETROIT.
That clue led me back to the Gilmour Guitar World magazine article (see below) where the words on the page are written, “i know nothing whatsoever of this Publius character, i know people are hunting for something but i don’t know what it is”. And right underneath the words “it is” is the word Detroit.
An editor had to have planted the clue on the magazine’s page for it to end up like that. So the man with the pointed cape in the tour guide stands directly between the letters I and T in the word DETROIT when you hold the cities page up to the light.
Putting it together, you have the Publius clues of “guide” and “points to,” the tour guide page points to the letters IT from DETROIT and the magazine article clue showing “it is Detroit.” All these clues are connected. It’s an obvious “it is Detroit” answer to those clues.
So, from those clues alone, it’s evident that Publius was someone connected to the band or a band member themselves. I’m from Detroit, and I’ve always known the story. I felt it was up to fans to find the clues and then believe in me.
Earlier in my story, I wrote about the boxing glove representing the glove shaped Michigan. Now I’m showing how artwork and a Publius clue points to it.
The Publius clue “Let me help by pointing out that there is another physical location”. In The Division Bell CD booklet on the page with the boxing gloves, if you hold that page up to the light, you see a point from a cape on the other side. It’s on the right-handed glove on the left and it covers the 3 ties. Most fans said that the three ties represented the 3 members of Pink Floyd at the time. I say that the clue means that Pink Floyd has ties to the “Right One” in Michigan. “Right One” are lyrics in
“Lost for Words” which is the song the boxing gloves artwork is for.
Many words in Publius posts were automobile related clues, directing them to Detroit, the auto capital. The clues are steer, steel and crank.
But fans were looking for a more scientific, mathematical type answer. Gilmour knew I wasn’t college educated from my letter writing, so that’s why the clues were so simple. So simple that they were overlooked, even by myself at the time.
Then I read that Publius posted on July 16, 1994, the day after the Pink Floyd concert I attended. Publius posted this to the newsgroup:
To validate the trust of those who believe, as well as
to reconcile the doubt of others, I have gone to great
lengths to plan the following display of communication:
Monday, July 18 East Rutherford, New Jersey
Approximately 10:30pm
Flashing white lights.
There is an enigma.
Trust.
On the night of July 18, 1994, patterns in the lights on the front of the stage at the Pink Floyd concert in East Rutherford momentarily spelled out the words ENIGMA PUBLIUS.
When I first saw the photo from the concert, I thought that sort of looks like DENI which is part of my name Denise. It looked like a D before the eni of enigma. Instead of the usual Publius Enigma, whoever arranged it in the lighting, put Enigma Publius.
Then Publius wrote “another unusual and conclusive signal is being prepared to validate your trust!” And on Oct 20, 1994,at the beginning of “Another Brick in the Wall part 2”, the word ENIGMA appeared on the screen behind the band.
The 2nd photo is from the P*U*L*S*E 1995 video however, the word ENIGMA had been altered from the original with additional pen markings.
3rd is from a different 1994 Earl’s court concert in London.
4th is from PULSE re-edited in 2020
I only wanted to tell the story somewhere, and I felt directed to the newsgroup by Gilmour himself. So I started to tell it as best I could. But putting it all in several long paragraphs wasn’t easy and it didn’t go well at all. I was excited to tell what happened and finally get justice for the awful things I was put through. But fans mocked and bullied me horribly and called me sick dirty names and kept saying that I was crazy over and over.
It was awful considering that I had just been through a devastating ordeal and I got through it all on my own by being strong minded and with the help of music.
– – –
More clues that referred to the word DETROIT in the tour guide and the cape on the other side pointing to the letters IT at the end came from Pink Floyd’s then-manager Steve O’Rourke. I believe it was about 1995 when Steve was interviewed by a member of the newsgroup regarding the Enigma.
He was asked, “Do you know of any “puzzle” at all? Steve O’Rourke answered, “I’m sure someone will get to it at the end.” When asked about the enigma again, he replied, “I’m sure, I’m sure that someone will get somewhere at the end of it.” Then he was asked, “At the end of it?” And he replied, “Yes, I’m sure someone will. And then later, Steve said, “I am sure there is something at the end of it.”
I knew that he couldn’t say anything too direct, but he repeatedly gave a clue about the Detroit clue. His very simple words as clues went unnoticed by fans. IT is at the end of DETROIT, and that’s what he was hinting about so many times.
Pink Floyd fans that were discussing the Enigma in the newsgroup weren’t sure if the 1987 album A Momentary Lapse of Reason was connected to The Division Bell concept, but it sure seemed like it was to me, and I was curious to know. It was recorded primarily on Gilmour’s converted houseboat, Astoria, where The Division Bell was also recorded. It was digitally remastered and re-released in 1994.
In the artwork for the 1994 MiniDisc release of A Momentary Lapse of Reason (or AMLOR), the word “PUBLIUS” was inserted into the photo of the man in the rye field. The word “ENIGMA” appears in the lower corner of the picture of the man standing on the edge of the cliff. (see below a bit difficult to see clearly).
The images without the words inserted are from the official promo video for “Learning to Fly,” a song from AMLOR album.
Most of the music and videos from 1987 – 2019 were remixed and re-released for the 2019 Pink Floyd The Later Years, a massive boxset of music, videos, and artwork. I didn’t buy it, though, so I don’t know if there are more clues in the artwork. Maybe fans should look. Fans did find a Publius Enigma clue in “The Endless River” film by Ian Emes that was included. Most letters are altered to make them more enigmatic. Strangely, the image of the man looks a bit like David Gilmour himself looking down at the altered word Publius.
For myself and many fans, the song “Sorrow” is the best track on AMLOR. It’s a song that Gilmour has included at most all of his concerts throughout the years. It’s always a powerful performance. In the PULSE (restored and re-edited) video, there is an enigma clue on the screen in smoke that fans found. It’s what they referred to as the “ruins” or “pillars” clue. In the original PULSE video fans saw the smoke/ruins clue shown on the screen. It’s shown much longer than the re-edited version, which is only shown for a second, but it was highlighted. see below
“Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky”
So for the words “Publius Enigma” to be added into the artwork of AMLOR and enigma clues in the PULSE video during the song “Sorrow,” it’s a clue that the two album concepts could be connected.
Also found in the official Pink Floyd video for the song “Take it Back” are mysterious ruins shown like a mirage. They appear then fade out during the song lyrics, “All of this temptation it all turned my faith to lies.”
But what does the clue of the ruins/pillars represent? When I saw them, I knew I was being directed to tell the following story, so people would know what else happened to me…
The Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP) documentary Welcome Back includes footage of their 1992-93 Black Moon Tour. The stage backdrop for the tour had artwork of ancient pillars from ruins, and white and red lighting would shine on them. An image of a skull and crossbones was shown between the pillars, and it grew larger and larger as the camera zoomed in on it during their song “Pirates.” It was frightening.
Other footage in the documentary shows their concert at Verona Arena in Italy. And Greg Lake is standing on the supposed balcony of the house in Verona that is marked to have belonged to Juliet. Of course, it’s just a fantasy tourist trap.
The ELP film has a definite Romeo and Juliet theme to it. ELP’s Black Moon album has an instrumental based on Prokofiev’s “Romeo & Juliet Dance of the Knights.” Both have a sinister villain vibe and are not romantic at all, and are almost terrifying. I only listened to it because of its title, then quickly turned it off because it was so weird. It’s even creepier that I’m in that ELP documentary shown talking to and seated next to the villain himself, Carl Palmer.
The way ELP used the Romeo and Juliet theme to haunt me was just plain evil. I wasn’t even going to mention it because it still haunts me to recall it.
When I knew Carl, we’d act out parts of Romeo and Juliet. He resembled the actor in the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film adaptations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I had the extra long brown hair.
The movie had been televised after I met Carl and watching it, I couldn’t help but see some similarities. I’d watch him play from the side of the stage high up on the fire escape steps, and he knew that. The stage curtains where he kissed me reminded me of the scene where Juliet says, “And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss,” then Romeo kisses her. Carl’s last name is Palmer.
When we were alone together, I held his hand and tried reading his palm, and commented on his lifeline. We put our hands together, palm to palm. And I talked about watching him from above on the balcony. For me, it was very romantic. I was 19 years old, and he was 20 when we first met.
In 1993 I thought Carl was returning like it was fate, and it was very romantic! It had been 20 years since I left in ‘73; it was like Juliet’s words, “Tis twenty years till then.” But when he wouldn’t talk to me, it all seemed tragic, as if I’d never see him again. He knew what Romeo and Juliet meant to me and the way I connected us to the film. He knew he resembled the actor.
This was all part of the emotional abuse he caused me. The backdrop pillars for the ELP concert looked like the pillars in Juliet’s tomb. Since I thought I’d never see him again, I felt like stabbing myself just like Juliet stabs herself between the pillars in the tomb. Then I thought Carl would be sorry if I were dead. Watching the movie Romeo and Juliet again after so many years didn’t help either; I fell into their trap. It all had a sweet smell, but it was great sorrow. The song “Sorrow” helps to explain it, even though it was written in 1987. A Momentary Lapse of Reason seems like part one of The Division Bell. I hope to know for sure one day.
What I didn’t know was that’s exactly what Carl wanted me to do to myself. He wanted me out of the way because I knew too much, and he was afraid I’d tell. Like I explained earlier, I was emotionally abused, haunted, and stalked. Writing this part makes my whole body shake just thinking about it all again. I hope this is the last time I need to recall it and then put it out of my mind forever.
****
It was a very evil thing some musicians did to me, mostly Emerson, Lake & Palmer, John Wetton, Jon Anderson, Sting, maybe a few more.
Sting wrote “Fields of Gold” about my romantic night. He even said the song was about other people. I fell into Carl’s arms as my hair came down all around. It was like a promise that in the day’s still left, we’d be together. It was a lie. Sting also wrote about how Carl and I first met in his song “De do do do.” I explained how we met in an early chapter. It’s just as it happened. And my initials then were DO and the first two letters of my name are De. He ripped me off. He took the words right from my mouth,
Sting’s song “Fragile” has much the same melody as the ELP song C’est la vie and has a slightly faster tempo and different lyrics. Sting released his song “Fragile” in 1988, 10 years after ELP released “C’est la vie” in 1977, another love song lie.
Keith Emerson and Greg Lake died in 2016, and John Wetton in 2017. It’s too bad because I enjoyed their music at one time.
The Division Bell lyrics and artwork, clues from concerts and interviews, help me tell my story, so I’ll be believed.
———
Today is a great day for freedom…
In an Aug 13, 1994 post, Publius wrote, “Why would the Newspaper be crumpled?” That clue refers to the artwork for “A Great Day for Freedom”in the lyric booklet page with the crumpled newspaper on sticks. The answer to the question is To start a fire.
Carl Palmer’s big career started with the song “Fire” when he played with the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. His band’s song lyrics coincidentally tell what he should get for what he did to me. “Fire, to destroy all you’ve done, Fire to end all you’ve become.” That’s his karma coming back.
Publius also wrote, “There is great significance in the page numbers.”
When I first saw page ELF ELF (the elf is German for 11, the number is shown twice), I had to laugh because it was like the letters ELP, but the P was replaced with an F. I thought, well, that letter sure tells Palmer’s secret. I always thought Carl was different. It’s what Brits call a cigarette, a Fag.
But who or what does the other ELF represent? Jon Anderson of the band YES considers himself to be an elf. Fans know that already, so it’s not news.
But why are the letters ELF and ELF on silhouettes that are back to back as if they can’t be seen facing each other? Are they a secret couple? Is that an even bigger secret? below On the other side of that page is a strange-looking door. So they’re behind the door or in the closet? I thought, wow, Pink Floyd is giving me real inside information now! The lady, me, sees and knows. I think I already explained who the guy in the tv represents, it’s Carl from the Asia in Moscow video at the end.
I’m not homophobic. I had many gay friends. My girlfriends and I even hung out at a gay bar when we were tired of straight guys bothering us at bars. We just wanted to dance and have drinks without being bothered.
Carl Palmer and Jon Anderson performed together on stage at an award show several years ago. Then they had a photo taken of themselves standing very closely together, smiling like the rats they are. That was obviously all a PR move contrived to create a false impression and fool the fans and make anything else seem like a lie. Fans usually believe in what they see because that’s all they can go by. Fans might say that if they had a secret, they wouldn’t be standing so closely. Carl created a false image to fool the fans. It was a bold move, but their plan didn’t fool me. And then Carl performed with Arthur Brown recently, too, to cover up anything I would say.
Maybe Pink Floyd fans will see why no one can say anything about the enigma until I get the story out. Some of it is explosive. I was given these clues to tell for justice. Musicians know each other’s secrets behind the scenes, and fans don’t.
Telling the story and having it read by as many fans as possible is the way I get justice. David Gilmour and his musicians and friends helped me with lyrics and clues to tell it so I’d be believed. They helped me speak about the ELF ELF or 11:11, even further with even more essential clues.
Pink Floyd fans found these clues:
On June 11, 1994, Publius made his first enigma post to the Pink Floyd newsgroup. Eleven years later, on June 11, 2005, Roger, David, Nick, and Rick agreed to reunite as Pink Floyd for the Live 8 Concert. During the broadcast (and as seen on the Live 8 DVD), the band took the stage just shortly after 11:00 pm, and by 11:11, Pink Floyd was playing together as a four-man lineup for the first time in twenty-four years.
If you go to The Official Pink Floyd youtube channel and see the restored and re-edited video for the song “Sorrow” from PULSE, you will see Rick Wright, and the video is precisely 11:11 minutes long. It is a great thumbnail they chose, as though he’s reaching towards the numbers as guidance, helping me tell my story.
In an Oct 16, 1994 post, Publius wrote, “There is much more to this enigma than just a castle and field in England!”
The artwork on the cover of The Division Bell shows Ely Cathedral. I knew it represented a particular castle owned by Sting when I first saw it. And the field represents his song “Fields of Gold.” The messenger Publius referred to the cathedral as a castle just like I always did.
So why was Sting helping Carl and Jon Anderson to get rid of me? That should be obvious from my story. Carl gave Sting my words years ago for his songs. Then later, he continued to help Carl to hurt me so that I couldn’t tell about it. They tried to silence me in any way they could.
They’d better Run like Hell now!!!
Chapter 12 next …Publius/Genesis Clues and answers, the Key in the Time video during Pulse, the Mirror ball eye S Sharpe eye clue…and Carl stalks me again even after the Division Bell, the I hear Leave Virginia alone by Rod Stewart written by Tom Petty.
Publius Enigma Solved 