This feels like it was inevitable, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has entered the chat. And by chat, I mean the discourse surrounding Disturbed vocalist David Draiman and his comments about Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza on Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan’s podcastThe Magnificent Others With Billy Corgan. Let’s just say, Waters has some feelings about what was said.
In a post on social media, Waters shared an “open letter” to Corgan in which he responded to the shots Draiman fired his way in the podcast. In his statement, he claimed to not know who Draiman was (what a privileged life he leads) before the show went live this past Wednesday, but felt the need to respond upon hearing what was said. For context, here’s Waters’ “open letter” in full:
Dear Billy Corgan,
How are you? It’s been too long. @davidmdraiman Someone forwarded me this chap’s appearance on your podcast. I’d never heard of him. Anyway, it turns out he has heard of me. It seems he has a problem with me standing up for human rights, particularly the human rights of my brothers and sisters in Gaza who are being slaughtered in a genocide by the armed forces of the Nazi racist, pariah state of Israel. You, being the lovely fella you are gave this little piece of shit a chance to clarify or even modify his position. He did. He is a psychotic racist Nazi pig.
I’m told, Billy, he writes messages on bombs before the IDF drops them on civilians in Gaza. Enough said. I will continue to work with all my brothers and sisters all over the world in the movement to demand equal human rights for all human beings, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity or nationality. If you, my friend are wondering if I want a conversation with this obnoxious little prick? The answer is non merci Billy, life’s too short, he can inhabit his tiny corner of hell without the benefit of my love and truth.
Love
R.PS.
@Disturbed? ????????Er? Yeah! Just a bit!
“Psychotic racist Nazi pig”? Damn, Roger tell us how you really feel. Truth be told, Rogers’ stance shouldn’t surprise anyone. He regularly gets in fights over this topic online, including a tiff he had with Sharon Osbourne where he called her a “raging Zionist” and a part of the “Israeli lobby”. Dude is passionate about the topic of human rights and the like. (Though he can be an asshole about plenty of shit, too.)
For a while now, Disturbed vocalist David Draiman’s painted a target on his and his band’s back for his defense of Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza and the Middle Eastern region as a whole. He’s gone to bat for all the disgusting human rights violations they’ve committed, he’s vomited forth Israeli talking points like a good agent of the state, and he’s attacked anyone that’s either criticized the IDF’s actions or his own statements on the matter.
I’m not going to go too in depth about this whole conflict, since I went hard in the paint in yesterday’s post about Draiman’s time on Corgan’s podcast. Just know that Draiman said he felt “compassion” for the Palestinians even though he’s been pictured signing munitions that likely went on to be used to kill civilians.
Either way, I’m sure this situation involving Roger Waters and David Draiman isn’t over. Neither dude seems to be able to ignore a potential fight over this topic, so I expect we’ll hear something from Draiman soon enough…