Roger upsets a whole nation

[BertWW96]

Nowhere in his body of work there's the faintest suggestion that he would have any right-wing leanings...

Body of work - no; political statements - well...when you vocally support a group that has openly (albeit wildly ineffectively) waged genocide against Israel since 5 seconds after WWII and 5 seconds before the country opened its doors, observers are bound to make the connection...

[mastaflatch]

Nowhere in his body of work there's the faintest suggestion that he would have any right-wing leanings...

Body of work - no; political statements - well...when you vocally support a group that has openly (albeit wildly ineffectively) waged genocide against Israel since 5 seconds after WWII and 5 seconds before the country opened its doors, observers are bound to make the connection...

I don't think that Waters is pro-Hamas. However, like a lot of people, he's aware of the obscene difference in human casualties between Israelis and Palestinians. I also think that he thinks that religions are mass-control weapons, no matter which and that we'd all be better off with philosophy through education.

[Bigmanpigman]

Roger's rants, ravings, and lectures, particularly those to fellow artists, have left me cold, even though I may agree with many of the underlying beliefs. He would have been an absolutely useless politician, as he doesn't pick his words carefully. He has appeared to many, particularly in America, to be anti-Semitic. I would say FFS shut the fuck up Roger. Put the words in your lyrics if you like but stay out of areas where you have absolutely zero skills.

[mastaflatch]

Roger's rants, ravings, and lectures, particularly those to fellow artists, have left me cold, even though I may agree with many of the underlying beliefs. He would have been an absolutely useless politician, as he doesn't pick his words carefully. He has appeared to many, particularly in America, to be anti-Semitic. I would say FFS shut the fuck up Roger. Put the words in your lyrics if you like but stay out of areas where you have absolutely zero skills.

I get that. But he's precisely not a politician and in that aspect, he can use the language he wants and ruff the feathers of those who will disagree and expect them not to buy his albums and tickets but artists are the most forward-looking advocates/torch-bearers of freedom of speech - I mean true artists. That's also the best part: we can disagree with him and we're free to express that disagreement but FFS we do not have the right to tell him to shut up. Oops, we have the right to but doing so would be bordeline hypocritical/schizophrenic especially regarding the subject matter Waters tackles with.

Also, one shouldn't look up to rock stars for political education. In that field though, Waters is one of the few that speak up and I personnally think that he doesn't come off like an idiot at all when he does.

[Kerry King]

I mean true artists

Whatever "true artist" is supposed to mean one thing seems obvious: An artist creates. And they keep creating until they die. Making pronouncements about hopeless political situations is not artwork.

[Hudini]

Earlier on this topic someone mentioned Neil Young; nowadays he is probably the best example of an artist also being an advocate for a cause at the same time. While he's keeping himself very busy promoting organic agriculture and lobbying against GMO food production (which is arguably a more important cause globally than peace in Palestine), he's also constantly writing, recording and performing new music. In the last 20 years, Waters has written about a dozen songs (out of which only a handful were recorded with a full band) while Young produced about a dozen albums. That gives Young a much greater credibility as an artist, while Waters should be best described as a semi-retired songwriter who desperately tries to make himself credible as a political advocate. In my opinion, his political messages hit the hardest while he still relied on music to convey them and accordingly made efforts to create good music with thoughtful lyrics, but ever since 'Each Small Candle' all of his music sounds the same and all of his lyrics are banal and shallow. He should really get a grip and finally record something worthwhile before he becomes a mere caricature of his former self.

[Bigmanpigman]

Former Floyd man says musicians are scared to speak out against the country in case they’re accused of being anti-semitic


Roger Waters has taken aim at artists for not speaking out against Israel.


The former Pink Floyd man supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement – a human rights cause set up to “end Israel's occupation, racial discrimination and denial of basic Palestinian rights.”

And Waters says the majority of artists are scared to join him in his views on Israel as they’re scared of being branded anti-semitic.

He tells the Independent: “The only response to BDS is that it is anti-semitic. I know this because I have been accused of being a Nazi and an anti-semite for the past 10 years.

“My industry has been particularly recalcitrant in even raising a voice against Israel. There’s me and Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, Manic Street Preachers, one or two others, but there’s nobody in the US where I live. I’ve talked to a lot of them, and they are scared shitless."

He continues: “If they say something in public they will no longer have a career. They will be destroyed. I’m hoping to encourage some of them to stop being frightened and to stand up and be counted, because we need them.

“We need them desperately in this conversation in the same way we needed musicians to join protesters over Vietnam.”

Waters planned to play a show in Tel Aviv in 2006 but switched it to Neve Shalom, an Arab/Israeli peace village after speaking to Palestinian artists and protestors. But as tickets to the event had already sold out, the audience was entirely Jewish Israeli – something Waters called “uncomfortable.”

He adds: “It was very strange performing to a completely segregated audience because there were no Palestinians there. There were just 60,000 Jewish Israelis, who could not have been more welcoming, nice and loyal to Pink Floyd. Nevertheless, it left an uncomfortable feeling.”

Last year, Waters and Nick Mason called upon the Rolling Stones to cancel their plans to perform in Israel.

The pair said in a statement: “If you wouldn’t play Sun City back in the day – as you, the Rolling Stones, did not – then don’t play Tel Aviv until such time as freedom reigns for all and equal rights is the law of the land."

[Jimi Dean Barrett]

https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2016/ ... -millions/

He don't need no
American Express sponsorship!

[Follix]

He might not ''need'' it I am pretty sure he'd rather have it.

[TrumpScump]

"We're going to find out where you fans really stand." I'm glad Roger's political views equal mine. It would be shame for me if he was like ZZ Top or Lynyrd Skynyrd. I can't listen to deeply republican bands anymore.

[moodyblue]

I get that. But he's precisely not a politician and in that aspect, he can use the language he wants and ruff the feathers of those who will disagree and expect them not to buy his albums and tickets but artists are the most forward-looking advocates/torch-bearers of freedom of speech - I mean true artists. That's also the best part: we can disagree with him and we're free to express that disagreement but FFS we do not have the right to tell him to shut up. Oops, we have the right to but doing so would be bordeline hypocritical/schizophrenic especially regarding the subject matter Waters tackles with.

Also, one shouldn't look up to rock stars for political education. In that field though, Waters is one of the few that speak up and I personnally think that he doesn't come off like an idiot at all when he does.

One thing that pees me right off is being lectured to by some 'rock star' such as Waters ramming his opinion down my throat when I have actually paid for a concert and entertainment, not some personal political viewpoint.

[kjek1]

I get that. But he's precisely not a politician and in that aspect, he can use the language he wants and ruff the feathers of those who will disagree and expect them not to buy his albums and tickets but artists are the most forward-looking advocates/torch-bearers of freedom of speech - I mean true artists. That's also the best part: we can disagree with him and we're free to express that disagreement but FFS we do not have the right to tell him to shut up. Oops, we have the right to but doing so would be bordeline hypocritical/schizophrenic especially regarding the subject matter Waters tackles with.

Also, one shouldn't look up to rock stars for political education. In that field though, Waters is one of the few that speak up and I personnally think that he doesn't come off like an idiot at all when he does.

One thing that pees me right off is being lectured to by some 'rock star' such as Waters ramming his opinion down my throat when I have actually paid for a concert and entertainment, not some personal political viewpoint.

While I understand that, he's always written politically charged songs, so if you go to a Waters gig you really can't complain , because he's known for it.

[danielcaux]

One thing that pees me right off is being lectured to by some 'rock star' such as Waters ramming his opinion down my throat when I have actually paid for a concert and entertainment, not some personal political viewpoint.

Too bad Waters and most other artists don't see themselves as your personal court jester.

You pay to see an artist show = you get to see the artist show. That's the deal. If you don't like what the artist has to show, then don't pay for it. It's really that simple.

[The Stone]

I could see why people might not want to hear him blathering about Trump or Palestine or what have you, but I think that these are the kinds of things we should expect from Roger. He's always been going around shouting his ideals and opinions since 1977 and if forty years hasn't stopped him, nothing will. And that relates to his shows as well. It's very typical of Roger to tag some socio-political message onto his tours, just look at the last few! Just seems very normal of him to do.

[danielcaux]

The really sad thing is that some people actually see art as just entertainment. Reduced to entertainment, art is rendered as nothing more than escapism, a quite useful tool for mass alienation.

Oh well, whatever. I guess we should just let the masses be amused to death, while they give their money away.