At least, that’s the impression one gets from his interview with CNN today, in which he claims, among other things, that Russia is only invading Ukraine to defend itself from NATO aggression, that Joe Biden is a war criminal for not encouraging Zelensky to capitulate, and that the US deserves no credit for winning WWII because the Soviets had already won the war by the time they joined, and the US would do the same thing Russia is doing if Russia put missiles on our borders. (Gee, I coulda sworn there was some precedent for what we’d do in that case that didn’t involve invasion and genocide.)
I gotta say, I’m getting pretty tired of my favorite classic rock legends turning into mush-brained boomers. I certainly didn’t expect someone so anti-war, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-fascism as the guy who wrote The Wall to decide “actually Russia and Putin are just A-OK in my book”.
Yeah, the list of musicians I should probably now be boycotting is getting depressingly long. I wonder how Roger Waters felt about this recent video released on the Pink Floyd official channel:
Well, even though I’ve enjoyed his music, I’ve never really thought of Roger as a deep thinker on matters of geopolitical importance. Really, I can think of very few rock stars (or anyone else in the entertainment industry) who I would consider even near being a reliable source of opinions on such matters. It’s not really what they studied to be an expert on, and I personally am bewildered by anyone thinking they have worthwhile things to say on such matters.
So, in general: if they agree with me, meh. I might get a good song out of it. If they disagree, meh. I still might get a good song out of it.
I mean, even if one can write a good song on a subject, it doesn’t mean that you can coherently express those same ideas in a conversation or that when you flesh out the ideas that make a good song they won’t amount to the ramblings of an idiot with no useful purpose in real life. They might be able to hold up their end of the conversation, but they’re different skills. If a painter could just write a text message and communicate the same idea they could in a painting, they’d start off writing the message. They might also later do the painting, but most messages take far less time and effort than most paintings.
Two friends of mine went to see him in Tennessee and more recently here in Milwaukee. They said he droned on and on about political stuff including a lot about Reagan. The man has been dead for almost 20 years and hasn’t been POTUS for over 30.
Even though they’re smart fellers, I’ve had my moments where I’ve been disappointed in both. More Tom than Henry, but none of us bat 1000. Heck, the people who actually study governing a people and international relations are lucky to bat 300, metaphorically.
Do I want them commenting on how their society is run? Absolutely! Do I think it provides value, and I need to consider them? Sure, but I’m not going to follow them without thought. Do I think they need to be given power so they can implement their ideas in policy? Nah, not really.
No reason to imagine that any artist will be a great or well-rounded human being.
I mean, come on, anyone paying attention to his lyrics will always have known he is a very damaged and angry person.
He’s an environmentalist, an advocate for small farmers, and started a school for children with severe physical and verbal impairments. He also tried to boycott Spotify for carrying Joe Rogan and his antivax misinformation.
I LOVE Pink Floyd so much! This disheartens me, because I fear GOP candidates will use Floyd songs for campaign themes. (Waiting for the Worms comes to mind…)
But fuck him. Great music or not, he’s a multi-millionaire drug addict who gained fortune on the lifestyle. Celebrities and politics NEVER mix.
Specifically, it’s a label for left-wing apologists for authoritarian regimes, originally referring to British Communists who supported the Soviet use of force to quash liberal movements in Hungary and Czechslovakia.
It’s a fitting epithet for a guy who seems to think Stalin and Putin were/are the good guys and Roosevelt, Biden, and Zelensky weren’t/aren’t.
I saw Ian Anderson perform the long awaited sequel to Thick as a Brick and during the intermission they did a little stage play underlining the importance of having your prostate exam. There’s a guy who knows his demographic. Great show, no politics, and some sound medical advice.
It would have even been musically apt had he instead been performing the Passion Play album and inserted this play instead of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles.
The anti-establishment hippie thing hasn’t been fashionable since 1969, and the US quagmire in Vietnam gave it some validity, but that’s been over since 1973. I guess Roger didn’t get the memo. He seems to have been on anti-establishment autopilot for the past half century.
