In a recent episode of ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ on TalkTV, KISS’ Gene Simmons discussed the negative reception of Roger Waters’ stage show last month in Berlin. The focus of his comments was a defense of the former Pink Floyd vocalist in the wake of the public backlash.
As a Jewish artist, the bassist said:
“Well, first of all, [Roger Waters is] a very talented guy. He’s written some of the most wonderful music, along with [the rest of Pink] Floyd many, many decades [ago]. And it’s obviously held up, and he’s got lots of fans.”
Expressing his views about politics and music, he went on:
“There is something to be said for keeping your political and other beliefs off the stage. His choice is to use the stage as a platform to further his point of view. There is a difference between a political statement about Israel and about anti-Semitism. By the way, anti-Semitism also involves Arabs; the definition of a Semite includes the Arab world.
I think he’s a well-meaning guy. I don’t agree with his point of view, of course… I think he is, from my point of view, inflamed, angry about the political situation — as we all are.”
When it came to Waters’ activism for Palestine, Simmons’ words read:
“The best way to have a discussion or even an argument is find common ground. And then get into the diversions of what you think. So what we agree with — and I’m Israeli and Jewish. My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, and so on and so forth. I’m not saying this to get your heart pumping…
We agree there absolutely should be an Arab state, Palestine — no question about it. It should exist side by side with Israel. There should be free flow of information and commerce and so on. Okay, so it doesn’t exist now. Let’s work together to try to make it happen. So what’s the problem?”
While the KISS bassist defended the former Pink Floyd member, some names from the industry fully disagreed with his views and performances. For example, after he made the headlines following his Berlin concert, David Draiman criticized Waters on Twitter by writing:
“Roger Waters, you are a vile antisemitic coward. You’re a sh-t stain on Pink Floyd’s legacy. Touring the world, spreading trope-filled Jew hatred sprinkled with misogyny. How tragic, pathetic, and sad.”
In addition to these, there is an ongoing dispute between Roger Waters and Polly Samson, David Gilmour’s wife. In fact, Gilmour himself recently got involved in the fight to defend Samson against his former bandmate’s statements about her.
You can read about Samson and Waters’ battle of words here and watch Gene Simmons’ full interview in the video below.
