Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters appeared on the latest episode of the System Update podcast and talked politics. The rocker shared whether or not he regrets his controversial statements.
During the discussion about politics, the host asked whether or not he ever thought that getting into political and controversial conversations with people would endanger his career. The rocker mentioned a few comments he got about one of his controversial acts and said:
“They almost got to me recently this year when I was 79 years old thinking about ‘Oh my God, can I wear the leather coat or not? Will they cut my balls off and feed them to the wolves?’ And I’ll be a homeless old man shivering in a f*cking blanket by the road. They’re scary, because they’re so vicious. And they will stop absolutely nothing.”
When asked if he regrets anything controversial he said before, he made his decision clear with the following words:
“No. No, because I actually said this to the people this morning in the meeting, I don’t know if they got it or not. Every year, I make the same year’s resolution I have done for maybe ten years or so. Because I finally figured out what it is, and it is this: I resolve for the forthcoming year, I’m going to carry on doing the best I can. […] [People say,] ‘You have to do your best!’ No, you don’t. You have to do the best you can.”
Waters’ ‘Nazi-Style’ Costume Caused Investigations
The rocker has been performing solo for many years now, one of which almost caused him to get canceled. For his show in Berlin in May this year, the rocker wore a leather jacket that was referred to as a ‘Nazi-style costume’ by many. The outfit included a swastika-like emblem made of two crossed hammers – iconography that also appeared on costumes in a film based on Pink Floyd’s hit 1979 album ‘The Wall.’
While his fans and followers on social media defended him, Berlin police started an investigation after Waters appeared in the costume. Following the investigation, Waters shared a statement that wrote:
“My recent performance in Berlin has attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles.”
Accusations of Antisemitism
The rocker has a long history of controversy and one of the latest ones of them includes antisemitism. The claims were made clear in a recently released documentary, ‘The Dark Side of Roger Waters.’ Making up a song, he used the slur ‘f*cking Jew’ to refer to his agent. In addition, saxophonist Norbert Stachel claimed that Waters once angrily pushed away a dish served to him in a Lebanese restaurant.
After the accusations, he was banned from speaking at a panel discussion for the Palestine Writes Literature Festival in which he was supposed to take place.
So, even if he is facing consequences for his acts and opinions, it doesn’t seem like Waters will stay silent and will continue to share his true opinions.
You can watch the interview here.
