Music industry comfortably numb to Roger Waters’ bigotry

[Bennyboy]

As a life-long fan of music, especially rock, it pains me that I’ve stopped listening to Pink Floyd. But the misguided geopolitical musings of Roger Waters on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and his stubborn insistence that all artists join him in a cultural boycott of Israel, don’t leave me much choice.

I’ve always vehemently disagreed with Waters’ boycott approach and his views on Israel, but didn’t feel that should stop me from enjoying the works of a band that’s meant so much to rock history.

But he’s taken it to new extremes. His recent interview with Frank Barat of Counterpunch makes it clear that Roger Waters isn’t just wrong on Israeli-Palestinian issues, he’s trading in classic anti-Semitic stereotypes.

http://nypost.com/2014/02/16/music-industry-comfortably-numb-to-roger-waters-bigotry/

innaresting.

[mike_c]

1. I've never understood people who willingly deprive themselves of beauty...

...because they disagree with some other aspect of an artist's life. I presume it's associational, I mean, whenever they hear the artist or see their work they are reminded of the differences between themselves and the artist, rather than celebrating the similarities that make us all capable of recognizing beauty.

Except for Justin Bieber, of course. He just sucks.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. I don't know. I'm a big fan of blues traveler....

.... And John Popper does a great version of No Woman no Cry. In fact I have saved on my computer a version sung with Ziggy Marley - absolutely beautiful. Anyway I find out John Popper is a right wing douche bag gun nut who actually made the statement " I used to be a liberal and then I got a job."

So now what? I'm supposed to sing along with him "observing the hypocrites as we mingle with the good people we meet"?

They recently played a show in Chicago. I haven't seen them in years and I was considering going. That's when I looked up their Wikipedia page.

I still considered going. Then I thought, nah, fuck it I'll stay home and he can be a big shot Republican without my money.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

7. your loss

[Warren DeMontague]

18. John Popper is a right wing republican? Jesus.

Honestly, blues traveler -always- bugged me, for some ... Cant quite put my finger on it reason.

Never particularly liked them.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

19. Yep. And a Paulite.

I can almost forgive the Paulite stuff (I said almost) - I usually just shake my head when I see some hippie with a long beard and hair driving an old beater with a "Ron Paul" sticker. I usually think to myself "there goes a harmless nit wit"

But guns on stage, George Bush support, and the liberal statement. That's a no go - regardless of "derp, derp your loss hurr derp derp"

It's not like I don't listen to the songs I own or watch free videos on Youtube. I'm just not going to give them a bunch of money so I can fight a crowd and cheer for the d-bag.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Popper#Weapons_collecting
Popper is an avid collector of weaponry, including firearms, swords, and a working $10,000 American Civil War cannon.[18][19] He cites a fascination with their aesthetic of being "life-savingly efficient" machines.[20][21] Popper is a supporter of Second Amendment rights, and appeared on an MTV-sponsored roundtable discussion on gun control which included panelists from the Law Enforcement Alliance of America and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[22] He carries weapons in any state where it is allowed, even wearing them onstage.[23] On his Daily Show appearance, he stated that he decided to move away from New Jersey because of the state's tight gun laws.[24] He said that his Bucks County, Pennsylvania property had 32 acres (130,000 m2) on which he built a private gun range.



Popper is a member of the Libertarian Party,[25] and has previously expressed support for the Republican Party.[26] He endorsed George W. Bush in the 2004 U.S. presidential election.[27] In November 2008, Popper said, regarding Barack Obama, "this is the first time I've voted for a Democrat, ever."[28] John Popper was a supporter of Ron Paul during the 2012 Presidential election, even participating in phone-banking at Ron Paul's New Hampshire campaign headquarters.[29] He also played a short set during Ron Paul's "We are the Future Rally", an alternative convention for Paul supporters which was held in Tampa the day before the 2012 Republican National Convention.[30]

Popper (with and without Blues Traveler) has played at conventions, fundraisers, and ceremonies for both Republican and Democratic politicians.[31] He has stated that politics do not influence his choice of performance setting.

Popper has said, "I was a bleeding-heart liberal, until I got a job"[31] and describes himself as "a libertarian who is a Republican when pushed".[20] Popper summed up his political position by saying "I believe in freedom for markets and freedom for individuals, so I guess that makes me a libertarian".[20]

[Journeyman]

5. If you like someone's art, what does it matter what his politics be? . . .

I think Celine one of the better writers of the 20th century, but his politics and his hatred made him a disgusting human being. Can't see those negatives in his art, however, and that's how I know him and what I enjoy. Same with Ezra Pound. A masterful poet – il miglior fabro in Eliot's phrase – but an unrepentant fascist. Doesn't keep me from reading the Cantos or admiring the works he edited.

Judge artists by their art, not their politics, and see their politics through a prism devoid of their art. And most importantly, don't rely on popular public opinion to form your belief. You could find yourself hating an artist for all the wrong reasons. See what happened to Dalton Trumbo, the rest of the Hollywood Ten, and the countless others caught in the Blacklist and you'll forever recognize the fallacy of public opinion's tyranny.

[alp227]

2. Roger Waters might have exaggerated by using "ethnic cleansing"

but Craig Balsam here doesn't deny that Israel IS essentially apartheid the way they treat Africans and Arabs.

[MicaelS]

3. The BDS Movement is turning into the latest Cause du jour

And the rhetoric of "ethnic cleansing” and “racist apartheid regime” are starting to appear more and more in people's statements.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

6. Pink Floyd's music is amazing. Boycott if you must. You will be in extreme minority

and will have no material affect on Waters' fortunes. And Waters has a point about Israel. If it weren't Israel behaving the way it did, the U.S. would be calling them war criminals.

[Purveyor]

8. +1 Pink Floyd is my absolute favorite group and has been for 40 years. eom

[Ishoutandscream2]

10. +infinity. A great, great band

Just brilliant.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Leaving aside his recent tirades- goofy and misguided would be putting them charitably - Roger

hasn't really done a whole hell of a lot interesting, musically, in a very long time. That's my musical take.

Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is a good album. And 30 some years old. I'm not interested in debating the other solo stuff; I have them on my ipod, and they have their moments- but my feeling is dude has been running on fumes, creatively, for a while.

There is precedence, of course, for whaddaya do when someone with a solid body of work, that you respect, kind of gets buggy in later years. Cat Stevens springs to mind. Nothing can erase the fact that Pink Floyd's work is classic, and timeless. But most of us have already bought Dark Side of the Moon enough times... a "boycott" at this point is meaningless.

I also - and fuck me if I want to wade into the "Roger v. David" debate, but here goes; think Gilmour sometimes doesn't get as much credit as he deserves, gets written off as a lightweight. Hard to deny the man's guitar work is exquisite, of course, but I actually thought that thing he did about the Island some 6-7 years ago wasn't bad. Very listenable. Mellow.

Roger Waters is, of course, entitled to his opinion, and certainly he's not alone in criticizing the occupation of the territories. I think he goes overboard when he gets on about Zionist conspiracies and comparisons to the Holocuast.

[Jesus Malverde]

11. Totally agree with your assessment.

It's sad in some ways, but to me a lot of that music is played out.

I was surprised to hear "classic rock" described as the "oldies station".

[Warren DeMontague]

12. "Red Hot Chili Peppers to play Superbowl, to appeal to the older demographic"

I kid you not. Sigh.

[reddread]

13. Pink Floyd sucks, Waters is brilliant

Anything that is legitimately interesting about that bloated Pig of a band that could not stand each other
came from Waters.
His solo work, his essential contribution to the substance of Pink Floyd, and his life experiences and outlook reflect an intelligence, international awareness and sensitivity that only a buffoon would rank below their own.
Carry on.

[cali]

14. Making an argument using the far right Murdoch owned tabloid piece of shit

the NY Post, is just a bad way to make an argument.

[Bennyboy]

15. Nobody is making an argument.....

Just interesting.

[Bennyboy]

16. my opinion has always been

that Roger Waters is anti Zionist policies but not against jewish people. And yes there is a difference.

[cthulu2016]

17. Wow. Who cares?