In a recent interview with Linda Advocate, DISTURBED singer David Draiman, who is of Jewish heritage, was asked about a supposed “ongoing feud” between him and British rock musician and anti-Israel activist Roger Waters. David said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “He’s a piece of work, that deluded old freak. Antisemitic to his rotten core. Just ask [his PINK FLOYD bandmate] David Gilmour and his wife — they’ll testify to it. He’s been that way for the duration of his life and the duration of his career. It’s nothing new. He’s a coward. He’s a hypocrite. He is a supporter of dictators and dictatorial regimes all over the world. He’s an apologist for Putin and apologist for anybody that’s on the wrong side of history. He’s a deluded wannabe-socialist as well.”
Draiman continued: “Everything that he wrote about, everything that he professed to believe in that was so — even a maniac can create some great art, and it’s hard to argue with the level of artistry of, let’s say, a piece of work like [PINK FLOYD‘s] ‘The Wall’. But everything that he was trying to convey and express in that piece of art, he has shown himself to be a hypocrite for. I was already losing my mind with him years ago when he was flying around a pig in his stadiums with the [Jewish] Star Of David on it. The guy is a bully. And he wouldn’t even dare to engage with me. Because it’s not about logic and reasoning and facts and reality to people like him. It’s all about the narrative. It’s all about their hate-fueled antisemitic, just spite-filled narrative that they continue to fuel this narrative of demonization of our people, of the State of Israel, their inability to accept the fact that we even exist. He’s a monster.”
When the interviewer asked if Draiman has ever met Waters in person, David responded: “Oh, I’d love to meet him in person. Nothing would make me happier. I’d gladly serve whatever jail time and pay the bail necessary for whatever I could get done within a very limited period of time.”
Waters has been repeatedly accused of antisemitism by Jewish groups and authorities in the U.S., Europe and Israel. He has has often used inflammatory rhetoric against Israel and has berated performers who included the Jewish state in their tours.
A year ago, the U.S. State Department said that Waters has “a long track record of using antisemitic tropes” and a concert he gave a month earlier in Germany “contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust.”
This past May, Roger defended himself against criticism over his concerts in Berlin during which the former PINK FLOYD leader displayed Nazi-like symbolism and made what some people have described as offensive comments about Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
During the May 2023 shows at Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin, Waters appeared on stage as the character Pink from the rock opera “The Wall” during a performance of the song “In The Flesh”, wearing a black leather trench coat with a red armband bearing two crossed hammers instead of a swastika.
It was later reported that Waters was under investigation for possible incitement by German police, in addition to possibly having committed trademark abuse for the use of Frank‘s name without the consent of the Anne Frank Foundation, which has trademarked the name.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center criticized the Berlin concerts and asked that German authorities prosecute Waters for invoking and distorting Holocaust images.
Waters, however, defended his costume choice, saying it was a clear stance “in opposition to fascism, injustice, bigotry in all its forms.”
“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,” he said in a statement. “Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated. The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since PINK FLOYD‘s ‘The Wall’ in 1980.
“Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetuate it,” he added, in part.
Waters has repeatedly denied all accusations of antisemitism and explained that his disdain is towards Israel, not Judaism. He also accused Israel of “abusing the term antisemitism to intimidate people like me into silence”.
This past Monday (June 3),Draiman received the 2024 joint Jerusalem Post and World Zionist Organization award for outstanding contribution to the fight against antisemitism.
David accepted the award during the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference, which was held in New York City.
For years, Draiman has been a prominent activist for the State of Israel, constantly emphasizing the importance of dialogue and understanding. During DISTURBED‘s successful world tour this year, he made sure to mention the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and spoke against the delegitimization of Israel, understanding that now more than ever, silence has become a new form of antisemitism.
In addition to the Hebrew-speaking Draiman, who once trained to be a cantor and contemplated becoming a rabbi, DISTURBED includes guitarist/keyboardist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren.
Draiman‘s father and grandfather served in the Israel Defense Forces and both of the singer’s maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors. His grandfather was also a cantor in Israel.
In December 2021, Draiman said that he had lost thousands of social media followers since publicizing his trip to Israel in November of that year.
On November 30, 2021, Draiman lit a candle at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel at the Old City site of the terror attack that killed South African immigrant Eli Kay. He later claimed that he lost 4,000 followers after sharing photos of his “demonstration” at the Western Wall.
Draiman has spent much of his recent time on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing pro-Israel content and has often used his fame to speak out against antisemitism.
DISTURBED‘s song “Never Again”, from 2010’s “Asylum” album, was written about the Holocaust and calls out people who deny it.
The United States Holocaust Museum has featured Draiman in its “Voices On Anti-Semitism” podcasts.
