Large musical groups break up all the time, either because their leader wants to go solo or because of disagreements among members. Pink Floyd, one of the best groups in history, according to the critics' consensus, is one of these cases. After the most recent comments that David Gilmour made about Roger Waters, nothing suggests that there will be a reconciliation between the two artists, at least any time soon.
Gilmour retweeted a message from his wife, Polly Samson, about Waters. The message accused Waters of being an anti-Semite, misogynist, and apologist for Vladimir Putin, and Gilmour added, "Every word is demonstrably true."
Every word is demonstrably true https://t.co/KWk4I3bMTN
- David Gilmour (@davidgilmour) February 6, 2023
The legendary Pink Floyd bassist responded on his Facebook account, speaking in the third person:
Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson, which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position.
Rogers vs. Ukraine
Roger Waters has shown his support for Russia and its regime's leader Vladimir Putin on several occasions. In September of last year, Waters posted an open letter to Putin, in which he meddled in the world of diplomacy in a not-so-diplomatic way. He suggested that Putin negotiate so that Ukraine be recognized as a neutral state and promise that Russia will not invade it again.
In a recent interview with Berliner Zeitung, Waters said:
The most important reason for supplying arms to Ukraine is surely profit for the arms industry. And I wonder: is Putin a bigger gangster than Joe Biden and all those in charge of American politics since World War II? I am not so sure. Putin didn't invade Vietnam or Iraq, did he?
Water's letter also took on his Russian discourse on Ukraine. Regarding the invasion, he said that it is necessary to fight "Nazism" in that country. He added:
Isn't the word origin of "Ukraine" the Russian word for "Borderland"? It was part of Russia and the Soviet Union for a long time. It's a difficult history. During the Second World War, I believe there was a large part of the population of western Ukraine that decided to collaborate with the Nazis. They killed Jews, Roma, communists, and anyone else the Third Reich wanted dead.
Song written by David Gilmour
Last year, David Gilmour, who still holds the Pink Floyd group label, released a song titled Hey, Hey, Rise Up, dedicated to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The epic song may not rise up to the fame of some of the other band's hits, but it is a ringing show of support for Ukraine's struggle to maintain its independence.
On the other hand, Roger Waters' position toward Jews and the state of Israel seems to go beyond a simple preference for one position or the other in the so-called Palestinian conflict. Waters is a vocal advocate of BDS, an acronym for boycott, divestment, and sanctions, and coordinating an international effort to fight the Tel Aviv state. He has clashed with musicians such as Alan Parsons and Thom Yorke for his anti-Semitic stance.
The bassist campaigned in 2012, along with the Occupy.com movement, for him and other high-income earners to pay more taxes. However, Pink Floyd lyricist Polly Samson accused him of tax evasion.
