Roger Waters has called out Disturbed’s David Draiman in an open letter that he penned to Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan over Draiman’s recent appearance on Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast.
Within their discussion, the topic turned to Draiman’s active use of his platform to advocate on behalf of the Jewish people and his heritage and his past vocal opposition to former Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters pro-Palestinian comments. During the discussion, Corgan attempted to broker a peace between the two musicians by having them talk, with Draiman sharing that he would be willing to do so though he thought Waters was beyond being reached.
READ MORE: Should Music Be Political? Billy Corgan Asks David Draiman
In response, Waters addressed Draiman indirectly in his missive to Corgan, calling out the Disturbed singer as “a psychotic racist Nazi pig” and being critical of Corgan for giving him a platform. He also offered a definitive no to the idea of a sit down, adding, “Life’s too short, he can inhabit his tiny corner of hell without the benefit of my love and truth.”
What Roger Waters Said to Billy Corgan and David Draiman
In response to Waters becoming a topic of discussion between Corgan and Draiman during The Magnificent Others podcast, Waters penned an open letter addressed to Corgan but mostly sharing his thoughts on Draiman.
It read as follows:
An open letter to @Billy:
Dear Billy Corgan
How are you? It’s been too long. @davidmdraiman Someone forwarded me this chap’s appearance on your podcast. I’d never heard of him. Anyway, it turns out he has heard of me. It seems he has a problem with me standing up for human rights, particularly the human rights of my brothers and sisters in Gaza who are being slaughtered in a genocide by the armed forces of the Nazi racist, pariah state of Israel. You, being the lovely fella you are gave this little piece of shit a chance to clarify or even modify his position. He did. He is a psychotic racist Nazi pig.I’m told, Billy, he writes messages on bombs before the IDF drops them on civilians in Gaza. Enough said. I will continue to work with all my brothers and sisters all over the world in the movement to demand equal human rights for all human beings, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity or nationality. If you, my friend are wondering if I want a conversation with this obnoxious little prick? The answer is non merci Billy, life’s too short, he can inhabit his tiny corner of hell without the benefit of my love and truth.
Love
R.PS. @Disturbed? Er? Yeah! Just a bit!
What Did David Draiman Say in Response to Roger Waters?
The Disturbed singer saw the open letter and then offered his own take on the X social media platform.
“And here I was open to dialogue, even with someone I so deeply disagree with,” said Draiman. “Honestly @rogerwaters, this is the reaction I unfortunately expected. It’s disappointing, but predictable.”
“Be brave Roger,” Draiman continued. “Blessed are the peacemakers, right? I’m always willing to try. We must all continue to try. Even with you.”
The Disturbed vocalist the reshared a past correspondence from the X social media platform with someone who had called him out over his signing of an IDF bomb that has generated plenty of backlash.
In that posting he wrote:
I’d write ‘FUCK HAMAS’ on every single piece of military equipment in existence if it meant actually eradicating the cancer that plagues both the Israeli AND Palestinian people.
Palestinian children deserve better than a life where they are taught to hate from the day they are born and where their mother’s greatest pride is for their child to be martyred as a human shield in their genocidal war against the Jews.
What Did David Draiman Initially Say on Billy Corgan’s Podcast?
Within his appearance on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict came up with the conversation eventually circling around to Roger Waters and his pro-Palestinian stance.
Corgan angled his question about Waters to Draiman with a little bit of background to where it was coming from. “I’ve worked a little bit with Roger, so I know him personally… I want to come at it from a slightly different angle because I’m curious if you have any reflection on my observation,” said Corgan, before commenting, “My observation is — I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the defining moment in Roger’s life is his father being killed in World War II. It’s in The Wall; he’s made more than one record about it. He might balk at the word ‘trauma,’ but it seems like that would be very traumatic if it happened to anybody.”
He then added, “And a few years back, Roger was very critical of Radiohead for playing a gig in Israel. Since then, Roger’s made some very strong statements against Israel, including to the point where he’s now estranged from at least one of his bandmates because they don’t agree with his position…. Let’s say the number [of Palestinians who’ve died in the ongoing conflict with Israel] is the 70,000 or 75,000 that the Gaza Health Ministry claims… It makes sense to me that a man who grew up in the shadow of World War II, lost his daddy in a war, has really suffered the consequence of that pain, that he would be hypersensitive to a scenario like that.”
In response, Draiman stated, “I agree…[but] here’s the thing, Billy: I grew up on Pink Floyd. I loved Pink Floyd. It was such a massive betrayal, not just to me, but Jews everywhere when he went in the direction that he did. And it wasn’t just two years ago; he’s been doing this for a long time. Roger has a penchant for dictators — the worst [people] on planet earth, Roger just cozies right up to them. He has no problem whatsoever.”
When Corgan interjected that his attempt at peacemaking failed, Draiman continued, “Not with that one, dude. He’s just such a hypocrite. He’s not for human rights. He’s for this weird dictator-driven socialist — I don’t even understand what he’s trying to stand for.”
When asked if he would sit down and speak with Waters if the opportunity ever presented itself, the Disturbed vocalist shared, “Absolutely. You close off and that’s the end of anything.” When Corgan sought clarity on the comment, Draiman added, “I’d have to punch him first, but yeah.”
When the Smashing Pumpkins singer said he thought Draiman was “a man of peace,” the Disturbed singer offered, “Listen, I’d be willing to sit down and have a conversation with just about anybody — except someone that can no longer be reached. And I’m very, very convinced that Roger Waters can no longer be reached.”
Disturbed’s David Draiman Guests on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others Podcast
David Draiman vs. Roger Waters – A History
This would not be the first time that Draiman has spoken on Waters, as he’s shared his disappointment with the former Pink Floyd singer on multiple occasions, mostly due to Waters’ anti-Israeli actions.
In 2013, Draiman condemned Waters for his use of the Jewish Star of David in an offensive manner during his concerts. For years, Waters’ set had included a large inflatable pig that hovered over the crowd with symbols of oppression and fascism on display, but in 2013 the Star of David had been added initiating some controversy.
“Nothing excuses the usage of the Star of David (the symbol of the Jewish people as a whole, not Israel or its government) emblazoned on a flying pig/zeppelin during his performances for “The Wall”. It is uncalled for, abhorrent and blatantly Anti-Semitic,” shared Draiman at the time.
In 2019, Draiman called out Waters for his support of the BDS campaign against Israel. “Don’t get me wrong — I think that everybody can have an opinion, an educated opinion, criticizing any government on the face of the planet,” the vocalist shared. “At the end of the day, whether you agree with all of the policies of the current Israeli government or not, you can’t hold an entire nation and an entire people and an entire society liable.”
He then proceeded to call out Waters for performing in Israel and making up incorrect stories about it and then incorrectly going on about how the crowd responded when he asked for peace.
In 2024, Draiman was speaking to Linda Advocate when he suggested that things might not go well if he were ever to meet up with Waters. “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,” the Disturbed vocalist shared. Within that chat, he shared his disdain over Waters’ antisemitism and his disappointment when attempts to engage him in conversation fell on deaf ears.
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum