Gene Simmons defends Roger Waters as “a well-meaning guy”
In a new interview, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has defended former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters over his recent controversies regarding Nazi imagery in his stage shows.
“Well, first of all, he’s a very talented guy,” Simmons told Piers Morgan. “He’s written some of the most wonderful music, along with [Pink] Floyd many, many decades [ago]. And it’s obviously held up, and he’s got lots of fans.”
“There is something to be said for keeping your political and other beliefs off the stage. His choice is to use the stage as a platform to further his point of view,” Simmons added. “There is a difference between a political statement about Israel and about anti-Semitism. By the way, anti-Semitism also involves Arabs; the definition of a Semite includes the Arab world.”
“I think he’s a well-meaning guy,” Simmons continued. “I don’t agree with his point of views, of course… I think he is, from my point of view, inflamed, angry about the political situation — as we all are.”
Simmons, who was born in Isreal, also commented on Waters’ pro-Palestine stance. “The best way to have a discussion or even an argument is find common ground. And then get into the diversions of what you think.”
“So what we agree with — and I’m Israeli and Jewish. My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany and so on and so forth,” Simmons said. “I’m not saying this to get your heart pumping… We agree there absolutely should be an Arab state, Palestine — no question about it. It should exist side by side with Israel.”
“There should be free flow of information and commerce and so on,” Simmons stated. “Okay, so it doesn’t exist now. Let’s work together to try to make it happen. So what’s the problem?”
Watch Simmons’ interview segment down below.
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