Roger Waters has slammed U2 frontman Bono's recent pro-Israel comments.
The former Pink Floyd musician, 80, has slammed the Irish singer, calling him “disgusting” and a “monstrous piece of shit.”
At a recent U2 show during his residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Bono paid tribute to those killed in the October 7th attack at the Supernova music festival in Israel.
Introducing the song “Pride (In the Name of Love),” Bono said: ”
He then changed the lyrics of the song and sang: “The sun is rising in the desert sky early on October 7th…Star of David, they took your life, but they couldn't take your pride.”
In a new interview with Al Jazeera, Waters slammed Bono's comments. “My mother told me that when faced with a difficult problem, the first thing to do is read, read, read, read. Then the next part will be easy. Right. Just do things,” he said.
“Anyone who knows Bono, please go and grab him by the ankles and shake him…until he’s not a giant piece of shit anymore.”
“We have to start telling these people that your views are so disgusting, so degrading… that you support the Zionist entity,” he added. “When he sang about the Star of David at the Sphere in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, it was one of the most abhorrent acts I've ever seen.”
Mr. Waters has consistently been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government. Last month, he was reportedly fired from music copyright company BMG for his inflammatory comments against Israel, Ukraine and the United States.
variety Waters himself reportedly mentioned being “fired” from BMG in a video interview with Glenn Greenwald last November. However, that comment was buried nearly 30 minutes into the conversation. Waters claimed the split was due to pressure from pro-Israel interests on BMG's parent company, Bertelsmann.
Sources told the magazine that BMG does not agree with Waters' explanation.
The breakup rumors are just the latest fallout from Waters' controversial comments about Israel, some of which have been accused of anti-Semitism.
Waters, who has always vehemently denied these accusations, caused a stir last year when he wore a uniform that was compared to that worn by the Nazis on stage in Berlin.
He won a legal battle in April 2023 after a Frankfurt magistrate ordered the venue to cancel the concert and condemned him as “one of the most widely known anti-Semites in the world.”