Musician Roger Waters, 78, says he’s “way more important” than young artists like The Weeknd and Drake. (Photo: Scott Kowalczyk/CBS via Getty Images)
Roger Waters has a few things to say about today’s music stars.
At 78, the famous rocker and former Pink Floyd star shows no signs of slowing down — or biting his tongue. In a new interview, Waters says that while he doesn’t intentionally interfere with today’s music acts, he believes he’s “far, far, far more important” than Canadian stars like the Weeknd and Drake.
The discussion began when Waters asked why none of the Toronto papers had sent a critic to cover his show there. His reporter told him his show was scheduled for the same night as the Weeknd’s performance in the city, which ended up being canceled.
“I’m not trying to make a personal attack. I’m just saying it looks weird. And, by the way, with all due respect to the Weeknd or Drake or whoever, I’m far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, no matter how many billions of streams they have.” Waters told the Globe and Mail.
Waters emphasized that he is scheduled to perform two nights in a row and that the content of his work is more reflective of what is happening in the world at the moment.
“Things are happening here that are fundamentally important to all of our lives,” he added.
The “Wish You Were Here” co-writer went on to clarify that he’s not particularly familiar with his fellow musicians because he doesn’t really spend time listening to music.
“I have no idea what or who the Weeknd is because I don’t listen to much music. People told me he was a great performer. Well, good luck to him. I have nothing against him,” he continued.
Waters also responded to complaints from concertgoers who said his show was not “upbeat.”
“I don’t know who you are, but thank you for noticing that it wasn’t just singing old hits,” Waters said, referring to some unnamed artists who rose to fame around the same time as Pink Floyd. “I don’t go to concerts like that because I don’t like them. The old bands come out and play their hits year after year after year.”
The singer-songwriter, who shared in the interview that his “natural instinct” is to “tell the truth,” doesn’t mince words when it comes to his musical peers. He has previously spoken out against singers Nick Cave and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke for performing in Israel. Waters also attacked then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during his 2016 Coachella set.
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