Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters has finally been dropped by his record label, months after he was accused of anti-Semitism for supporting the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
German music rights firm BMG, which signed Waters in 2016, recently parted ways with the 80-year-old rock star following a series of controversies, including a slew of inflammatory comments he made about Israel.
Waters said Variety in November he was ‘fired’ by the company after relatively new CEO Thomas Coesfeld withdrew a planned release of a newly recorded repeat of a Pink Floyd album. Sources have now told the magazine that they have split.
The band’s former bassist was set to release a new version of the 1973 album ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, but the project was assigned to British band Cooking Vinyl.
It comes after he reportedly sang in an improvised song that his agent was a “damn Jew” and appeared to dress up as a Nazi during a performance in Berlin in May.
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters has finally been dropped by his record label, months after he was accused of anti-Semitism for supporting the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel
German music rights company BMG, which signed Waters in 2016, recently parted ways with the 80-year-old rock star after a series of controversies, including a slew of inflammatory comments he made about Israel.
The claim about the song came from Rogers’ former producer Bob Ezrin in The Dark Side of Roger Waters, a documentary produced by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
Ezrin, who has also worked with big names like Lou Reed, U2, Taylor Swift and Aerosmith, said he was “embarrassed” to admit he didn’t challenge the bassist with his tune about Bryan Morrison.
He added: “It was my first inclination that there might be some anti-Semitism lurking beneath the surface.
“Now Roger knew I was Jewish, so I didn’t know if this was another one of those things he did just to see if I would respond, or if he just didn’t even realize how offensive that was to a Jewish person could be.’
He is confident that despite the nature of his alleged comments, Waters really does not consider himself anti-Semitic.
Ezrin concluded, “I don’t believe Roger sees himself as an anti-Semite, just as most people don’t see themselves as racist.
“But he walks like a, he quacks like a, he swims like a – so you know, from my point of view, he’s functionally a duck.”
Bryan Morrison, the alleged subject of Waters’ improvised song according to Erzin, died in 2008 at the age of 66 after being in a coma for two years following a fall from a horse.
The documentary also airs claims that Waters wanted a giant floating pig decorated with the Star of David and slogans containing derogatory language about Jewish people during his concerts.
Music mogul Bryan Morrison, who was allegedly targeted for an anti-Semitic tune sung by Roger Waters while he was in the recording studio. He died in 2008
Pictured: An inflatable pig decorated with insults aimed at Donald Trump at a 2016 Roger Waters concert in California. Claims have been made that Waters wanted a similar pig to be defaced with anti-Semitic language
In an email, reportedly sent by Waters in 2010, he appears to suggest to his backstage team that the pig should be made with ‘dirty k***’, ‘follow the money’ and ‘scum’ on the sides.
The word “k***” is a notoriously insulting word used to denigrate Jews, while the reference to money is a classic anti-Jewish trope, according to the new film.
The pig was eventually created without these conditions, but with the Star of David and dollar signs, and was a part of Waters’ concerts.
Gideon Falter, CEO of the CAA, said: “Roger Waters has repeatedly used his vast platform to lure Jews, but he always claims he is not anti-Semitic.
‘We believed there was further evidence to the contrary, and the release of Roger Waters’ The Dark Side now places the evidence obtained in the hands of the public.
“It’s hard to imagine a rock star flaunting the N-word above his concerts, but Mr. Waters demanded his crew do just that with the K-word. Not only that, but he also appears to have spent time humiliating and harassing his Jewish staff.
‘You can’t help but watch this film and wonder what kind of person uses his power for this purpose. Is Roger Waters an anti-Semite? Now people can make their own decision.’
Waters himself has repeatedly denied that he is anti-Semitic, saying the accusation stems from past comments about the Israeli government, which he says sees him as an “existential threat to their settler-colonialist, racist apartheid regime.”
After appearing in a Nazi-style jacket in Berlin in May, he released a statement denying that he harbored anti-Semitic beliefs.
Pictured: Roger Waters wearing a long black leather jacket with a Nazi-style armband during a concert at London’s O2 Arena in June this year
Roger Waters previously said claims he is an anti-Semite are ‘bull***’ and ‘vicious lies’ after he was convicted of wearing a ‘Nazi-style’ trench coat on stage – including in Germany
Members of the Jewish community demonstrated outside the O2 Arena in June before a performance by Roger Waters
“My recent actions in Berlin have provoked bad faith attacks from people who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles,” he said.
“The elements of my actions that have been questioned are clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms.
“Attempts to portray those elements as something else are dishonest and politically motivated.
‘The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a hallmark of my shows since Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ in 1980.
“All my life I have spoken out against authoritarianism and oppression wherever I encountered it.
‘When I was a child after the war, the name Anne Frank was often spoken in our home, she became a permanent reminder of what happens when fascism is left unchecked.
‘My parents fought against the Nazis in World War II, and my father paid the ultimate price.
“Regardless of the consequences of the attacks on me, I will continue to condemn the injustice and all those who commit it.”