Roger Waters, a founding member of Pink Floyd, is never hesitant to voice his viewpoint, even if it is utterly uninvited. Bono, the lead vocalist of the band U2, is a musician who, like Waters, feels that his job in the world extends beyond making music and that his goal is to bring about world peace.
These two individuals are undeniably opinionated, making them two of the most contentious personalities in the music business. Although they disagree on certain political issues, Bono and Waters have occasionally incorporated their viewpoint into their music. The fact that the two groups continually think outside the box and have realized there is more to the music business than just composing songs is another similarity between them.
Although initially less theatrical than the band eventually became, U2 first mocked Pink Floyd for The Wall and acted churlishly. The Irish group at the time was still in its infancy and was just beginning its career, thus they tended to say things that were simplistic and the result of youth.
Despite the fact that U2 was still a young band when they made their criticism of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters has harbored resentment for the band ever since and has taken advantage of every chance to make fun of them. Roger said, “I remember when [Pink Floyd] did The Wall [in 1979] being criticised by Bono, U2 were a very young band, and they’re going [affects Irish accent], ‘Oh, we can’t stand all that theatrical nonsense that Pink Floyd do. We just play our music and the songs unto themselves and blah, blah, blah.'”
He added, “Oh really? All they did for the rest of their fucking career was copy what I’d been doing and continue to do. So good luck to them, but what a load of bullshit. If you lead them, people will follow.”
Additionally, in 2022, during the White House’s St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, Democratic lawmaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a poem written by Bono, and Waters once more criticized the Irish artist. The poem ends with the following lines for context: “And they struggle for us to be free, From the psycho in this human family, Ireland’s sorrow and pain, Is now the Ukraine, And St Patrick’s name now Zelenskiy.”
Waters, who subsequently asserted that the conflict in Ukraine was “not unprovoked,” used Twitter to express his annoyance and wrote: “Isn’t it enough that the eejit Bono goes and hobnobs with the oligarchs at Davos every year without getting the eejit Nancy Pelosi to foist his shitty poem on us?”
If anyone had any doubts about Bono’s remarks about The Wall occurring more than 40 years ago, this incident demonstrates that he is a guy who doesn’t forgive or forget. Although the lead singer of U2 probably didn’t give his first comments much consideration, the Pink Floyd founder took offense to them and has harbored ill will toward the U2 frontman ever since.
