Roger Waters on acts like The Weeknd and Drake getting more attention: 'I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be'

Roger Waters has a few things to say about today’s music stars.

At 78, the famous rocker and former Pink Floyd star is showing no signs of slowing down — or biting his tongue. In a new interview, Waters stated that while he’s not intentionally taking a hit at the musical acts of today, he believes he is “far, far, far more important” than Canadian stars like the Weeknd and Drake.

The discussion began when Waters asked why none of the newspapers in Toronto had sent a critic to cover his show there. He was told by the reporter that his show was scheduled on the same evening as the Weeknd’s performance across town, which was ultimately canceled.

“I’m not trying to make a personal attack. I’m just saying it seemed odd. And, by the way, with all due respect to the Weeknd or Drake or any of them, I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, however many billions of streams they’ve got,” Waters told the Globe and Mail.

Waters emphasized that he was scheduled to perform two nights in a row, and that the content of his work was more reflective of what’s currently happening in the world. 

“There is stuff going on here that is 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 actually spend time listening to music.

“I have no idea what or who the Weeknd is, because I don’t listen to much music. People have told me he’s a big act. Well, good luck to him. I’ve got nothing against him,” he continued.

Waters also responded to complaints from concert-goers who said his show wasn’t “upbeat.”

“I don’t know who you are, but I thank you for noticing that it wasn’t just a sing-along party of old hits,” said Waters, referring to some unnamed acts that rose to fame at the same time as Pink Floyd. “I don’t go to those kinds of shows, because I don’t like them. The old bands go out and trundle through their hits year after year after year.”

The singer-songwriter, who shares in the interview that his “natural instinct” is to “tell the truth,” isn’t one to 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 lashed out at then-presidential-candidate Donald Trump during his 2016 Coachella set.

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