Vocalist David Draiman has recently been very disturbed by events in the media, such as the Boston Bomber Rolling Stone incident, and more recently Roger Water’s anti-Semitic stage show. In both cases, he posted lengthy diatribes on the Facebook pages of his bands Disturbed and Device conveying his personal sentiments on the matters at hand. Now, he is actually out to prove that he is NOT mad at someone, namely Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. Now, while he claims that it is for aesthetic reasons only, Lemmy is an avid collector of WWII-era German military paraphernalia, which understandably makes him look kind of like a Nazi sympathizer. Draiman, a Jew, has spoken out against Lemmys fascination with Nazi memorabilia in the past:
That’s super-duper taboo and offensive to me. I don’t understand the fascination. It’s the most provocative imagery that you can brandish, and that’s why people utilize it. And if that’s their goal, I guess they’re achieving it. I don’t give a fuck who you are. If you’re going to brandish Nazi symbolism, I’m going to have a problem with you because I don’t understand how anybody could think it’s OK to wear something on their body that symbolizes the annihilation and genocide of my people. I’m not OK with that and there is no excuse and there is no explanation.
This could also understandably lead many people to think that Draiman has personal issues with Lemmy or other musicians such as the late Jeff Hanneman of Slayer. But in a recent (lengthy) post on Disturbed’s Facebook page, Draiman made sure to put any notions of a personal beef to rest:
I’VE GOT TO GET SOMETHING OFF MY CHEST;
LAST NIGHT AT THE GIGANTOUR DATE IN EVERETT WA., WE (DEVICE) WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SIGNING AT THE MERCH BOOTH IN BETWEEN BLACK LABEL SOCIETY AND MEGADETH’S SETS, MEETING AND GREETING THE FANS, WHEN SOME GUY (BIG DUDE IN A BLS VEST/GEAR) RAN BY THE SIGNING TABLE, LOOKED ME IN THE FACE, AND BLURTED OUT “LEMMY IS GOD!”, AND THEN RAN OFF LIKE SOME LITTLE KID IN HIGH SCHOOL GETTING OFF ON TAUNTING SOMEONE, AND THEN RUNNING OFF LIKE A LITTLE PUSSY (I MEAN SERIOUSLY THE GUY WAS LIKE 6’5″ AND HAD TO WEIGH ABOUT 300 LBS!).
I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THIS IS A RESULT OF THE FALSE, AND I REPEAT, FLASE STORY THAT LEMMY AND I HAVE SOME SORT OF BEEF. LET ME MAKE MYSELF COMPLETELY CRYSTAL CLEAR. WE DONT.
I HAVE NOTHING BUT TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR LEMMY AND ALL OF MOTORHEAD. THEY ARE PIONEERS IN THE GENRE AND ARE LIVING LEGENDS WALKING THE FACE OF THIS EARTH. THEIR FUSION OF PUNK AND METAL HAS INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED, JUST ABOUT ANYONE WHO IS A PART OF THE WORLD OF HARD ROCK AND HEAVY METAL.
THIS NONSENSE THAT CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE PRESS LIKE TO PERPETUATE IN ORDER TO CREATE DRAMA WHERE THERE IS NONE, IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND SHODDY REPORTING. THIS ALL STEMS FROM AN INTERVIEW WHERE I WAS ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT OF LEMMY WEARING NAZI PARAPHERNALIA, OR BRANDISHING NAZI SYMBOLISM. JEFF HANNEMAN (RIP) WAS BROUGHT UP AS WELL I BELIEVE.
COMING FROM A FAMILY OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT FOR ME AND I SAID. “I DONT CARE WHO YOU ARE, IF YOURE GOING TO WEAR NAZI PARAPHERNALIA I’M GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT”, AND I STILL DO. ALWAYS WILL. HOW COULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND EXPECT ME TO BE OK WITH SOMEONE WEARING NAZI GEAR?I HAVE NOTHING BUT LOVE AND RESPECT FOR BOTH ARTISTS, BUT I WILL NEVER BE OK WITH NAZI SYMBOLISM/PARAPHERNALIA BEING BRANDISHED BY ANYONE. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I HAD A PERSONAL “BEEF” WITH EITHER ONE OF THEM. I MOURNED JEFF HANNEMAN’S DEATH AS MUCH AS ANYONE, HE WAS AN INSPIRING AND BRILLIANT MUSICIAN, AND I STILL HAIL LEMMY AS ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. THAT DOESNT MEAN I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THAT PARTICULAR CHOICE OF SYMBOLISM OR FASHION, BECAUSE I DONT AND NEVER WILL.
THE DRAMA WHICH CAN BE PERPETUATED BY CERTAIN PRESS ELEMENTS, LIKE SO MANY CHILDREN GOSSIPING IN SOME CORNER (YES BLABBERMOUTH, PRP, AND ALL YOU OTHER HATER SITES, I’M TALKING TO YOU), DOES NOT HELP THE GENRE, IT ONLY HURTS IT. I HAVE HAD A BEER AT THE RAINBOW BAR AND GRILL IN L.A. (WHERE YOU CAN FIND LEMMY PLAYING VIDEO POKER MANY NIGHTS AT THE OUTDOOR BAR) WITH LEMMY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND WILL ALWAYS BE HONORED TO DO SO AGAIN.
WHEN THE PRESS BAITS YOU, IN ORDER TO GET A RESPONSE THEY KNOW WILL CAUSE CONTROVERSY, KNOWING THEY CAN EXPECT AN HONEST ANSWER OUT OF YOU, AND THEN USES IT TO START SOME KIND OF BULLSHIT RUMOR, THATS NOT REPORTING, THATS MANIPULATION. ITS IMMATURE, AND IRRESPONSIBLE. INSTEAD OF STRENGTHENING BROTHERHOOD WITHIN THE GENRE, THEY CONSCIOUSLY CREATE RIFTS AND SEPARATIONS FOR THE SAKE OF FUNNELING TRAFFIC TO THEIR PAGES. ITS QUITE PATHETIC ACTUALLY.
SO TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT,
I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR THE TALENT AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MR. LEMMY KILMISTER, EVEN THOUGH I MAY VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE WITH HIS CHOICE OF APPAREL FROM TIME TO TIME.
NOW LETS PUT THIS PIECE OF SHIT RUMOR TO REST, SHALL WE?
-DAVID DRAIMAN
Basically, the TL;DR version is that while Draiman does not agree with Lemmy’s views on the ethics of wearing the symbols of a group responsible for genocide, he still respects Lemmy as a person and a musician. Also, he is typing in all caps again. So to be clear: Draiman and Lemmy are all good.
Draiman is currently on tour with Device for two more weeks on Gigantour.
