David Draiman, lead vocalist of American metal band Disturbed and a self-proclaimed "non-practicing proud Jew," said in a recent interview that musical artists should not be afraid to perform in Israel despite the usual barrage of comments slandering the Jewish state whenever any concert in the holy land is announced.
In a Podcast hosted by former Miss Iraq, Sarai Idan, the Jewish metal icon said the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement (BDS) represents nothing but irrelevant background noise, and that their online supporters should not be taken into consideration by any musical artist when contemplating a show in Israel.
"F**k them. I don’t care. They know I don’t care, that’s why they don’t bother me," he said. "I have 2,000 relatives living in Israel. I have parents, my brother, uncles, aunts, cousins — you’re really gonna try to say something to me about BDS? It makes no sense."
When Idan brought up the apprehension from certain artists about being targeted online for performing in Israel in the first place, Draiman said: "The irony is that there's not a single band that has played Israel and seen any negative impact whatsoever other than a whole lot of people being loudmouths online. It hasn't negatively impacted their ticket sales or record sales. If anything, it increased them.
"The extremists are the loudest voices, the ones heard the most. When they find something that they can all get together and lose their minds over it, they can't resist. Truth be told, Israeli fans are amazing and dedicated. Music should be the entity that brings people together, not continues to separate them. You don't hold the actions of a government against the people of that country.
"I don't always agree with the Israeli government, and I can be very vocal when I don't and my pro-Israel buddies will get angry with me. That's free thought."
"I enjoy the time I spend being involved with the Creative Community for Peace (a pro-Israel organization which works to counter antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the entertainment industry) and getting the demonization away from the bands who want to play in Israel."
Making a poignant comparison to exemplify antisemitic hypocrisy, he said: "It's amazing how many people had no issues playing Russia even before the war (in Ukraine). The most anti-LGBTQ country.
"People need to take it in proportions. For every 100 negative comments (about coming to Israel) there are 10,000 likes. It's the voices in the middle that get left at the sides and whether people want to recognize it or not, they're the majority. People need to learn to shut out the noise."
When Idan asked Draiman if it's okay for artists to be vocal about their political beliefs, he said: "I think it's okay to stand for something. I don't think it's okay to push it. All of our songs are infused with very strong opinions but they try to appeal to both sides of the spectrum. I like to attack everybody because everybody is guilty."
"It needs to be something that people from all walks of life can find a connection to. I'll never use my platform to push for any single political candidate. That's overstepping."
Disturbed are embarking on a world tour that will include a show in Israel on June 28 at the Tel Aviv Expo Center