Roger Waters Slams Metallica's James Hetfield Over Apolitical Remarks

Former Pink Floyd bassist and vocalist Roger Waters has delivered a blistering attack on Metallica frontman James Hetfield, labeling him a “prick” and questioning his musical abilities following controversial stage remarks made in Las Vegas.

The feud stems from an appearance Hetfield made at The Sphere on Saturday (October 10). Addressing the crowd during Metallica’s residency at the high-tech multimedia venue, the 63-year-old rhythm guitarist told the audience, “Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit, OK? We’re here to forget about all of the outside s—. Metallica’s agenda is love, energy, and heavy music, baby!”

While Hetfield did not explicitly name anyone, the comments arrived a few weeks after Macklemore was cut from an opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s tour for shouting “Free Palestine” onstage.

Waters Fires Back on Podcast

During a recent appearance on The Katie Halper Show podcast, host Katie Halper guided Waters through parts of Metallica’s political history. The discussion touched upon politically conscious lyrics from 1986’s Disposable Heroes and 1988’s …And Justice For All, alongside a 2007 interview where Hetfield stated that “politics drive me crazy” around their performance at the Live Earth climate change concert. Halper also brought up Hetfield’s 2008 reaction to Metallica’s music being played during the interrogation of Iraqi prisoners—where the frontman explained he was partly “bummed” and wanted to avoid political attachments.

Asked for his reaction to Hetfield’s history and his recent Sphere statements, Waters did not hold back.

“Can we stop talking about this prick?” Waters asked the host. “I’m so bored with him. He’s just showing that he’s a complete prick. He’s got an IQ of about three and why we’re talking about him, I honestly don’t know because he’s a nobody and he’ll always be. He may have a few hundred million dollars or whatever, but he’s a prick and he’s no musician. I heard them playing acoustic instruments and it couldn’t. It was appalling.”

Questioning Empathy and Past Controversies

Waters expanded his criticism beyond Hetfield’s musical talents, lamenting the Metallica singer’s upbringing and lack of societal empathy.

“Obviously I wish he had grown up with a mama or a dad or a friend or even a cousin or somebody in the family who taken him to one side when he was little,” Waters said.

“It’s a shame this prick didn’t have somebody around him to explain that being kind is way more important than all that loud music and bouncing around and whatever.”

Waters is no stranger to public friction with fellow rock legends.

Earlier this year, the Pink Floyd co-founder drew considerable backlash after stating he “couldn’t give a fuck” about the late Ozzy Osbourne’s music.

He later doubled down on those remarks during an interview with Piers Morgan, and faced sharp retorts from Ozzy’s family members via social media and merchandise.

Metallica has not yet publicly responded to Waters’ comments.

The band continues their residency at The Sphere through March.