In the last few years, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has probably made
a lot more enemies than friends.
From regular people to the halls of Congress, plenty of people have expressed frustration
with Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. But the company's most recent opposition comes from
an unusual place — a former member of the legendary British rock band Pink Floyd.
In June 2021, the band's co-founder and former bass guitarist, Roger Waters, spoke at an
event in support of Australian journalist, activist, and publisher Julian Assange. While
he was there, he took the opportunity to spill a saucerful of criticism over Mark Zuckerberg
and Facebook.
At the event, Waters held up a letter he received from Facebook requesting permission to use
one of his compositions, the band's 1979 hit "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)." Despite
offering what Waters described as "a huge, huge amount of money," he rejected the request
in a forceful, public, and colorful way.
"The answer is, 'f--- you. No f---ing way."
According to Waters, Facebook's offer specifically requested to use the hit song to promote their
photo-sharing website Instagram, and cited the song's lyrics as being relevant to modern
times. But Waters could care less.
His dismissal of the offer comes as a result of his overall dislike and moral opposition
to Facebook's practices as a media company and platform.
"They want to use it to make Facebook and Instagram even bigger and more powerful than
it already is, so that it can continue to censor all of us in this room."
He also had a barrage of words for Zuckerberg personally, wondering how someone who started
off with a website that rated women's looks could have become one of the most powerful
people on Earth.
It's not clear if Waters directly told Facebook of his rejection, but if they didn't know
then, they certainly know now.
"How the f--- did he get any power in anything, and yet here he is, one the most powerful
idiots in the world."
The song "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" earned Pink Floyd their first No. 1 Billboard
hit in 1980. On top of being a highlight of the group's "The Wall" album, the song also
took on a life of its own outside of that project. The enduring track can be heard in
countless movies and television shows, and has even been used in social and political
demonstrations. South Africa infamously banned the band's song during apartheid because Black
South African youth found inspiration in the song's message and what they were confronted
with in their racially segregated country.
Waters wrote the song critiquing the British education system and its teachers, with a
broader theme about a person isolating themselves from others by building up a wall around them,
brick by brick. It's a theme that makes one wonder what exactly Facebook wanted to do
with it.
As an activist, Roger Waters has been very vocal about the issues he's championed. But
he's also been vocal about what he doesn't like. Zuckerberg is far from the first person
whom Waters has had harsh words for.
He's had a lot to say about Donald Trump, making him the centerpiece of criticism in
concerts during his administration. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2020, the
famed bassist called Trump a "tyrant and mass murderer and mass destroyer."
Not long after his comments about Donald Trump, Waters also had something to say about Trump's
presidential successor. Ahead of the 2020 Presidential election, the rocker had doubts
that Biden could even beat Trump, and in typical fashion, described the then-candidate in colorful
language.
"Biden is such a f------ slime ball, he's so weak, and has no appeal to anybody."
Roger Waters obviously doesn't bite his tongue when he has an opinion to share. Over the
years, he's readily spoken up on politics and social movements, and even butted heads
with members of his own band.
Waters was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, which formed in London in 1965.
After a period of creative differences within the group, Waters left the band in 1985 on
famously bad terms. He even sued his fellow bandmates as a result of his departure so
that they couldn't use the band's name to make music. He later admitted he regretted
the whole ordeal, and reunited with the band for a one-off performance at the Live 8 concert
in 2005.
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