Imagine That -- I’m Still Anti-War

Drowned Out said:

PhillyCrownOfThorns said:

Drowned Out said:

PhillyCrownOfThorns said:

MayDay10 said:

Great words. I'm sure people will twist it around as negative somehow... those people must work for Lockheed Martin

So the release clarifies what for those who were upset?

I agree that it does nothing to clarify the controversy. He basically continued his speech; let his words stand. He did make it clear it wasn't addressed to any one nation, but didn't absolve those who felt slighted. It seems like some people want a pass on their violence. He isn't biting.
Good for him.

The simple way to silence a lot of the outrage is to place blame on Israel and Hamas for putting people in harms way.

Anti war... $$ wasted... Peace and love!

Done. Story over

Pretty much. Placing blame on both Israel and Hamas could be interpreted as taking back his words, and he was having none of it.

If his word offended someone's nationalist sensibilities, it might be time for a look in the mirror instead of lashing out.

Taking back his words? I thought he didn't reference that particular conflict? I'm confused...

I agree with everyone that this is well said and I'm sure everyone will agree it didn't even really need to be said as we fans know him. In fact I felt I've already said everything he wrote all week in defending him. I feel bad that it feels like the media possibly got to him and he felt the need to write this because the world needs more people like him speaking up; people with 100% pure goodness, hope, and faith in their hearts.

Well said EV!

They aren't credible because they were offended by something that was never said. Both sides twisted his words to fit their own ideologies. I think placing blame on either or both side would have blown this up even further.

And Eddie is a guy who still has another show to play in Europe. This will have died down by October but not by Friday. He had to respond somehow.

JimmyV said:

How was playing Tel Aviv going to help? How would playing Tel Aviv help? Neil may have cancelled his show and pledged donations, but he did so only after a period of terrible publicity that the current conflict provided a ready-made excuse to mitigate. I like Neil, but I don't think he came out of this looking very good.

Neil Young did NOT cancel his show. The Israeli police cancelled it because of the unsafe conditions. Had it not been for the current violence, the show would have gone on...just as the Rolling Stones did, Justin Timberlake did, and many other of the biggest artists in the world.

Neil Young came out of it fine. He was unable to play the show but he issued an eloquent statement and made donations to worthy charities on both sides. No doubt he will be back in the future.

Luckytwn1 said:

JimmyV said:

How was playing Tel Aviv going to help? How would playing Tel Aviv help? Neil may have cancelled his show and pledged donations, but he did so only after a period of terrible publicity that the current conflict provided a ready-made excuse to mitigate. I like Neil, but I don't think he came out of this looking very good.

Neil Young did NOT cancel his show. The Israeli police cancelled it because of the unsafe conditions. Had it not been for the current violence, the show would have gone on...just as the Rolling Stones did, Justin Timberlake did, and many other of the biggest artists in the world.

Neil Young came out of it fine. He was unable to play the show but he issued an eloquent statement and made donations to worthy charities on both sides. No doubt he will be back in the future.

Exactly my point. The conflict provided good cover for him to walk away from playing a controversial show. Maybe he will be back in the future, maybe he won't. But, if hostilities had not flared up like this in the days before his scheduled show, maybe he would have gone ahead and caved to outside pressure and cancelled. Maybe he would have gone ahead and played. We'll never know.

you know that 'oh noooo' feeling when one of your team scores an own goal? thats what this feels like...
Ed had only two realistic options in all this. Say fuckin nothing and stand by it. Or nail his colours to the mast and instead name all the countries he meant and both would have gotten him grief but respect too for expanding on his rant(which i agreed with verbatim).

Instead he chose the worst option. He did an immense backpeddalling 'here's what I meant to say' and for that he's going to get shit from every direction. I love the guy and even I dont buy it. And it'll especially come from the pro Israel side. They're gonna dance all over him for this. He's basically backed down and now is going to be accused of being a coward as well as an anti Semite and all those other bullshit words those guys like throwing at anyone who disagrees with them. Shouldn't have opened his mouth to reply to it at all. heart was in the right place as always, but stand by it and own it, name and shame and expand to include al those countries(including his own) or say nothing and his point still would stand.


him replying to this was poorly advised.

So well said, but no wonder. You always write beautifully. Your daughters are so very lucky to have you as a role model. I loved what you said at the concert,(seen footage on FB, and media). You were absolutely right and I thought saying at the concert was perfect. The more people the better, so many don't have a clue as to whats going on in the world, and many just don't care anyway, because it doesn't affect them personally. We all need more people like you! " War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing" . Love ya Ed!

JimmyV said:

Luckytwn1 said:

JimmyV said:

How was playing Tel Aviv going to help? How would playing Tel Aviv help? Neil may have cancelled his show and pledged donations, but he did so only after a period of terrible publicity that the current conflict provided a ready-made excuse to mitigate. I like Neil, but I don't think he came out of this looking very good.

Neil Young did NOT cancel his show. The Israeli police cancelled it because of the unsafe conditions. Had it not been for the current violence, the show would have gone on...just as the Rolling Stones did, Justin Timberlake did, and many other of the biggest artists in the world.

Neil Young came out of it fine. He was unable to play the show but he issued an eloquent statement and made donations to worthy charities on both sides. No doubt he will be back in the future.

Exactly my point. The conflict provided good cover for him to walk away from playing a controversial show. Maybe he will be back in the future, maybe he won't. But, if hostilities had not flared up like this in the days before his scheduled show, maybe he would have gone ahead and caved to outside pressure and cancelled. Maybe he would have gone ahead and played. We'll never know.

But we do know for sure. He did not walk away from the show. The Israeli authorities canceled it due to safety concerns. Otherwise, he was playing the show, something that had been repeatedly announced prior to the cancellation by Israeli authorities. Neil Young has played in Israel before (including with PJ minus Ed) and his statement makes it clear he will return. Roger Waters is an anti-Semite who, among other things, put the Star of David on a pig as a prop. It was clear for months that Neil Young was totally ignoring Waters on the issue, just as the Stones and countless others did. Waters finally went public against Young after he admitted that Neil was ignoring him.

eldarion75 said:

you know that 'oh noooo' feeling when one of your team scores an own goal? thats what this feels like...
Ed had only two realistic options in all this. Say fuckin nothing and stand by it. Or nail his colours to the mast and instead name all the countries he meant and both would have gotten him grief but respect too for expanding on his rant(which i agreed with verbatim).

Instead he chose the worst option. He did an immense backpeddalling 'here's what I meant to say' and for that he's going to get shit from every direction. I love the guy and even I dont buy it. And it'll especially come from the pro Israel side. They're gonna dance all over him for this. He's basically backed down and now is going to be accused of being a coward as well as an anti Semite and all those other bullshit words those guys like throwing at anyone who disagrees with them. Shouldn't have opened his mouth to reply to it at all. heart was in the right place as always, but stand by it and own it, name and shame and expand to include al those countries(including his own) or say nothing and his point still would stand.


him replying to this was poorly advised.

I don't think anyone thinks Eddie Vedder is anti-Semite. And if they did, his statement clearly shows he is not. There is a huge distinction between Ed and Roger Waters.

Roger Waters has used hateful rhetoric comparing Israel to the Nazis and suggesting they are conducting a second Holocaust (this is particularly ludicrous), put the Star of David on a pig as a prop, and is for a boycott that I don't even want to legitimize by actually discussing it seriously (fortunately the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Justin Timberlake, and so many others do not take him seriously).

In the letter Ed says "call me naive" and I did just that the other day in talking to friends. Ed is clearly not a hater and I think today's letter shows that. Nobody should equate him with Roger Waters. But Ed has views that I disagree with and regard as overly-simplistic on this topic. Israel is surrounded by countries that would destroy it without a seconds hesitation if they could. Actions being taken now are extremely unfortunate but necessary, made abundantly clear by the fact that Hamas refused the cease fire that was proposed by the Egyptians. All civilian casualties are horrible and it is a moral quandary as Peres said yesterday but if Israel was really conducting themselves without any regard for civilians, tens of thousands of Palestinians would be dead, not 200.