Should Music Be Political? Billy Corgan Asks Disturbed’s David Draiman

Disturbed's David Draiman told Billy Corgan his perspective on whether music should be political or not.

Draiman was the latest guest on Corgan's The Magnificent Others podcast, which just dropped earlier today (April 15), During the hour-and-a-half-long conversation, the pair discussed artists' political outwardness and Corgan asked Draiman whether the subjects should go hand in hand.

"I think musicians should speak to their heart no matter what it may be," Draiman responded.

"The tradition of protest music has been a long one. There's no reason why art can't be fused, or shouldn't be fused — in fact, it absolutely, positively should be fused with intensely powerful messages."

Corgan pointed out how political music was back in the 1960s and then compared the decade to today, suggesting that a lot of artists may be too afraid to make their music political so they don't polarize their audience and thus "pay the price" for taking a stance.

Draiman agreed, adding, "It's not courage, it's cowardice. You're just talking into an echo chamber... What purpose does it serve other than everybody patting themselves on the back?"

The Disturbed vocalist addressed one of the biggest issues in the U.S. right now, the social unrest due to the increased presence of ICE agents in cities, revealing that his stance is somewhere in the middle. He shared that he supports the police and federal agencies but also believes there should be a faster process for obtaining citizenship in the U.S.

Corgan acknowledged there is a lack of a push to create "pathways to citizenship" that would help ease the ongoing tension and Draiman agreed.

READ MORE: David Draiman Has a 'Radical' Idea for a Music Festival

"I wish that people were thinking more of that than trying to take every single issue that they can find and use it as some sort of partisan political tool to attack the other side and that's what I see happening on a regular basis," Draiman asserted.

"I think people sow division because they can profit from it and they continue to do so. They continue to empower themselves and enrich themselves."

Check out the full episode below to hear more from the conversation.

Disturbed's David Draiman Tells Billy Corgan Whether He Thinks Music Should Be Political

On the subject of political expression, see some of the most political rock and metal bands below.