Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie has hit out at Madonna for her controversial Eurovision performance, labelling the pop icon a “prostitute” for her decision to perform in Israel.
On Saturday, music fans from around the world tuned in to watch the Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence win the 2019 Eurovision Song Content with ‘Arcade’.
While Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke might have finished down at the 9th position, much of the attention for this year’s festivities was centred around the host country of Israel, and calls to boycott the contest over Israel’s policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
While this isn’t a new topic, with artists like Lorde and Lana Del Rey receiving criticism for their decisions to perform in the country, Madonna was the latest artist to attract controversy, receiving widespread scorn for appearing at the contest and performing her new single, ‘Future’.
Check out Madonna’s ‘Future’:
Responding to detractors last week, Madonna rejected calls to boycott Israel, noting that she would perform as previously planned and would not stop speaking out against political injustices.
“I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be,” Madonna explained in a statement.
“My heart breaks every time I hear about the innocent lives that are lost in this region and the violence that is so often perpetuated to suit the political goals of people who benefit from this ancient conflict,” she added.
“I hope and pray that we will soon break free from this terrible cycle of destruction and create a new path towards peace.”
While fans were disappointed with the music icon’s decision to perform, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream seemed unsurprised by the news, going on the record to call Madonna “a total prostitute” for her decision to perform in Israel.
Check out Bobby Gillespie’s comments on Madonna:
“Well Madonna would do anything for money, she’s a total prostitute,” Gillespie explained to BBC’s Newsnight. “Nothing against prostitutes but I think the whole thing is set up to normalise the State of Israel and its disgraceful treatment of the Palestinian people.”
“By going to perform in Israel I think what you do is, you normalise that. Primal Scream would never perform in Israel,” he added. “I think Madonna is desperate for publicity, desperate for the money.”
While Madonna reportedly earned $1 million for her Eurovision performance, the artist did appear to do her best to address the political climate during her live performance, including two embracing dancers who wore clothing emblazoned with the Israel and Palestine flags.
On the opposite side of things, Nick Cave previously hit out at artists making the decision to boycott Israel, calling it “cowardly and shameful”.
“Clearly the decision for The Bad Seeds to play in Israel is contentious for some people,” Cave wrote in a letter. “But to be clear on this: I do not support the current government in Israel, yet do not accept that my decision to play in the country is any kind of tacit support for that government’s policies.”
“As you know, I have done a considerable amount of work for Palestine through the Hoping Foundation, raising personally around £150,000 for the children of Palestine, so in a sense, I have already played the other side.”
“Occasionally, I wonder if The Bad Seeds did the right thing in playing Israel,” he added. “I cannot answer that question. I understand and accept the validity of many of the arguments that are presented to me.”
Check out Madonna performing ‘Future’ at Eurovision:
