QUEENSRŸCHE's TODD LA TORRE Blasts Anti-Maskers And Science Deniers

QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Todd La Torre was recently interviewed by Greece's "TV War" about his new solo album, "Rejoice In The Suffering". You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the lyrical inspiration for his solo song "Critical Cynic", Todd said: "I don't wanna sit here and talk shit about America, but I don't see it as prevalent in other areas of the world where you have such protests over wearing a mask, for example. Here, everything is open in Florida [where I live]. BUCKCHERRY, the band, they're playing a concert in two days down the street at a venue. Bands are playing live music, bars are open, restaurants are open, hair salons, fitness centers, the mall — everything's open.

"I was at a home improvement store, and there was a guy that didn't even [have the mask on]; it was, like, down [below his chin], the mask. And I said to the lady [at the store], 'Hey, what do you do about guys like that that don't wear the mask?' And she says, 'Personally, I don't wait on them.' I said, 'Can't you make them leave or put it on?' She says, 'We're not allowed to.' So a lot of places, their policy, even though some places will say, 'You have to wear it or you're not allowed to be in here.' But there are many places that they are afraid of retailiation with shootings, 'cause it's happened, where people say, 'Put your mask on or get out,' that person comes back with a gun and shoots them. And it's crazy."

La Torre, whose wife is from Greece, continued: "But getting more to the point of the song, higher education… Education in Greece, I know, is paramount. Generally speaking, it is stressed that your education is important and studies and the Panhellenic Exams and all of these things… And higher learning is revered. Science is important. Skepticism is important. But in America, people, they don't believe what's happened over the last several years. People have gone from skepticism to just complete disbelief of anything and everything they hear or see. So you can have an epidemiologist that spent their life as an expert in this field, and then you have other people that just think it's B.S. — they don't believe it. So you have this weird thing where, as a matter of public safety, [some people say] 'You are infringing on my rights. This is America,' and that kind of mentality. And you say, 'Wait a minute. Your rights stop when you are in a public place, and now public health and safety is the concern.'

"So that song, 'Critical Cynic', was written about science deniers and the people that are not taking the evidence… I mean, even in Greece, you guys have been very… If you wanna go to the market [in Greece], you need to go to the market in your area — you can't just go to wherever. Over here [in Florida], I can drive anywhere I want — I can go anywhere I want. There are no measures that are very strict, and let's try to be strong now and lock things down so that hopefully we can get this under control, and the long-sighted vision is that we'll try to get back to normal."

Asked if he thinks things will change in the U.S. now that a new administration has moved into the White House, Todd said: "I think so. I mean, let's be honest: it's a very divided country; this country is very polarized. And you have to be careful. I mean, people have been mad at me: 'Oh, he's a liberal,' and blah blah blah, and, 'I don't wanna support the band he's in anymore,' or, 'I don't wanna buy his record because he's against Donald Trump,' for example, or whatever.

"Look, the facts are the facts," he continued. "And the world — you're in Europe; I've traveled all over — wasn't so favorable. And trying to work with our allies and get back into things that we can agree on that are bad for the environment. And civil rights. You don't ban countries because of their religion from flying into our country. So there are things that are just what I consider right and wrong. But I think that this administration will get things back to zero, in my opinion. But one of the things that I always think is important should be some type of socialized health care system.

"I needed some things done, and it was eight hundred dollars here. I was in Athens with my wife and my in-laws, and I got a bunch of stuff, some tests done, and it cost me 50 euros," he explained. "You guys, in your constitution, have that health is a right, and everyone pays in for the betterment of the society as people. But over here, it's 'F.U. I'm not gonna pay for your kid to go to school.' 'I'm not gonna pay for you to get treatment.' And so it's a very different mentality.

"I don't think that Joe Biden is gonna quite go where I want it to go, but I think that it will start to give us some semblance of normalcy again, let things calm down without tweets every five seconds and all this divisiveness. I don't think it's good for any of us."

"Rejoice In The Suffering" was released on February 5 via Rat Pak Records. Todd created the LP with his songwriting partner Craig Blackwell and producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris.