SEBASTIAN BACH To STEPHEN PEARCY: 'Stop Embarrassing Yourself And All Of Rock And Roll'

Sebastian Bach has told Stephen Pearcy to "stop embarrassing" himself after the RATT singer came under fire for implying Americans should refrain from wearing a cloth face mask or covering in public even though it protects against the coronavirus.

Many Americans refuse to wear a mask for they view it as a symbol of oppression and how government can dictate their actions. President Donald Trump has been loath to wear a mask, despite the advice of public health experts.

Late Wednesday night (July 1),Pearcy took to his Twitter to share the hashtag #UnMaskAmerica, eliciting a number of disapproving responses from his followers. Pearcy later deleted his original tweet and shared a photo of himself with braided hair, holding a Robbin Crosby guitar while wearing a mirrored face mask with the caption: "Maybe if we all wear this mask, we can all have peace. Or we can wait for the real guys to come down and straighten things out. I'm waiting for the Ass kicking" In response to Stephen's tweet, Bach wrote: "Dude this shit is actually not funny. Please stop embarrassing yourself and all of rock and roll"

Later on Thursday, Pearcy tried to explain away his #UnMaskAmerica tweet, writing: "I only apologize for things that hurt my audience, politics leave me the fuck out, don't be starting shit. Not into it. Not for press, not for nothing. Note; If my post was so far above heads I'll explain. ALL peoples, races, if we had the same face (Extraterrestrial alien) no prejudice. Peace." He added: "#mask or do as you please. That was an unfinished post."

With most U.S. states requiring masks at least in crowded spots where social distancing isn't possible, several hard rock and heavy metal musicians have used their platforms to remind their followers to mask up amid the coronavirus pandemic, including TESTAMENT's Alex Skolnick, QUEENSRŸCHE's Todd La Torre, TRIVIUM's Paolo Gregoletto and SONS OF APOLLO's Mike Portnoy.

Three weeks ago, the U.S. Surgeon General urged people to wear face coverings, saying they will promote freedom during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Some feel face coverings infringe on their freedom of choice- but if more wear them, we'll have MORE freedom to go out. Face coverings [leads to] less asymptomatic viral spread [leads to] more places open, and sooner!" Dr. Jerome Adams wrote on Twitter.

In a study published last month, researchers from Texas A&M University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California San Diego, concluded "that wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission."

In early April, the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention issued new guidelines that Americans should wear face coverings in public.