BRET MICHAELS Weighs In On ROLLING STONE "Bomber" Cover Story Controversy
July 19, 2013 / 931 reads
Bret Michaels has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine which features a cover photo of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Critics have accused the magazine of glorifying Tsarnaev like a rock star by depicting him in the same light as a young Bob Dylan or Jim Morrison.
Speaking to Matt Bingham of the KBYZ (96.5 The Fox) radio station in Bismarck, North Dakota on Thursday (July 18), Michaels said: "I don't know why we would ever, ever, ever give these guys any credit or make them even remotely infamous. The guy's an idiot ? a complete idiot. Anybody that could walk up? And I'm gonna get pissed off and emotional? To be able to walk up to an innocent crowd, set the bag down and be able to look those people in the eye... You know, the one guy that lived that had both of his legs amputated, or blown off, that guy said, 'He looked at me, smiled and set the bag down. [Then] he looked at this other kid, this young kid beside me, that died.' And he said they just smiled and walked away and acted like they let the bag down. To be able to be as heartless, to be able to do that, I'm telling you right now, the guy's a complete idiot, and to make this guy infamous or give him any credit, that? it has to end. It's gotta end. Now you're inciting people to wanna do that, you're inciting people that have no soul to do things like this. It's ridiculous. Again ? and I'm gonna say this on the record ? I love Rolling Stone magazine, but I don't think we need to give these guys any kind of fame. I think they should be called what they are: complete soulless turds."
The editors at Rolling Stone have released a statement defending the cover. "The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens."