The headline says all you need to know, really. When was the last time Aaron Lewis had a smart take on anything? It’s been awhile. From his “Let’s Go Brandon” chants at his solo shows last year (*facepalm*) to beefing with Bruce Springsteen (*megafacepalm*), Lewis is probably more notable currently for these stunts instead of the music he actually makes. Not content to be the frontman of a nu-metal band that had some pretty big popularity once upon a time, he’s now pulling off Kid Rock levels of ridiculousness. That’s a pretty tall order for anyone, of course.
Nobody should actually be surprised by this development, though. When Staind took an extended hiatus after the release of their really good 2011 self-titled record (seriously, it’s great!), he pivoted into a country music career. Clearly Lewis saw that there were dollars to be made in country music, especially its right-wing leaning faction. From there, the “Country Boy” (he was born in Vermont, remember this) said the grift was on – like Donkey Kong! Probably, anyway. We can’t confirm this, of course.
Anyway, Aaron Lewis’s latest stunt goes a little something like this.
As Blabbermouth helpfully transcribed, Lewis had plenty to say about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and none of it good. In fact, it’s all based in conspiracy theory nonsense that has been debunked already.
“We have no order. We have no president. Every single day that goes by, we lose standing in the world. Everyone’s laughing at us. Everyone is positioning themselves against us. And it’s not us — it’s the government that we put in power. These are the people that are making us look bad throughout the entire world — the same people that have you convinced that we all need to support Ukraine even though all of their money laundering systems, all of their everything, the way that they get all their kickbacks and they wash everything is all through the Ukraine.”
The musician also moonlights as a scientist, apparently, as he also continually repeated myths about COVID-19, despite many having long-COVID symptoms that will affect them for the rest of their life:
But guess what — didn’t we all get COVID? Didn’t every single of us in this fucking room get COVID and live to tell the tale? We’re okay. I survived. I didn’t stick that poison in my fucking body. I did just fine. I had it twice. I’m not fucking dead.
Lewis also repeated a popular (though debunked, per the usual) conspiracy theory that George Soros and Klaus Schwab are apparently linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and in the same breath, urged those in the audience to listen to what Russia’s Vladimir Putin had to say:
“You know, as fucked up as it sounds, maybe we should listen to what Vladimir Putin is saying,” Lewis said. “Maybe, just maybe, when Klaus Schwab and George Soros and every other dirty fucking earth-destroying motherfucker all jumps on the same bandwagon, maybe, just maybe we should fucking take a good look at that. Why are they trying to protect Ukraine so much? What do they all have to lose?
You can watch a video of most of the rant below, if you dare.
