Hey, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, Internet's busiest music nerd. Hope you're doing well.

We have to talk about Kneecap. We have to talk about Kneecap.

Yes, the Irish rap trio that is really, I think, the most talked about and biggest and most viral music act out of Ireland right now. I've covered them on the channel before. I've enjoyed quite a bit of their music. And the group's recent Coachella performance was handily the most talked about and controversial of the entire festival, most notably because of visual statements that were being projected on screen behind them during the performance.

These statements relate to Israel's violent and persistent actions in Palestine over the past year+ of time. And if you have at all followed Kneecap's music, their radical political statements that they've made in relation to British and Irish relations, what they've put out there on this issue shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

Now, the group has really been on a tear as of late, not only in terms of stuff they've said, stuff they've put out there on the political front, but their music is getting a lot of positive attention. They are getting more exposure in the industry now than they ever have.

So this Coachella performance was really a massive moment for them in terms of just a platform, in terms of potential exposure. And it definitely says something about the group and their principles that they would use this as an opportunity to not just get themselves and their music out there, but also advocate for a cause.

With that being said, though, this cause was advocated for with some very aggressive language. And as a result, Kneecap has been receiving scathing reactions from many sides of the music industry, some pretty big figures, most notably Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzy Osbourne, who has made numerous statements on the group since this performance, the bulk of which comes through a Piers Morgan appearance where she was just going off on the group and honestly exposing herself as a goober in the process.

Now, look, before we fully get into Sharon, I just want to say that I am personally surprised that Kneecap has made it as far as they have, having said some of the stuff they have put out there in the past. And I would attribute that mostly to there being a general ignorance around the shared histories of Ireland and England.

If I were to show your average ignorant American, even maybe somebody who's influential in the music industry, the group saying things about dead Tory MPs or, I don't know, saying positive things about the IRA. None of that's going to register as anything shocking. Most people over here in the US don't know what the hell the troubles are.

But when you consider that Ireland, under a British monarchy, has first-hand experience of settler colonialism, and Kneecap makes that history a central part of their message as a music group, you can't really be surprised that they would also have strong opinions on the dynamics politically between Israel and Palestine, and that their feelings on this issue would be quite radical. Now, recently, some clips of those statements have come to light, and they've responded to some of these clips going viral with a public statement softening their opinions and approach when it comes to Israel-Palestine.

Now, again, before we get into Sharon, personally, as much as I am a fan of a lot of Kneecap's music, and as much as I do think they have the right politics and views on a lot of the issues that they have been bringing light to, eventually, I did think we were going to reach a point where their growing popularity and their very public and very radical politics were going to clash at some point. It's right here at this point where I think we're starting to see those two elements be at odds with one another.

Because, sadly, I think the music industry grooms artists to be as marketable and as agreeable and as widely palatable as possible at all times, not just in the music itself, but in whatever ways an artist might present themselves to the world. Because radical political views, even if there is substance and validity behind them, tend to gain polarizing reactions. And in an industry where your success is so heavily based on who likes you and who you know and so on and so forth, the music industry being on the good side of as many people as possible can be essential to having a really good solid career.

Now, moving forward, do I think it would serve Kneecap better to be just a bit more careful about how they're putting their politics out there and how they're phrasing them? Sure. But what I want to talk about centrally in this video and what annoys me about this whole situation is the double standard of controversy going on here and who a lot of these criticisms against Kneecap are coming from, Sharon Osbourne, who is looking like an absolute clown in this goddamn Piers Morgan hit.

And look, before we even show you a single thing Sharon has said in this video, just let me point out the irony, and there's a lot of irony here, of the fact that this woman is a multimillionaire and made a life out of writing every single, stupid, ridiculous, cancelable controversy her husband has ever been engaged in since he made that first Black Sabbath album. Yeah, basically every controversy he's ever been embroiled in.

Totally okay, totally great that for his time, he was a complete and utter edgelord. That's all fine and well and good. But now we want to take Kneecap to task here after you've made a life out of being a controversial official figure and at one time had a corny cancel culture program on Fox that flopped completely.

Now, in this Piers Morgan hit, Sharon relays a lot of awful arguments. One of the first being like, oh, they're saying this at a festival. What are they doing? A festival.

"It's just all insane that this should be allowed to continue where there are young people drinking, doing whatever they want to do. It's their business. But don't try and incite violence with the fist, with their attitude. Their whole attitude is one of anger." - Sharon Osbourne

Yeah, like nothing crazy or political or radical has ever been done or said at a music festival before. Not to mention the numerous heinous and ridiculous things that have gone on at many an Ozzfest stage over the years the festival was happening and relevant. I used to go to that festival, and while underage, I watched Marilyn Manson get sodomized with a water bottle, live in front of my face.

But also, further into this hit, I love how she says that if Kneecap is going to have opinions on Palestine, they should be more like Bono just talk about it through peace and be really agreeable. Because, yeah, Bono, famous for actually enacting great political change. There's a reason why, among Irish young people, Kneecap tends to get so much more favor and excitement out of listeners and fans than Bono right now.

Sharon also says at one point that Kneecap shouldn't be allowed back into the US, which I think is pretty hilarious to have a British person here on TV telling Irish people where they should or should not be allowed to go.

Piers Morgan: America are not going to let them back in.

Sharon Osbourne: And what a great decision. There's enough problems. We don't need in America this coming in. They're uneducated. When was the last time they went to the Middle East?

She apparently wants to see Kneecap banned from other places as well.

Piers Morgan: Should they be banned from Glastonbury, Sharon?

Sharon Osbourne: Oh, my God. I pray that they are. And if they're not, shame on Glastonbury.

Out of everyone on this panel right now, she is easily the most extreme voice and wants to see Kneecap basically banned from everything because of what they've said and what they've done here. And look, sure, I'm of the view as well that you can have freedom of speech and you can make your controversial statements and you can have your controversial views, whether I agree with them or not. And if you get blowback for that, so be it.

But if that's the case, I just find it obnoxious that Sharon is picking and choosing who she wants to be mad at on this front, because if you agree with her point of view, you're allowed to be as bloodthirsty a goober as you would like a dude like David Draiman, for example, of Disturbed, who is literally on his Instagram page signing Israeli bombs as if those are not going to be dropped on innocent people.

In fact, Sharon even seems to be under the delusion that not a single innocent person or child has died at the hands of Israel over the past year+ of time. I don't see any bigwigs in the music industry or the world of metal looking to get David canceled from everything or prevented from playing some stupid metal festival that Disturbed fans want to see them at.

And look, I don't think they should be canceled. If you want to go to a show and see a mid ass Disturbed performance, by all means, go for it. But if Kneecap has to get canceled for what they're saying and they're doing and they're putting out there on this issue, so should artists like Disturbed.

So pick, choose either all of this politics and all of these opinions and so on and so forth. It's all bad, it's all wrong, it's all cancelable, or everyone is allowed to have their point of view and their voice on the matter. Even Kneecap, even David Disturbed signing bombs, and even Sharon Osbourne with her bat-biting husband.

But yeah, I think we can leave it there for now. Let me know in the comments what you think about all of this crap. You guys are the best, and I will talk to you soon in another piece of content.

Anthony Fantano, Kneecap, forever.