RICHIE KOTZEN Fires Back At BLABBERMOUTH.NET 'Hate Bitches'

Richie Kotzen has fired back at the BLABBERMOUTH.NET "hate bitches" who reacted negatively to his recent comments about the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the U.S. and the rest of the world.

In an interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, Kotzen said that he didn't "quite understand" the "crazy pandemonium" around the rapid spread of the coronavirus and why it has caused so many cancelations and postponements around the globe. He said: "The latest news is that 24 people died [in the U.S.] with the coronavirus, but all of them had other ailments, so it's not much different than someone already being sick and a flu kind of taking them down — it turns into pneumonia or what have you. I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, but for some reason with this, it seems like there's way more of a crazy panic around this thing that I don't quite understand. I remember in the '90s, I had a lot of friends that died from AIDS, and I don't remember this much panic then. I don't quite get it. I don't wanna undermine it, but it just seems kind of strange — it seems very strange." He added: "I hate to say that it seems like a massive overreaction, but when you look at numbers and past viruses, or whatever you wanna call it, this seems a little strange to me. But I'm not a scientist, and I don't know. I have no idea."

After Kotzen's comments were published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, a number of people criticized the guitarist/vocalist for comparing the coronavirus to flu, saying it is worse than the seasonal flu and pointing to the fact that this disease kills a larger proportion of people, particularly those older than 80.

Earlier today, Kotzen took to his social media to clarify his remarks and to poke fun at some of the BLABBERMOUTH.NET commenters who took issue with his assessment of the world response to the pandemic, explaining that he was merely questioning whether it was "truly necessary" to shut down businesses and entire countries to fight the disease.

Kotzen wrote: "Dear Blabbermouth.com [sic] community,

"In response to your comments regarding my recent audio interview...

"I'll tell you what I DO UNDERSTAND after reading some of these hateful comments and that would be why so many of you are buying as much toilet paper as you are. That question has been answered for me.

"CLARIFICATION … My thoughts in this interview were really with YOU the masses… not so much me personally as a lone individual. My thoughts were driven from a desire for people to remain harmonious and calm. I was expressing my 'thought' that perhaps the media coverage was a bit irresponsible and was fueling a hysteria that MAY lead to heavier global consequences than the virus itself.

"FOR THE SAKE OF EXAMPLE… I have to assume that most of you 'avid commenters' are not independently wealthy and that most of you work what would be classified as normal jobs pay check to pay check…yes? The question is…how are you going to survive when everything is shut down and you can't work or purchase goods?

"Fuck the virus… If you are in good health with a couple big coins in the bank you are likely to be all right till this blows over, but the whole concept
of shutting down businesses and entire countries, raiding supermarkets and such is surely gonna fuck up a bunch of innocent fuckers as it relates to finances and more importantly basic survival. I was just 'questioning' if that was truly necessary. That sentiment is what was driving my response. Perhaps I failed to expose the full picture that was in my mind at the moment. I'm a bit of a spacey bitch sometimes. Fact is I don't know… It is only a thought… an Opinion if you will.

"So to all of you 'blabbermouth hate bitches' thank you for the attention… I do appreciate you devoting even the smallest bit of your time to the cause of Richie Kotzen… AND I sincerely hope no one becomes terminally ill from Corona and I hope you find good use with all that toilet paper and don't shit yourselves to death… AND if you are unfortunate enough to catch the Corona know that it should be exploited with a properly aged Mezcal Tequila.

"In Closing… To the occasional 'Blabbermouth love' please know that I Love You Back

"Sincerely, Richie Kotzen Los Angeles USA

"#Opinion"

Kotzen's 22nd solo album, "50 For 50" is now available via his own custom label, Headroom-Inc. The three-disc collection is just what the title implies: a collection of 50 previously unreleased compositions produced, performed and written by Kotzen in honor of his birthday. It's the follow-up to his critically acclaimed "Salting Earth" album, which was released in April 2017 via Headroom-Inc.