Roger Taylor has lashed out at those who refuse to vaccinate themselves against COVID-19, saying they “must be ignorant and stupid”.

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The longstanding Queen drummer made his comments in a recent episode of the Consequence podcast, Kyle Meredith With. He appeared on the show to speak about his new solo album ‘Outsider’ noting that it was largely influenced by last year’s lockdowns in Europe and the UK.

Citing the single ‘Isolation’ as one primarily inspired by the lockdowns, he said: “I think in Europe it was very serious, and I really felt for people in Milan. You know, locked up in a one room apartment, that was a scary time.”

On the importance of getting vaccinated, Taylor continued: We all want to be looking back [on the pandemic]. We’re kind of starting to look back on it a bit now. I have to say, I really don’t understand anybody that doesn’t want to be vaccinated. They must be ignorant and stupid. But here we are; it’s a clear cut case. Vaccinations have been with us a long time now, and they work. Please, get vaccinated.”

Have a listen to the full episode of Kyle Meredith With below:

Taylor’s sentiments echoed those shared by Queen bandmate Brian May, who said back in August: “There’s plenty of evidence to show that vaccination helps. On the whole they’ve been very safe. There’s always going to be some side effect in any drug you take, but to go around saying vaccines are a plot to kill you, I’m sorry, that goes in the fruitcake jar for me.”

‘Outsider’ landed yesterday (October 1) via Nightjar / Universal, and was flanked by the lead single ‘We’re All Just Trying To Get By’ featuring KT Tunstall. It marks Taylor’s first new album in eight years, following 2013’s ‘Fun On Earth’.

Much of the new album was recorded during stints in lockdown and, as per press material, finds the multi-instrumentalist in a “reflective” mood. He dedicated it “to all the outsiders, those who feel left on the sidelines”, adding: “I’ve had a bit of a creative spurt and suddenly found myself with an album, which was lovely. It was a surprise! I just found myself in the studio and they came out one after the other. It was a pleasure really.”

Taylor is currently touring the album across the UK, with a 14-date run kicking off tonight (October 2) at Newcastle’s O2 Academy. The intimate tour marks his first live performances outside of Queen in more than two decades.

Last month, Taylor admitted he was “tempted to laugh” the first time he heard Freddie Mercury sing, saying in an interview that Mercury’s style was “so extreme” and “he hadn’t developed his voice; he didn’t have the control he had later”.