Ice-T Reveals How He Secured Pink Floyd’s Approval for Covering ‘Comfortably Numb’

Body Count recently performed their cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’ on The Tonight Show, with Ice-T sharing the story behind obtaining approval from both Roger Waters and David Gilmour for the reinterpretation. In September, the rap-metal band released their powerful rendition of the 1980 classic from The Wall, featuring reimagined lyrics and a contribution from Gilmour himself.

During his interview with Jimmy Fallon on December 4, Ice-T described the challenges of getting the track approved, given the long-standing discord between Waters and Gilmour, whom he noted "haven’t agreed on anything in 20 years." He explained that the idea for the cover arose while exploring older songs to sample or adapt, and he was drawn to the iconic bassline of the Pink Floyd original.

Initially, the track was rejected outright by the band’s publishers, leading Ice-T to abandon the project. However, his manager reached out directly to Gilmour’s team, ultimately securing Gilmour’s approval. Waters later listened to the song and also gave his consent after learning Ice-T himself performed the vocals.

Image Courtesy: Evening Standard

Reflecting on the experience, Ice-T said he felt validated by the rare agreement between Gilmour and Waters, seeing it as a testament to the sincerity and authenticity of their rendition.

The Tonight Show performance has drawn comparisons to Knocked Loose’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where the metalcore band, joined by Poppy, delivered a fierce performance of their collaborative track ‘Suffocate’ from their latest album, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To.

While Knocked Loose’s performance sparked some social media backlash—one user even demanded an apology from Kimmel—frontman Bryan Garris dismissed the criticism, stating that if the performance provoked fear, "good."

Elsewhere, Roger Waters made headlines earlier in the week for his comments criticizing Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood over their stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

--Silviya.Y