Admirador declared that he liked the band until “political opinions were disseminated”, despite all the band’s lyrics containing positioning
Practically the entire authorial repertoire of the Rage Against the Machine presents political and social reflections. You don’t have to agree with the band’s position to at least recognize that.
Still, there are some fans who don’t seem to understand – or have misunderstood the lyrics. It gets to the point where Tom Morelloguitarist of the band, having to deal with unsuspecting admirers who only recently “discovered” the proposal of the complete group by Zack de la Rocha (voice), Brad Wilk (battery) and Tim Commerford (low).
A 2020 post on Twitter caught the attention of Morello by bringing in a fan complaining about RATM’s lyrics. The guy declared that he admired the band “until the political views came out” – as if they weren’t already present in the lyrics of the songs.
“I used to be a fan until your political views came out. Music is my sanctuary and the last thing I want to listen to is political nonsense while listening to music. As far as I’m concerned, you’re finished. Keep talking too much and ruining your fan base.”
Tom saw no other way to react than with some good humour. The guitarist, who is also an honors graduate of Political Science at the University of Harvardguaranteed that he would remove any song that did not have “political nonsense” in the lyrics, since the proposal was precisely to discuss these themes in the compositions.
“Scott! What song of mine were you a fan of that did NOT have ‘political nonsense’? I need to know, so I can remove it from the catalog.”
Scott!! What music of mine were you a fan of that DIDN’T contain “political BS”? I need to know so I can delete it from the catalog. https://t.co/AMpmjx6540
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) June 9, 2020
With more than 100,000 likes, the tweet generated a series of fun responses from fans. One netizen commented: “Which machine do you think Rage Against the Machine was against? Dishwasher?’. Another said: “He probably thinks Bruce Springsteen’s music isn’t politicized either.”
Tom Morello and politics
On different occasions, Tom Morello has spoken in interviews about how he reacts to fans who are bothered by his opinion or that of Rage Against the Machine about politics. In the year 2018, for example, when talking to the Chicago Tribunehe revealed what he usually says to this part of the public.
“When you pick up a guitar, you don’t lose your rights. And when people tell you to ‘shut up and play guitar’, or complain about artists who speak out, it’s only because they don’t agree with what you’re saying. It’s not complicated at all. There’s a cognitive dissonance where they say, ‘I like rock, I like solos, but I disagree with that, so shut up.’ This highlights the conflicts of good art. It’s a mission I’ve had since I was a teenager.”
the positioning of Morello was never to exclude those who disagree with him from the fan base of Rage Against the Machine or your other projects. However, he assured that he will not change his way of acting.
“There is no political test to listen to my music, but I will never compromise anything to satisfy someone who is uncomfortable with the ideas I hold at heart.”
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
