Rage Against The Machine was arrested by the American Secret Service in 1996

A new documentary entitled “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 years of Music SNL”, which was recently broadcast on the North American NBC has revealed an episode in which Rage Against The Machine was blocked by the secret service after its performance on the show.

The band was invited by “Saturday Night Live” on April 13, 1996, in an episode presented by the billionaire Steve Forbes, then candidate for the Republican presidency. During the rehearsals, the Ratm put the American flags inverted on its amplifiers, but SNL production removed them before the live presentation. The band was unable to play their second song, “Bullet in the Head” and was never invited.

In the documentary, the guitarist Tom Morello describes in detail what happened. “Snl was part of the DNA of American culture. When they invited us, we think: “How to transform it into an artistic performance?” After learning that Steve Forbes would be the presenter, the group saw the opportunity to protest.

On the night of the show, the bands of the band replaced the flags inverted in the amplifiers. The Snl team removed them seven seconds from the start of the broadcast. After the presentation of “Bulls on Parade”, the band was informed that their second song had been cut. The dissatisfied bassist, Tim Commerford, destroyed a flag and tried to attack Forbes in his dressing room, but only hit the presenter’s family members.

The accident led to the intervention of the secret service, which closed the band in the locker room and escorted it outside the building. “We were left on the sidewalk from the NBC building,” says Morello.

Rodrigo James is a journalist, content creator and publishes a weekly newsletter Slob

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Source: Terra

Earl

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.