The theme of socio-political revolution has never been the rock and roll staple that is sex and drugs, although the two were once confused for a brief period thirty years ago. Yet there remains a select few pushing the envelope of radical politics in pop music. For nearly a decade Rage Against The Machine has been the blistering core of this group.
There's nary a teenager or young adult that hasn't heard the wizardesque, crunching guitar of Tom Morello or Zach De La Rocha's politically-charged bursts of rage. It was raw and entirely refreshing when it pierced through the wall of tired verses erected by the grunge bards of the early nineties. Others have since tried to imitate their style, but unlike the fakes, Rage had substance, taking on causes oblivious to many and delivering the message in a beautifully wrapped sonic package.
Rage Against The Machine brought controversial issues to Middle American stereos and televisions at a time when politics was synonymous with scandal, mainstream convention and platitudes. They famously rallied around such figures as death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal and jailed Native American activist Leonard Peltier. The band successfully fought to bring attention to issues as disparate as sweatshop labor practices and the Zapatistas. You may not have agreed with their politics, but there was no denying their efforts to fight ignorance and injustice with groundbreaking, intelligent music.
Far from the decadent rock stars of past and present, the group's high profile and commercial success seemed at odds with their identity as rebels. Yet it gave the reluctant stars an incredible forum for encouraging activism among a lethargic demographic, one they used to fight earnestly and give generously--hundreds of thousands of dollars in fact--to those less fortunate.
Today, we mourn the death of Rage Against The Machine. Zack De La Rocha announced his departure from the incendiary rock band, citing an irreconcilable breakdown in communication between the band's four members. "quot;I feel that it is now necessary to leave Rage because our decision-making process has completely failed,"quot; said De La Rocha in a statement.
Sadly, this ends the group's tumultuous nine-year run as rock's only blaring voice for political and social change: as popular music's brain and conscience. The remaining members--guitarist Tom Morello, drummer Brad Wilk, and bassist Tim Commerford--have vowed to continue in the wake of De La Rocha's departure, but it will be impossible to replace the dynamic front man, who along with Morello's guitar, was the group's unique one-two punch. De La Rocha may prove to be irreplaceable as any substitute would immediately diminish what most have come to expect from the fiery group, and ultimately what people associate with the name. Indeed, Rage is finished.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, Rage Against the Machine burst onto the scene after selling five thousand copies of a demo cassette - an extraordinary feat for a largely unknown band. Just one year later Rage would attract critical and popular acclaim around the world. In November 1992 Epic Records released their self-titled debut album, whose cover art featured the 1963 Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a Buddhist monk immolating himself in protest of the American puppet Ngo Diem's Buddhist crackdown in South Vietnam. The album's intense sound and message reached thousands of impressionable teenagers coming of age in the early 1990's. No doubt it radicalized many.
Their notoriety continued to grow with a tireless tour schedule, playing such benefits as Rock for Choice, the Anti-Nazi League benefit in London, and organizing concerts to raise money for the former American Indian Movement (AIM) leader Leonard Peltier and death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal. The group cemented their fan base on annual summer festivals like the now defunct Lollapalooza Tour. At the Philadelphia tour stop in 1993, the band engaged in a silent protest against censorship by standing naked onstage with duct tape covering their mouths and letters scrawled on their chests that collectively spelled out P-M-R-C (Parents Music Resource Center, the Tipper Gore-led group which spearheaded the labeling of albums for explicit lyrics). The members stood still without playing a single note for 25 minutes, accompanied by nothing more than guitar feedback (they played a free show for those fans a few days later).
As expected, the rigors of such extensive touring took their toll, prompting early rumors of the band's breakup. In April of 1996, the quartet courted national controversy during an appearance on Saturday Night Live hosted by presidential contender Steve Forbes when they, trying to make their own political statement, hung two inverted American flags from their amplifiers. Ultimately the band's two-song performance was be cut to a single song but their second album, Evil Empire (named after Ronald Reagan's reference to the former Soviet Union) promptly entered Billboard's Top 200 chart at No. 1 three days after the S.N.L. incident. Steve Forbes came in at No. 4 in his chart race.
Somewhat ironically, the world's most antiestablishment band soon even garnered recognition from the music establishment itself when The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded Rage Against the Machine with a Best Metal Performance Grammy for "quot;Tire Me."quot; It was also during this time that none less than U2 invited the band on its massive (and blatantly corporate) Pop-Mart tour. Remaining true to form, the band donated its entire earnings from these shows to organizations like Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), Women Alive, and the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico.
In August Rage played a blistering set just outside the Democratic National Convention in its native Los Angeles which saw a minor riot break out. The truth of the matter was that the real drama was occurring backstage as disarray engulfed their camp since the release of their third (and appropriately enough) titled album, The Battle of Los Angeles, last November. The band fired two managers and canceled its planned Rhyme and Reason tour due to poor ticket sales and an injury to co-header Beastie Boy Mike D. To make matters worse, bassist Tim Commerford was arrested for disorderly conduct at last month's MTV Video Music Awards, an incident that so angered De La Rocha that he walked out of Radio City Music Hall afterward, and may have snapped the singer's working relationship with the band.
Meanwhile, De La Rocha is forging ahead with production of a solo album, said to feature a bevy of high-caliber hip-hop artists. He is also involved in the annual Spitfire Tour, a free speech college tour of musicians, actors and activists speaking out on global justice issues. Using a variety of methods including performance, lectures and multimedia, Spitfire aims to inspire youth to get involved in their communities and beyond, a far cry from the decadence of earlier rock stars.
Historian Michael Beschloss once remarked that it was common for American revolutionary leaders, even when successful, to flare for a year or two, and then fade away. I'd be interested in hearing his assessment of the success (and now legacy) of Rage Against The Machine. If anything, the band is proof that nothing lasts forever. Yet their impact in this oft-chaotic world is immeasurable by ticket and album sales alone. The music and message will continue decades after the band's demise, fanning the socio-political fires for future generations to come.
May the band's spirit never rest in peace.
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