Rage Against the Machine FAQ
The purpose of the Rage Against the Machine Unofficial Frequently Asked Questions (RATM FAQ) file is to provide a resource for everyone who wants their questions about the band Rage Against the Machine, its recordings, and its activities, answered cohesively and reliably. Nothing here is guaranteed correct. It generally follows the FAQ format-- questions people ask about the band.
The purpose of the Rage Against the Machine Unofficial Frequently Asked Questions (RATM FAQ) file is to provide a resource for everyone who wants their questions about the band Rage Against the Machine, its recordings, and its activities, answered cohesively and reliably. Nothing here is guaranteed correct. It generally follows the FAQ format-- questions people ask about the band.
- TABLE OF CONTENTS - Abbreviated to the highest levels for length.
[1] GENERAL RAGE INFORMATION
[1-1] What is Rage Against the Machine?
[1-2] Isn't being on Sony's Epic label hypocritical?
[1-3] Are Rage communists, or what?
[1-4] What is the significance of the red star?
[1-5] Rage should go to China/Cuba/(other "communist" country)!
[1-6] What was Radio Free LA?
[1-7] Continental Arena Mumia benefit
[2] BAND INFORMATION
[2-1] The Guilty Parties
[2-1-1] Zack de La Rocha, vocals/lyrics
[2-1-2] Tom Morello, guitar
[2-1-3] Tim Commerford, bass
[2-1-4] Brad Wilk, drums
[3] RECORDINGS
[3-1] Rage Against the Machine
[3-1-1] What is going on with the monk on the cover?
[3-1-2] What is that I hear in "Wake Up"?
[3-2] Evil Empire
[3-2-1] What does "Evil Empire" mean?
[3-2-2] What are all those books in the liner notes?
[4] POLITICAL
[4-1] Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional
[4-2] Mumia Abu-Jamal
[4-3] Leonard Peltier
[4-4] Supported Organizations
[1] GENERAL RAGE INFORMATION
[1-1] What is Rage Against the Machine?
Rage Against the Machine is a band who formed in 1991 in Los Angeles whose stated purpose, in the words of lyricist/vocalist Zack de la Rocha is: "...[to] bridge the gap between entertainment and activism; first and foremost, that's our goal." Rage Against the Machine would not exist were it not for their political awareness and activism, and it is an integral part of the band.
Their first private performance was at a friend of Tim's living room party, and they decided they had something. They took their name from the title of Zack's previous band's unreleased second album. They played a few shows, and were almost immediately contacted by several labels. However, they all seemed to think the politics were a gimmick, and Rage didn't bother with them. Their earliest demos were recorded "before ever playing live" and were for sale at their shows, and they made and sold about 5000 copies. They signed with Epic after a short time, and their self-titled debut album on Epic (a division of Sony) was released in November, 1992 (see C-2). They toured in support of various bands and gained more and more recognition; their debut album went platinum; the rest is history.
[1-2] Isn't being on Epic hypocritical?
I believe Tom says it best:
"A lot of labels contacted us, and lots of them just didn't seem to understand what we wanted to do. They kept talking about the message of the music as a gimmick. They were interested in us just because there was a buzz... They saw us as the latest local rock band to be hyped. But Epic agreed to everything we asked--and
they've followed through... we never saw a conflict as long as we maintained creative control. When you live in a capitalistic society, the currency of the dissemination of information goes through capitalistic channels. Would Noam Chomsky object to his works being sold at Barnes & Noble? No, because that's where people buy their books. We're not interested in preaching to just the
converted. It's great to play abandoned squats run by anarchists, but it's also great to be able to reach people with a revolutionary message, people from Granada Hills to Stuttgart."
[1-3] Are Rage communists, or what?
Being that the band is composed of four different individuals with their own independent thoughts and beliefs, this is a question that is impossible to answer in the way that it usually is asked. Tom, however, provides a quick answer for himself, saying he is "a socialist. I believe people should have meaningful control over their society, which we don't have. And there should be democracy in the workplace, as well as in politics."
[1-4] What is the significance of the red star?
Rage Against the Machine uses the imagery of a red, five-pointed star frequently in their merchandise, artwork, equipment, and even on their clothes. A red star has been used through history and to the current day to signify solidarity with leftist activism and movements. The flag used by the Zapatista movement, for instance, is "a black flag and a red star..."
[1-5] Rage should go to China/Cuba/(other "communist" country)!
Tom Morello says this best:
"I am enormously proud to be an American. I would say that the things that our corporate-controlled government has done at best are shameful and at worst genocidal--but there's an incredible and a permanent culture of resistance in this country that I'm very proud to be a part of. It's not the tradition of slave-owning founding fathers, it's the tradition of the Frederick Douglasses, the Underground Railroads, the Chief Josephs, the Joe Hills, and the Huey P. Newtons. There's so much to be proud of when you're American that's hidden from you. The incredible courage and bravery of the union organizers in the late 1800's and early 1900's--that's amazing. People get tricked into going overseas and fighting Uncle Sam's Wall Street wars, but these are people who knew what they were fighting for here at home. I think that that's so much more courageous and brave."
[1-6] What was Radio Free LA?
RFLA was a project Tom put together and hosted to bring politics to the forefront of commercial radio, at least for a little while. It was made available free to any radio station interested in carrying it, and was funded by Sony. It featured interviews with VERY prominent world figures, such as Mumia Abu-Jamal, Noam Chomsky, and Subcommandante Marcos. Between the political talk was music; Zack,
Tom, Stephen Perkins and Flea collaborated to redo all the songs off Evil Empire in their own unique style. Beck performed and spoke, and a series of hilarious "edited" presidential speeches were aired. Also, several young activists spoke on behalf of youth rights and for the garment workers union; Michael Moore put forth some of his own brand of political humor as well. It lasted a little over 2 hours, and was cut off in some areas because of this. Tom hopes to put together another show in the future.
http://www.radiofreela.com/
[1-7] Continental Arena Mumia benefit
Taken in part from "Revolutionary Worker," January 31st, 1999:
On January 28th, 1999 Rage put on a concert to raise money for the defense fund of Mumia Abu-Jamal, much like was done in Washington D.C. in 1995. The Beastie Boys and Bad Religion were scheduled to open, and it was to be held in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. Radio shock-jock Howard Stern caught wind of the controversy and started ranting on-air about this "concert for a cop-killer" that was being advertised on his radio station. In the days following, a tsunami wave of crude threats against the concert hit the airwaves from reactionary tabloid columnists, the Fraternal Order of Police, the New Jersey state troopers, numerous politicians and even the NJ Governor herself, Christine Todd Whitman.
Tom Morello, along with Mumia's lead attorney Leonard Weinglass, appeared on Stern's show in the following days to debate Maureen Faulkner, the widow of the cop who Mumia is accused of killing, and Hugh Burns from the Philadelphia DA's office. It was actually 2 against 4, counting Stern and his sidekick Robin ("We're a pro-cop show!"). Faulkner, who was to turn up in the days following on TV tabloid shows like "Extra" and "Hard Copy," performed in the role of both weeping-widow and rabid political operative. The Philly DA simply lied with abandon.
Tom was later quoted in the New York Times: "It's not the first time that Rage Against the Machine has opened up a can of worms by standing up for what we believed in. We've had the Ku Klux Klan protest our shows, but I didn't expect this from the Governor of New Jersey's office."
The politicians and cops called for cancelling the concert, but they ran up against a recent court ruling involving this very same venue and rocker Marilyn Manson. Manson had won on the grounds that it was a First Amendment violation to ban their concert in this public venue.
When the authorities couldn't shut down the concert, the NJ Governor called on people to refuse to attend, and Ticketmaster made the unprecedented move of offering customers their money back. Two days later, the media reported that 2000 people had demanded their money back, but all those tickets were quickly snapped up again.
As the concert was taking place, Rage themselves had been instructed by arena management that they would not be allowed to distribute any literature, either inside or outside the venue. The band's management brought in 20,000 copies of their leaflet anyhow - which listed 10 things to do about Mumia's case and reprinted "Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal?" from the Refuse & Resist! Resource Guide.
They fought and won the right to have the flyer on tables staffed by International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia, Amnesty International and other support groups. Arena security would not allow any buttons or any political literature to be sold.
Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of Rage, put the authorities' threats into perspective at the press conference. A reporter asked, "In doing a benefit like this, does it make you a marked band in terms of law enforcement?" He answered, "I found it very surprising that the attorney general and the governor of NJ would
denounce musicians who are doing a benefit for someone we consider an innocent man. To me, it rung of them trying to create a climate in which they would try to scare kids from coming to the show and getting the information. The case against Mumia that they're presenting is so thin that now they have to come after the musicians, they're coming after radio stations who play those musicians."
[2] The Guilty Parties
[2-1] Who are the members of Rage?
[2-1-1] Zack de La Rocha, vocals/lyrics
Zack was born January 12, 1970 in Long Beach, CA and is primarily Chicano in descent. His parents separated when he was a child. His father was an artist (see 2-1-1-1), and he grew up with his mother, a teacher, in Irvine, California. Before Rage, Zack sang in a very well-known hardcore band called Inside Out and played guitar in a band called Hardstance. He writes and performs poetry and organizes local shows in addition to his Rage-related activities. He is also currently involved in building a community center near his home.
[1-4-7] The Spitfire Tour
Zack was instrumental in the conception and creation of the Spitfire Tour, a touring group of artists and entertainers who visit college campuses and give lectures, speeches, and start dialogues with students about social issues and creating change with their society. The tour features such well-known people as Jello Biafra, Chuck D, Woody Harrelson and Perry Farrel presenting information and questions in a variety of ways. The tour visits campuses nationwide and its stated purpose is to "educate, enlighten and entertain while instigating action."
[2-1-2] Tom Morello, guitar
Tom Morello was born in Harlem, New York City on May 30th, 1964 and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville. His father was a member of the Mau Mau guerrilla army which freed Kenya from British colonial rule; see section [2-1-2-1]
for information on his mother. Tom graduated from Harvard in 1986 after "concentrating" (a Harvard term) in Social Studies, which is an honors-only program. Before joining Rage, Tom playedguitar and wore a goofy leather vest in an LA band called Lock Up, which released a weird album on Geffen.
[2-1-2-1] Tom's Mom
Tom's mom, Mary, is Italian and Irish and founded Parents For Rock & Rap (see [6-4]), an anti-censorship organization, in 1987. She recently won the Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award for her work in the organization in June of 1996. She traveled with Rage when they were with Lollapalooza, and introduced them as "The best xxxxing band on this tour." She still does this whenever she is at a show.
[2-1-3] Tim Commerford, bass
Tim's father is an aerospace engineer. He is the youngest of five kids, and his mother was a mathematician who died of brain cancer when he was twenty. He and Zack have been friends since elementary school, and it was Zack who turned him on to playing bass in the ninth grade he was with Zack back during the Inside Out hardcore days as well. He writes poetry on the side, loves jazz music, and is an obsessive mountain biker (he thanks "all my bikes" in the liner notes to Battle of Los Angeles).
[2-1-4] Brad Wilk, drums
Brad was born September 5, 1968 in a hospital/sanitarium in Portland, Oregon. After watching money ruin his father as a child, he tries to put minimal worth in material things. He became involved with Rage through his placement of an ad in a periodical, and Tom responded. He has mentioned a weird connection to the number 3 throughout his life, and little "3"'s are plastered all over his drumkit (and, of course, thanks are paid, Sesame Street-style, to "#3" in the liner notes to BOLA).
[3] RECORDINGS
[3-1] Rage Against the Machine
[3-1-1] What is going on with the monk on the cover?
The burning monk on the cover of Rage Against The Machine is Thich Quang Duc, an elderly Buddhist monk. He is immolating himself on a main intersection in Saigon, Vietnam on June 11, 1963 to protest the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem, the American-backed leader of Vietnam who was leading an anti-Buddhist campaign in southern Vietnam. This action was witnessed and filmed by many members of the American media and led to the end of the Diem rule in Vietnam.
[3-1-2] What is that I hear in "Wake Up"?
Right around 4:38, some whispering starts in the background. Zack is reading a portion of a COINTELPRO document. COINTELPRO was the FBI's COunterINTELligence PROgram, which functioned during the 60's and 70's to covertly disrupt civil rights organizations such as the American Indian Movement, the Black Panthers, the SDS, the Women's movement, Martin Luther King, etc. The document he is reading outlines FBI goals to disrupt black civil rights actions and states, in part: "Prevent the rise of a messiah who could unify and electrify the
militant black nationalist movement. Malcolm X might have been such a 'messiah;' he is the martyr of the movement today. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and Elijah Muhammed all aspire to this position... King could be a real contender for this position should he abandon his supposed 'obedience' to 'white liberal doctrines' of
nonviolence and embrace black nationalism..." "Prevent violence on the part of the black nationalist groups. This is primary importance, and is, of course, a goal of the Counterintelligence Program. Through counterintelligence it should be possible to
pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them before they exercise their potential for violence..."
And so on. The full document, and thousands more were made public only recently through the Freedom of Information Act, can be accessed in Ward Churchill and Jim Vandel Wall's book, _The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against Domestic Dissent_, South End Press, Boston (MA), 1990. Page 110.
[3-2] Evil Empire
[3-2-1] What does "Evil Empire" mean?
Evil Empire is what former US President Ronald Reagan referred to the USSR as in a speech in 1982. Here is what Zack has to say: "It's a title I thought was a bit [...]. Ha ha ha. Toward the end of the Cold War, the Reagan administration constantly tried to breed this fear in the American public by referring to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire. We've kind of come to understand that you can
pretty much flip that on its head to see that the US has been responsible for many of the atrocities in the late 20th century."
[3-2-2] What are all those books in the liner notes?
This is the complete list of books, as officially sent to the fan club. Many of these are not easily visible in the actual photos, but are there nonetheless.
Live From Death Row: Mumia Abu-Jamal - Joe Hill: Gibbs M. Smith - The
Mau Mau War Perspective: Frank Ferudi - The Aesthetic Dimension,
Toward a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics: Herbert Marcuse - The Fire
Last Time, 1968 and After: Chris Harman - The Media Monopoly: Ben H.
Bagdikian - 50 Ways To Fight Censorship: Dave Marsh - Hegemony and
Revolution: A Study of Antonio Geamsci's Political & Cultural Theory:
Walter L. Adamson - The Mismeasure of Man: Stephen Gould - Che
Guevera, A New Society, Reflections for Today's World: David
Deutschman, Editor - The Marx-Engels Reader, 2nd ed.: Robert C.
Tucker, Editor - What Uncle Sam Really Wants: Noam Chomsky - Amazing
Grace, The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation:
Jonathan Kozol - Marxism and the New Imperialism: Alex Callinicos,
John Rees, Chris Harman, Mike Haynes - Rules for Radicals: Saul D.
Alinsky - A People's History of the United States: Howard Zinn - The
Lorax: Dr. Seuss - East Los Angeles, History of a Barrio: Richard
Romo - Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World
War II: William Blum - Race for Justice, Mumia Abu-Jamal's Fight
Against The Death Penalty: Leonard Weinglass - Guerilla Warfare:
Che Guevera - Zapata of Mexico: Peter E. Newell - Malcolm X Speaks,
Selected Speeches and Statements: George Breitman - Marxism and the
Press, Oppression of Women, Toward a Unitary Theory: Lise Vogel -
Inevitable Revolutions, The United States in Central America: Walter
LaFeber - The Chomsky Reader: James Peck, Editor - Chicano Politics,
Reality and Promise 1940-1990: Juan Gomez Quinones - The Wretched of
the Earth: Franz Fanon - What is Communist Anarchism?: Alexander
Berkman - Soledad Brother, The Prison Letters of George Jackson:
George Jackson - Fidel and Religion, Conversations With Frei Beuo:
Frei Betto - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American
Slave: Frederick Douglass - Democracy is in the Streets: James
Miller - Capital, Volume One: Karl Marx -The Black Panthers Speak:
Philip S. Foner, Editor - Keeping The Rabble in line, Interviews
with David Barsamian: Noam Chomsky - Walden and Civil Disobedience:
Henry David Thoreau - Darkness at Noon: Arthur Koester - The Culture
of Narcissism, American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations:
Christopher Lasch - Play it as it Lays: Joan Didion - The State and
Revolution: V.I. Lenin - Soul on Ice: Eldridge Cleaver - Kwame
Nkrumah, The Conarky Years, His Life and Letters: Compiled by June
Milne - Revolutionary Suicide: Huey P. Newton - The Anarchist
Cookbook: William Powell - Manufacturing Consent, The Political
Economy of the Mass Media: Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky -
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: James Joyce - Another Country:
James Baldwin - The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck - The Armies of
the Night: Norman Mailer -Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison - Rebellion
from the Roots, Indian Uprising in Chiapas: John Ross - First World
Ha! Ha! Ha! The Zapatista challenge: Elaine Katzenberger, Editor -
The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge: Carlos
Castaneda - Tropic of Cancer: Henry Miller - Johnny Got his Gun:
Dalton Trumbo - Essays in Existentialism: Jean-Paul Sartre - How
Real is Real? Confusion, Disinformation, Communication: Paul
Watzlawick - Ghost of a Chance: William S.Burroughs - Popism, The
Warhol Sixties: Andy Warhol & Pat Hackett - Chicana Falsa and
Other Stories of Death, Identity, and Oxnard: Michele M. Serros -
Promissory Notes: Women in the Transition to Socialism: Sonia Kruks,
Ranya Rapp, Marilyn B. Young, Editors - Gay New York: Gender, Urban
Culture, and the Making of a Gay World: George Chauncey - This
Bridge Called my Back: Writings by radical women of color: Cherrie
Monzaga, Gloria Anzaluda, Editors - Miles, the Autobiography: Miles
Davis - The Sixties Papers, Documents of a Rebellious Decade:
Judith Clavir Albert and Stewart Edward Albert - The Graphic Work:
M. C. Escher - The Anarchist Cookbook: William Powell - Bob Marley
Spirit Dancer: Bruce W. Talamon - Dali, The Paintings: Benedikt
Taschen, Robert Taschen.
[1] GENERAL RAGE INFORMATION
[1-1] What is Rage Against the Machine?
[1-2] Isn't being on Sony's Epic label hypocritical?
[1-3] Are Rage communists, or what?
[1-4] What is the significance of the red star?
[1-5] Rage should go to China/Cuba/(other "communist" country)!
[1-6] What was Radio Free LA?
[1-7] Continental Arena Mumia benefit
[2] BAND INFORMATION
[2-1] The Guilty Parties
[2-1-1] Zack de La Rocha, vocals/lyrics
[2-1-2] Tom Morello, guitar
[2-1-3] Tim Commerford, bass
[2-1-4] Brad Wilk, drums
[3] RECORDINGS
[3-1] Rage Against the Machine
[3-1-1] What is going on with the monk on the cover?
[3-1-2] What is that I hear in "Wake Up"?
[3-2] Evil Empire
[3-2-1] What does "Evil Empire" mean?
[3-2-2] What are all those books in the liner notes?
[4] POLITICAL
[4-1] Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional
[4-2] Mumia Abu-Jamal
[4-3] Leonard Peltier
[4-4] Supported Organizations
[1] GENERAL RAGE INFORMATION
[1-1] What is Rage Against the Machine?
Rage Against the Machine is a band who formed in 1991 in Los Angeles whose stated purpose, in the words of lyricist/vocalist Zack de la Rocha is: "...[to] bridge the gap between entertainment and activism; first and foremost, that's our goal." Rage Against the Machine would not exist were it not for their political awareness and activism, and it is an integral part of the band.
Their first private performance was at a friend of Tim's living room party, and they decided they had something. They took their name from the title of Zack's previous band's unreleased second album. They played a few shows, and were almost immediately contacted by several labels. However, they all seemed to think the politics were a gimmick, and Rage didn't bother with them. Their earliest demos were recorded "before ever playing live" and were for sale at their shows, and they made and sold about 5000 copies. They signed with Epic after a short time, and their self-titled debut album on Epic (a division of Sony) was released in November, 1992 (see C-2). They toured in support of various bands and gained more and more recognition; their debut album went platinum; the rest is history.
[1-2] Isn't being on Epic hypocritical?
I believe Tom says it best:
"A lot of labels contacted us, and lots of them just didn't seem to understand what we wanted to do. They kept talking about the message of the music as a gimmick. They were interested in us just because there was a buzz... They saw us as the latest local rock band to be hyped. But Epic agreed to everything we asked--and
they've followed through... we never saw a conflict as long as we maintained creative control. When you live in a capitalistic society, the currency of the dissemination of information goes through capitalistic channels. Would Noam Chomsky object to his works being sold at Barnes & Noble? No, because that's where people buy their books. We're not interested in preaching to just the
converted. It's great to play abandoned squats run by anarchists, but it's also great to be able to reach people with a revolutionary message, people from Granada Hills to Stuttgart."
[1-3] Are Rage communists, or what?
Being that the band is composed of four different individuals with their own independent thoughts and beliefs, this is a question that is impossible to answer in the way that it usually is asked. Tom, however, provides a quick answer for himself, saying he is "a socialist. I believe people should have meaningful control over their society, which we don't have. And there should be democracy in the workplace, as well as in politics."
[1-4] What is the significance of the red star?
Rage Against the Machine uses the imagery of a red, five-pointed star frequently in their merchandise, artwork, equipment, and even on their clothes. A red star has been used through history and to the current day to signify solidarity with leftist activism and movements. The flag used by the Zapatista movement, for instance, is "a black flag and a red star..."
[1-5] Rage should go to China/Cuba/(other "communist" country)!
Tom Morello says this best:
"I am enormously proud to be an American. I would say that the things that our corporate-controlled government has done at best are shameful and at worst genocidal--but there's an incredible and a permanent culture of resistance in this country that I'm very proud to be a part of. It's not the tradition of slave-owning founding fathers, it's the tradition of the Frederick Douglasses, the Underground Railroads, the Chief Josephs, the Joe Hills, and the Huey P. Newtons. There's so much to be proud of when you're American that's hidden from you. The incredible courage and bravery of the union organizers in the late 1800's and early 1900's--that's amazing. People get tricked into going overseas and fighting Uncle Sam's Wall Street wars, but these are people who knew what they were fighting for here at home. I think that that's so much more courageous and brave."
[1-6] What was Radio Free LA?
RFLA was a project Tom put together and hosted to bring politics to the forefront of commercial radio, at least for a little while. It was made available free to any radio station interested in carrying it, and was funded by Sony. It featured interviews with VERY prominent world figures, such as Mumia Abu-Jamal, Noam Chomsky, and Subcommandante Marcos. Between the political talk was music; Zack,
Tom, Stephen Perkins and Flea collaborated to redo all the songs off Evil Empire in their own unique style. Beck performed and spoke, and a series of hilarious "edited" presidential speeches were aired. Also, several young activists spoke on behalf of youth rights and for the garment workers union; Michael Moore put forth some of his own brand of political humor as well. It lasted a little over 2 hours, and was cut off in some areas because of this. Tom hopes to put together another show in the future.
http://www.radiofreela.com/
[1-7] Continental Arena Mumia benefit
Taken in part from "Revolutionary Worker," January 31st, 1999:
On January 28th, 1999 Rage put on a concert to raise money for the defense fund of Mumia Abu-Jamal, much like was done in Washington D.C. in 1995. The Beastie Boys and Bad Religion were scheduled to open, and it was to be held in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. Radio shock-jock Howard Stern caught wind of the controversy and started ranting on-air about this "concert for a cop-killer" that was being advertised on his radio station. In the days following, a tsunami wave of crude threats against the concert hit the airwaves from reactionary tabloid columnists, the Fraternal Order of Police, the New Jersey state troopers, numerous politicians and even the NJ Governor herself, Christine Todd Whitman.
Tom Morello, along with Mumia's lead attorney Leonard Weinglass, appeared on Stern's show in the following days to debate Maureen Faulkner, the widow of the cop who Mumia is accused of killing, and Hugh Burns from the Philadelphia DA's office. It was actually 2 against 4, counting Stern and his sidekick Robin ("We're a pro-cop show!"). Faulkner, who was to turn up in the days following on TV tabloid shows like "Extra" and "Hard Copy," performed in the role of both weeping-widow and rabid political operative. The Philly DA simply lied with abandon.
Tom was later quoted in the New York Times: "It's not the first time that Rage Against the Machine has opened up a can of worms by standing up for what we believed in. We've had the Ku Klux Klan protest our shows, but I didn't expect this from the Governor of New Jersey's office."
The politicians and cops called for cancelling the concert, but they ran up against a recent court ruling involving this very same venue and rocker Marilyn Manson. Manson had won on the grounds that it was a First Amendment violation to ban their concert in this public venue.
When the authorities couldn't shut down the concert, the NJ Governor called on people to refuse to attend, and Ticketmaster made the unprecedented move of offering customers their money back. Two days later, the media reported that 2000 people had demanded their money back, but all those tickets were quickly snapped up again.
As the concert was taking place, Rage themselves had been instructed by arena management that they would not be allowed to distribute any literature, either inside or outside the venue. The band's management brought in 20,000 copies of their leaflet anyhow - which listed 10 things to do about Mumia's case and reprinted "Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal?" from the Refuse & Resist! Resource Guide.
They fought and won the right to have the flyer on tables staffed by International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia, Amnesty International and other support groups. Arena security would not allow any buttons or any political literature to be sold.
Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of Rage, put the authorities' threats into perspective at the press conference. A reporter asked, "In doing a benefit like this, does it make you a marked band in terms of law enforcement?" He answered, "I found it very surprising that the attorney general and the governor of NJ would
denounce musicians who are doing a benefit for someone we consider an innocent man. To me, it rung of them trying to create a climate in which they would try to scare kids from coming to the show and getting the information. The case against Mumia that they're presenting is so thin that now they have to come after the musicians, they're coming after radio stations who play those musicians."
[2] The Guilty Parties
[2-1] Who are the members of Rage?
[2-1-1] Zack de La Rocha, vocals/lyrics
Zack was born January 12, 1970 in Long Beach, CA and is primarily Chicano in descent. His parents separated when he was a child. His father was an artist (see 2-1-1-1), and he grew up with his mother, a teacher, in Irvine, California. Before Rage, Zack sang in a very well-known hardcore band called Inside Out and played guitar in a band called Hardstance. He writes and performs poetry and organizes local shows in addition to his Rage-related activities. He is also currently involved in building a community center near his home.
[1-4-7] The Spitfire Tour
Zack was instrumental in the conception and creation of the Spitfire Tour, a touring group of artists and entertainers who visit college campuses and give lectures, speeches, and start dialogues with students about social issues and creating change with their society. The tour features such well-known people as Jello Biafra, Chuck D, Woody Harrelson and Perry Farrel presenting information and questions in a variety of ways. The tour visits campuses nationwide and its stated purpose is to "educate, enlighten and entertain while instigating action."
[2-1-2] Tom Morello, guitar
Tom Morello was born in Harlem, New York City on May 30th, 1964 and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville. His father was a member of the Mau Mau guerrilla army which freed Kenya from British colonial rule; see section [2-1-2-1]
for information on his mother. Tom graduated from Harvard in 1986 after "concentrating" (a Harvard term) in Social Studies, which is an honors-only program. Before joining Rage, Tom playedguitar and wore a goofy leather vest in an LA band called Lock Up, which released a weird album on Geffen.
[2-1-2-1] Tom's Mom
Tom's mom, Mary, is Italian and Irish and founded Parents For Rock & Rap (see [6-4]), an anti-censorship organization, in 1987. She recently won the Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award for her work in the organization in June of 1996. She traveled with Rage when they were with Lollapalooza, and introduced them as "The best xxxxing band on this tour." She still does this whenever she is at a show.
[2-1-3] Tim Commerford, bass
Tim's father is an aerospace engineer. He is the youngest of five kids, and his mother was a mathematician who died of brain cancer when he was twenty. He and Zack have been friends since elementary school, and it was Zack who turned him on to playing bass in the ninth grade he was with Zack back during the Inside Out hardcore days as well. He writes poetry on the side, loves jazz music, and is an obsessive mountain biker (he thanks "all my bikes" in the liner notes to Battle of Los Angeles).
[2-1-4] Brad Wilk, drums
Brad was born September 5, 1968 in a hospital/sanitarium in Portland, Oregon. After watching money ruin his father as a child, he tries to put minimal worth in material things. He became involved with Rage through his placement of an ad in a periodical, and Tom responded. He has mentioned a weird connection to the number 3 throughout his life, and little "3"'s are plastered all over his drumkit (and, of course, thanks are paid, Sesame Street-style, to "#3" in the liner notes to BOLA).
[3] RECORDINGS
[3-1] Rage Against the Machine
[3-1-1] What is going on with the monk on the cover?
The burning monk on the cover of Rage Against The Machine is Thich Quang Duc, an elderly Buddhist monk. He is immolating himself on a main intersection in Saigon, Vietnam on June 11, 1963 to protest the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem, the American-backed leader of Vietnam who was leading an anti-Buddhist campaign in southern Vietnam. This action was witnessed and filmed by many members of the American media and led to the end of the Diem rule in Vietnam.
[3-1-2] What is that I hear in "Wake Up"?
Right around 4:38, some whispering starts in the background. Zack is reading a portion of a COINTELPRO document. COINTELPRO was the FBI's COunterINTELligence PROgram, which functioned during the 60's and 70's to covertly disrupt civil rights organizations such as the American Indian Movement, the Black Panthers, the SDS, the Women's movement, Martin Luther King, etc. The document he is reading outlines FBI goals to disrupt black civil rights actions and states, in part: "Prevent the rise of a messiah who could unify and electrify the
militant black nationalist movement. Malcolm X might have been such a 'messiah;' he is the martyr of the movement today. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and Elijah Muhammed all aspire to this position... King could be a real contender for this position should he abandon his supposed 'obedience' to 'white liberal doctrines' of
nonviolence and embrace black nationalism..." "Prevent violence on the part of the black nationalist groups. This is primary importance, and is, of course, a goal of the Counterintelligence Program. Through counterintelligence it should be possible to
pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them before they exercise their potential for violence..."
And so on. The full document, and thousands more were made public only recently through the Freedom of Information Act, can be accessed in Ward Churchill and Jim Vandel Wall's book, _The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against Domestic Dissent_, South End Press, Boston (MA), 1990. Page 110.
[3-2] Evil Empire
[3-2-1] What does "Evil Empire" mean?
Evil Empire is what former US President Ronald Reagan referred to the USSR as in a speech in 1982. Here is what Zack has to say: "It's a title I thought was a bit [...]. Ha ha ha. Toward the end of the Cold War, the Reagan administration constantly tried to breed this fear in the American public by referring to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire. We've kind of come to understand that you can
pretty much flip that on its head to see that the US has been responsible for many of the atrocities in the late 20th century."
[3-2-2] What are all those books in the liner notes?
This is the complete list of books, as officially sent to the fan club. Many of these are not easily visible in the actual photos, but are there nonetheless.
Live From Death Row: Mumia Abu-Jamal - Joe Hill: Gibbs M. Smith - The
Mau Mau War Perspective: Frank Ferudi - The Aesthetic Dimension,
Toward a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics: Herbert Marcuse - The Fire
Last Time, 1968 and After: Chris Harman - The Media Monopoly: Ben H.
Bagdikian - 50 Ways To Fight Censorship: Dave Marsh - Hegemony and
Revolution: A Study of Antonio Geamsci's Political & Cultural Theory:
Walter L. Adamson - The Mismeasure of Man: Stephen Gould - Che
Guevera, A New Society, Reflections for Today's World: David
Deutschman, Editor - The Marx-Engels Reader, 2nd ed.: Robert C.
Tucker, Editor - What Uncle Sam Really Wants: Noam Chomsky - Amazing
Grace, The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation:
Jonathan Kozol - Marxism and the New Imperialism: Alex Callinicos,
John Rees, Chris Harman, Mike Haynes - Rules for Radicals: Saul D.
Alinsky - A People's History of the United States: Howard Zinn - The
Lorax: Dr. Seuss - East Los Angeles, History of a Barrio: Richard
Romo - Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World
War II: William Blum - Race for Justice, Mumia Abu-Jamal's Fight
Against The Death Penalty: Leonard Weinglass - Guerilla Warfare:
Che Guevera - Zapata of Mexico: Peter E. Newell - Malcolm X Speaks,
Selected Speeches and Statements: George Breitman - Marxism and the
Press, Oppression of Women, Toward a Unitary Theory: Lise Vogel -
Inevitable Revolutions, The United States in Central America: Walter
LaFeber - The Chomsky Reader: James Peck, Editor - Chicano Politics,
Reality and Promise 1940-1990: Juan Gomez Quinones - The Wretched of
the Earth: Franz Fanon - What is Communist Anarchism?: Alexander
Berkman - Soledad Brother, The Prison Letters of George Jackson:
George Jackson - Fidel and Religion, Conversations With Frei Beuo:
Frei Betto - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American
Slave: Frederick Douglass - Democracy is in the Streets: James
Miller - Capital, Volume One: Karl Marx -The Black Panthers Speak:
Philip S. Foner, Editor - Keeping The Rabble in line, Interviews
with David Barsamian: Noam Chomsky - Walden and Civil Disobedience:
Henry David Thoreau - Darkness at Noon: Arthur Koester - The Culture
of Narcissism, American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations:
Christopher Lasch - Play it as it Lays: Joan Didion - The State and
Revolution: V.I. Lenin - Soul on Ice: Eldridge Cleaver - Kwame
Nkrumah, The Conarky Years, His Life and Letters: Compiled by June
Milne - Revolutionary Suicide: Huey P. Newton - The Anarchist
Cookbook: William Powell - Manufacturing Consent, The Political
Economy of the Mass Media: Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky -
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: James Joyce - Another Country:
James Baldwin - The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck - The Armies of
the Night: Norman Mailer -Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison - Rebellion
from the Roots, Indian Uprising in Chiapas: John Ross - First World
Ha! Ha! Ha! The Zapatista challenge: Elaine Katzenberger, Editor -
The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge: Carlos
Castaneda - Tropic of Cancer: Henry Miller - Johnny Got his Gun:
Dalton Trumbo - Essays in Existentialism: Jean-Paul Sartre - How
Real is Real? Confusion, Disinformation, Communication: Paul
Watzlawick - Ghost of a Chance: William S.Burroughs - Popism, The
Warhol Sixties: Andy Warhol & Pat Hackett - Chicana Falsa and
Other Stories of Death, Identity, and Oxnard: Michele M. Serros -
Promissory Notes: Women in the Transition to Socialism: Sonia Kruks,
Ranya Rapp, Marilyn B. Young, Editors - Gay New York: Gender, Urban
Culture, and the Making of a Gay World: George Chauncey - This
Bridge Called my Back: Writings by radical women of color: Cherrie
Monzaga, Gloria Anzaluda, Editors - Miles, the Autobiography: Miles
Davis - The Sixties Papers, Documents of a Rebellious Decade:
Judith Clavir Albert and Stewart Edward Albert - The Graphic Work:
M. C. Escher - The Anarchist Cookbook: William Powell - Bob Marley
Spirit Dancer: Bruce W. Talamon - Dali, The Paintings: Benedikt
Taschen, Robert Taschen.
[4] POLITICAL
[4-1] Ejercito Zapatista Liberacion Nacional
The Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN, Zapatista National Liberation Army in the Spanish language) is a leftist revolutionary group in southeastern Mexico. It principally operates in the state of Chiapas, although its demands and influence are national. The members of the EZLN are primarily indigenous people from the Lacandon Jungle region of Chiapas, Mexico. The EZLN has around 12,000 troops, 2-3000 of whom are fairly well-armed. There are 11 general demands of the EZLN, as outlined in the 1st Declaration From the Lacandon Jungle; they are: work, land, shelter, food, health, education, autonomy, freedom, democracy, justice, and peace. The EZLN took its name from the Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata, who led the armies of the south in the Mexican Revolution, developed the Plan de Ayala, and
was eventually betrayed and killed. The movement was born just over 12 years ago in the Lacandon jungle.
Zack has visited the region to "help out" the EZLN on several occasions, and often wears a shirt with "E Z L N" written on the chest. Several Evil Empire songs deal with this subject as well. For further information.
[4-2] Mumia Abu-Jamal
Information provided by Refuse & Resist!
At the time of his arrest, he was a prominent radio journalist and president of the local chapter of the Association of Black Journalists. Mumia was also a strident critic of Philadelphia's racist police force, and was affiliated with the Black Panthers. One evening in 1981 when Mumia was moonlighting as a cab driver, he came upon a cop beating his own brother. The street was full of people (the bars had just closed) when Mumia ran to his brother's defense, and after the ensuring conflict, Mumia was sitting on the curb shot in the body, his brother was bleeding from the face, and the cop lay dead. Following his arrest, he was beaten several times by police and was said by police to have confessed to the murder of the police officer. Mumia has always maintained that he did not kill the cop, and a number of witnesses blamed another man who fled the scene. Prosecutors argued for the death penalty by reciting his history in the Black Panthers and quoting his political writings. Mumia was to be put to death for consorting with radicals and upholding revolution. Mumia sits on death row because of who he is and the political views he advocates. He exposes police brutality and racism and stands with revolutionary peoples throughout the world.
Rage performed in the Mumia defense fund benefit in the Capitol Ballroom, Washington, DC on August 13, 1995. A bootleg of this performance called "Killing Your Enemy in 1995" can be found.
[4-3] Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier was a leader of AIM, the American Indian Movement. In the late 1970's, at Pine Ridge, a group of FBI and ATF agents approached a building where Peltier and other AIM members were trapped. A siege and shootout followed where 2 FBI agents were shotgunned to death. Peltier was arrested and plead not guilty,
however he would not reveal who did the shootings. He has since resided in the Federal Prison at Leavenworth, Kansas. There is an excellent film by the name of "Incident at Oglala" which details his case, as well.
In 1994, Rage gave a concert for him, which raised $70,000+ for his defense fund, and give out information about the case whenever possible.
[4-4] Evil Empire liner notes
Anti-Nazi League
PO Box 2566
London N4 2HG, England
171.924.0333
Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru
PO Box 1246
Berkeley, CA 94701
415.252.5786
http://www.csrp.org/
FAIR
130 W. 25th ST.
New York, NY 10001
email: fair-info@fair.org
http://www.fair.org/fair/
International Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal
PO Box 19709 Philadelphia, PA 19143
215.476.8812
email: mumia@aol.com
http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/mumia002.html
Parents for Rock & Rap
PO Box 53
Libertyville, IL 60048
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
913.842.5774
email: lpdc@idir.net
http://www.unicom.net/peltier/index.html
Refuse and Resist
305 Madison Ave. STE. 1166
New York, NY 10165
212.713.5657
email: refuse@calyx.com
http://www.calyx.com/~refuse/
National Commission for Democracy in Mexico
5902 Monterey Rd., #194
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: 213-254-9550
Toll free: 1-800-405-7770
Fax: 213-254-9597
email: moonlight@igc.apc.org
[4-1] Ejercito Zapatista Liberacion Nacional
The Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN, Zapatista National Liberation Army in the Spanish language) is a leftist revolutionary group in southeastern Mexico. It principally operates in the state of Chiapas, although its demands and influence are national. The members of the EZLN are primarily indigenous people from the Lacandon Jungle region of Chiapas, Mexico. The EZLN has around 12,000 troops, 2-3000 of whom are fairly well-armed. There are 11 general demands of the EZLN, as outlined in the 1st Declaration From the Lacandon Jungle; they are: work, land, shelter, food, health, education, autonomy, freedom, democracy, justice, and peace. The EZLN took its name from the Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata, who led the armies of the south in the Mexican Revolution, developed the Plan de Ayala, and
was eventually betrayed and killed. The movement was born just over 12 years ago in the Lacandon jungle.
Zack has visited the region to "help out" the EZLN on several occasions, and often wears a shirt with "E Z L N" written on the chest. Several Evil Empire songs deal with this subject as well. For further information.
[4-2] Mumia Abu-Jamal
Information provided by Refuse & Resist!
At the time of his arrest, he was a prominent radio journalist and president of the local chapter of the Association of Black Journalists. Mumia was also a strident critic of Philadelphia's racist police force, and was affiliated with the Black Panthers. One evening in 1981 when Mumia was moonlighting as a cab driver, he came upon a cop beating his own brother. The street was full of people (the bars had just closed) when Mumia ran to his brother's defense, and after the ensuring conflict, Mumia was sitting on the curb shot in the body, his brother was bleeding from the face, and the cop lay dead. Following his arrest, he was beaten several times by police and was said by police to have confessed to the murder of the police officer. Mumia has always maintained that he did not kill the cop, and a number of witnesses blamed another man who fled the scene. Prosecutors argued for the death penalty by reciting his history in the Black Panthers and quoting his political writings. Mumia was to be put to death for consorting with radicals and upholding revolution. Mumia sits on death row because of who he is and the political views he advocates. He exposes police brutality and racism and stands with revolutionary peoples throughout the world.
Rage performed in the Mumia defense fund benefit in the Capitol Ballroom, Washington, DC on August 13, 1995. A bootleg of this performance called "Killing Your Enemy in 1995" can be found.
[4-3] Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier was a leader of AIM, the American Indian Movement. In the late 1970's, at Pine Ridge, a group of FBI and ATF agents approached a building where Peltier and other AIM members were trapped. A siege and shootout followed where 2 FBI agents were shotgunned to death. Peltier was arrested and plead not guilty,
however he would not reveal who did the shootings. He has since resided in the Federal Prison at Leavenworth, Kansas. There is an excellent film by the name of "Incident at Oglala" which details his case, as well.
In 1994, Rage gave a concert for him, which raised $70,000+ for his defense fund, and give out information about the case whenever possible.
[4-4] Evil Empire liner notes
Anti-Nazi League
PO Box 2566
London N4 2HG, England
171.924.0333
Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru
PO Box 1246
Berkeley, CA 94701
415.252.5786
http://www.csrp.org/
FAIR
130 W. 25th ST.
New York, NY 10001
email: fair-info@fair.org
http://www.fair.org/fair/
International Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal
PO Box 19709 Philadelphia, PA 19143
215.476.8812
email: mumia@aol.com
http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/mumia002.html
Parents for Rock & Rap
PO Box 53
Libertyville, IL 60048
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
913.842.5774
email: lpdc@idir.net
http://www.unicom.net/peltier/index.html
Refuse and Resist
305 Madison Ave. STE. 1166
New York, NY 10165
212.713.5657
email: refuse@calyx.com
http://www.calyx.com/~refuse/
National Commission for Democracy in Mexico
5902 Monterey Rd., #194
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: 213-254-9550
Toll free: 1-800-405-7770
Fax: 213-254-9597
email: moonlight@igc.apc.org
