Rage Against the Machine Essay -- Music Bands Politics Essays

Rage Against the Machine Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Timmy Commerford took to a Philadelphia stage in 1993 clad in black electrical tape that covered their mouths and the initials PMRC written in black marker across their chests. They stood in this fashion for fourteen minutes while feedback from their guitars rumbled through the amps. This seemingly simple prank was actually protest against the censorship of music and the Parents Music Resource Center, founded by Tipper Gore (Buchi, incidents par. 3-4). The music of Rage Against the Machine contains the political and social views of the band members. They are very avid about defending constitutional rights of the individual and large groups of deprived people. The members of Rage Against the Machine each bring diversity and strong political views into the music they produce. Each member is unique in his childhood background and his introduction to music. It is important to understand their backgrounds to fully understand their passion for political justice. Zack de la Rocha was born in Long Beach, California in 1970. After his parent's separation when he was one year old, Zack lived with his mother in the "whitest community in Southern L.A.". Zack turned to his father to develop close ties with the Chicano community, but after his father's mental breakdown, Zack was forced to look for direction in a high school friend and now current band member Timmy Commerford. Zack, who is responsible for writing the band's lyrics, uses his intelligence to express his anger, especially in the mistreatment of groups like the Zapatistas (Taneja, Band Members par. 1). Timmy Commerford, the band's bassist, ... ...noose over all the new societies that it sees. "Ashes in the Fall" calls the leaders of today fascists that talk society up as a chosen life free of blot and mixture. The song contrasts this by showing that these promises fall through and the world is as it seems not as they want you to see it. "Ashes in the Fall" ends by showing that the closing of factories and schools by the rich drive the poor to crime. This driving force to crime opens the doors to the jail cells and the common person is tucked away. Rage Against the Machine uses its music to project its views about many political and social problems. The power of music has helped their messages reach people in positions that are normally politically retarded. Rage has had a profound influence on groups of people across the globe and will continue to do so in the future.