Why People Get Rage Against The Machine Wrong

[The Computer Audiophile]

Interesting video. 

 

 

[Booster MPS]

This was great and thanks.  How many misguided political campaigns have we seen co-opting Springsteen or Neil Young?  Somehow those campaign managers never listen to the lyrics.  The Houston Texans rally around "Bulls on Parade."  Really?  Tom is genius and reaches people in the same way that Chuck D did.  Very intellectual and thought out.  One of the best of our time also.  Gotta shout out Trent Reznor also here.

 

"Anger is a gift"

 

Why yes it is.

[wgscott]

I guess there is an art in not making the message too explicit.  

 

Willie Nelson hosted a music festival called "Cowboys for Indians and Justice for Leonard Peltier" and found himself imprisoned for income tax evasion soon after.

 

 

[sphinxsix]

'Anger is an energy' as Johnny Rotten sang in one of PIL's songs. One of the reasons I don't think I will ever stop listening to rock is that rock music is IMO absolutely the best medium able to express this truth. I think no other music genre does it better including wildest free jazz. I also think that at least part of the reason why for me rock after ca 2000 is in crisis might be the fact that youth simply stopped rebelling against 'machines'.

Even before watching this video I had a thought that I'would have liked RATM even if they had sung about gnomes or about home cooking.. The music is just so good. The lyrics only make it even better but for me music almost always comes first (Dylan and Cohen first come to my mind as examples where lyrics are for me at least as important as 'notes'). And I agree - in the case of RATM - the music is the message itself! 

BTW I don't know if Tom Morello didn't like hip hop but I know his guitar style was heavily influenced by Public Enemy sound which he admitted himself.

BTW no2 - no other book gave me as much insight into old and newer times in the jazz world as Miles' autobiography recommended at the end of this video, I'd highly recommend it to every jazz fan who hasn't read it yet.

[The Computer Audiophile]

46 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

'Anger is an energy' as Johnny Rotten sang in one of PIL's songs. One of the reasons I don't think I will ever stop listening to rock is that rock music is IMO absolutely the best medium able to express this truth. I think no other music genre does it better including wildest free jazz. I also think that at least part of the reason why for me rock after ca 2000 is in crisis might be the fact that youth simply stopped rebelling against 'machines'.

Even before watching this video I had a thought that I'would have liked RATM even if they had sung about gnomes or about home cooking.. The music is just so good. The lyrics only make it even better but for me music almost always comes first (Dylan and Cohen first come to my mind as examples where lyrics are for me at least as important as 'notes'). And I agree - in the case of RATM - the music is the message itself! 

BTW I don't know if Tom Morello didn't like hip hop but I know his guitar style was heavily influenced by Public Enemy sound which he admitted himself.

BTW no2 - no other book gave me as much insight into old and newer times in the jazz world as Miles' autobiography recommended at the end of this video, I'd highly recommend it to every jazz fan who hasn't read it yet.

Agree on many levels. 

 

Much of music today is all about building personal brands and making money first rather than producing a product that is from inside the artist. The formula of making the music one wants to make and hoping others like it is the best formula for long lasting music that actually has meaning.

 

This formula also works for publishing. Trying to write articles that the public likes is a recipe for disaster. Writing articles that please the writer will attract an audience that enjoys the articles. Plus, it's the only way to have meaning in one's work product and have any sense of fulfillment. 

[sphinxsix]

43 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Agree on many levels. 

 

Much of music today is all about building personal brands and making money first rather than producing a product that is from inside the artist. The formula of making the music one wants to make and hoping others like it is the best formula for long lasting music that actually has meaning.

 

This formula also works for publishing. Trying to write articles that the public likes is a recipe for disaster. Writing articles that please the writer will attract an audience that enjoys the articles. Plus, it's the only way to have meaning in one's work product and have any sense of fulfillment. 

I agree. Your post reminded me of Iggy Pop's John Peel lecture on 'Free music in a capitalist society'. Here it is for those who are interested. IMO it's fun to watch.

 

 

[rando]

In all honesty I'd sell the quite rare Rage tshirt with a molatov cocktail on it off my back for the exact same large pile of cash today that it netted me somewhere around two decades ago.  Thus the title to this thread quite amused me.  

[Elon]

Why do people have to agree 100% with someone to enjoy their art? Is it possible that you can understand or be enlightened by someone else's insight yet still disagree with their specific policy recommendations?  Why must I conform so tightly?

 

TBH, I've never really liked Rage, they struck me a superficial, poppy knock offs of Fugazi--who did everything better, and with far more nuance (both musically and even more so politically & lyrically).

 

The best part of the video is where he discusses a lack of understanding of Rage's neo-reactionary politics then segues seamlessly into an Audible ad.  Made me actually LOL.