Tom Morello: 'Paul Ryan is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against'

Tom Morello: 'Paul Ryan Is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against'

Rage Against the Machine's guitarist blasts Romney's VP pick and unlikely Rage fan



By Tom Morello
August 16, 2012 6:44 PM ET

Last week, Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan, the Republican architect of Congress's radical right-wing budget plan, as his running mate. Ryan has previously cited Rage Against the Machine as one of his favorite bands. Rage guitarist Tom Morello responds in this exclusive op-ed.

Paul Ryan's love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades. Charles Manson loved the Beatles but didn't understand them. Governor Chris Christie loves Bruce Springsteen but doesn't understand him. And Paul Ryan is clueless about his favorite band, Rage Against the Machine.

Ryan claims that he likes Rage's sound, but not the lyrics. Well, I don't care for Paul Ryan's sound or his lyrics. He can like whatever bands he wants, but his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to the one percent is antithetical to the message of Rage.

I wonder what Ryan's favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of "Fuck the Police"? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!

Don't mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta "rage" in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he's not raging against is the privileged elite he's groveling in front of for campaign contributions.

You see, the super rich must rationalize having more than they could ever spend while millions of children in the U.S. go to bed hungry every night. So, when they look themselves in the mirror, they convince themselves that "Those people are undeserving. They're . . . lesser." Some of these guys on the extreme right are more cynical than Paul Ryan, but he seems to really believe in this stuff. This unbridled rage against those who have the least is a cornerstone of the Romney-Ryan ticket.

But Rage's music affects people in different ways. Some tune out what the band stands for and concentrate on the moshing and throwing elbows in the pit. For others, Rage has changed their minds and their lives. Many activists around the world, including organizers of the global occupy movement, were radicalized by Rage Against the Machine and work tirelessly for a more humane and just planet. Perhaps Paul Ryan was moshing when he should have been listening.

My hope is that maybe Paul Ryan is a mole. Maybe Rage did plant some sensible ideas in this extreme fringe right wing nut job. Maybe if elected, he'll pardon Leonard Peltier. Maybe he'll throw U.S. military support behind the Zapatistas. Maybe he'll fill Guantanamo Bay with the corporate criminals that are funding his campaign – and then torture them with Rage music 24/7. That's one possibility. But I'm not betting on it.

lol. Cutting spending and smaller govt is now "extreme" and "fringe" now. Funny.

Rage is a raging lunatic leftist and a monumental waste of air.

What Morello (and other left wing entertainers) need to understand is that not everyone listens to music for a the message that some may be sending. If that was the case, I'd be a Satanist by now.

This Tom Morello guy is a bit wonky
Yapping so negatively about the super rich while he gets tens of millions for screaming into a microphone while having the intellectual level of a carpet.
These entertainers are a part of the problem (but we've already established that)
What's worse is the public actually listens to these yahoos.

TexasBlue wrote:What Morello (and other left wing entertainers) need to understand is that not everyone listens to music for a the message that some may be sending. If that was the case, I'd be a Satanist by now.

The difference is that RATM's music is downright hostile and diametrically opposed to everything Paul Ryan stands for, which is downright hostile and diametrically opposed to everything RATM stands for. Whereas I don't think that is the case with you and Satanism--you aren't a Satanist, but you're not an enemy of Satanism (or are you?).

But your point is sound--music communicates on many levels. It's a bit weird that a musician wouldn't get this. I still think RATM is a strange band for Paul Ryan to like, but to each their own--I'm not going to say he's 'wrong.' I don't care for their music much--I'll listen to "Killing In The Name" when it comes on the radio. I owned one of their cassette tapes a long, long time ago. They're not the kind of thing I'd ever put on in my house.

Anyway, you've probably all heard of the claim that a school of piranha can skeletonize a cow in minutes flat. I've always been curious to see that. Not having a cow or a school of piranha, I thought the next best thing would be to post this article here.

Incidentally, it's one of two articles I have about Paul Ryan not really understanding the stuff he likes (the other being the works of Ayn Rand).

NP12 wrote:This Tom Morello guy is a bit wonky
Yapping so negatively about the super rich while he gets tens of millions for screaming into a microphone while having the intellectual level of a carpet.
These entertainers are a part of the problem (but we've already established that)
What's worse is the public actually listens to these yahoos.

Much of this post amused me.

Excellent article kronos! Very well written and funny too.

TheNextPrez2012 wrote:This Tom Morello guy is a bit wonky
Yapping so negatively about the super rich while he gets tens of millions for screaming into a microphone while having the intellectual level of a carpet.
These entertainers are a part of the problem (but we've already established that)
What's worse is the public actually listens to these yahoos.

For once, I agree with you, NP.

See? Common ground once in a blue moon.

kronos wrote:The difference is that RATM's music is downright hostile and diametrically opposed to everything Paul Ryan stands for, which is downright hostile and diametrically opposed to everything RATM stands for. Whereas I don't think that is the case with you and Satanism--you aren't a Satanist, but you're not an enemy of Satanism (or are you?).

I'm not a Satanist nor am I opposed to Satanists (unless they break the law). My point here is that I listen to some pretty diverse music. I'm a huge fan of Slayer, for instance. They have some pretty violent lyrics. I don't subscribe to most of what they sing about. But I like their stuff. This is my point.

kronos wrote:But your point is sound--music communicates on many levels. It's a bit weird that a musician wouldn't get this. I still think RATM is a strange band for Paul Ryan to like, but to each their own--I'm not going to say he's 'wrong.' I don't care for their music much--I'll listen to "Killing In The Name" when it comes on the radio. I owned one of their cassette tapes a long, long time ago. They're not the kind of thing I'd ever put on in my house.

But the same could be said about many Hollywood types. Many of them have extreme leftist views. If I based my music or viewing pleasure on the musician or actors views, I wouldn't have shit in my collection. I made one exception and that was the Dixie Chicks. More on that later if you care to discuss.

kronos wrote:Anyway, you've probably all heard of the claim that a school of piranha can skeletonize a cow in minutes flat. I've always been curious to see that. Not having a cow or a school of piranha, I thought the next best thing would be to post this article here.

Not sure where you're going with this in my old mind.

kronos wrote:Incidentally, it's one of two articles I have about Paul Ryan not really understanding the stuff he likes (the other being the works of Ayn Rand).

That's the problem. People can subscribe to certain views. One can't be all leftist or all righty all the time. Those that say they are... preach to the choir.