Tag: #RageAgainstTheMachine

News and Notes For This Day: Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Edition: Part

In yesterday’s post *(which you can read here) we talked a bit about how the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame came to be located in Cleveland, we touched on the fact that many musicians refuse to attend their own induction ceremony and we focused on the first four inductees: Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and Missy Elliott. Today we are moving on through our Class of 2023 inductees and will talk about Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners and arguably the most influential person in this year’s class, DJ Kool Herc. Time to get this party started. Here are the inductees!

1-Name: Willie Nelson.

Mr. Wilie Nelson.

Criteria for Induction: I have written previously about the life and career of Willie Nelson. You can read those posts here and here. He is a legend for a reason.

Did He Attend: Yes. 

Who Inducted Him: Willie Nelson was inducted by Dave Matthews.

Notes: Of all of the inductees in the Class of 2023, Willie Nelson is the most surprising name to me because I had assumed that he had been inducted years ago! Willie has been a legend in the world of music for decades now as a solo artist, as a member of The Highwaymen and as a collaborator with almost anyone who has ever played a musical instrument or sang a note of a song. To prove my point, Willie collaborated with many others during the concert portion of the induction ceremonies. In the photo off to the side, he is playing with Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow, among others.

Induction Video Profile: You can find the link to that video here.   

2- Name: Rage Against the Machine.

Rage Against the Machine members Zack de la Rocha, Brad Wilk, Tim Commerford and Tom Morello.
Zack de la Rocha, Brad Wilk, Tim Commerford and Tom Morello.

    Criteria for Induction: I have written previously about the impact that Rage Against the Machine has had as a band and their members have had as members of other notable bands. You can read those posts here and here. They are loud in more ways than just one.

   Did They Attend: Yes and No.  Guitarist Tom Morello attended but singer Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk did not. In his outstanding acceptance speech, Morello made note of the differences of opinion in the band regarding the validity of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame as an institution. Singer de la Rocha opted to march in one of the many pro-Palestine demonstrations happening around the world.

Who Inducted Them: As befits a band as stridently political as Rage Against the Machine, they were inducted by one of the original hardcore rap artists Ice-T.

Notes: While I will post the official Hall of Fame profile video below, I am going to post the link to Tom Morello’s speech here. For those who like a good speech, this one is a rousing call to arms by Morello regarding the political state of the world and the environment. It is the strong, passionately articulated kind of speech that has been lacking from those on the side of democracy and justice. Morello says something that I have always maintained and that is in times of trouble, Art and music will help light the path forward but that it is up to all of us to act of our own accord and fight for a better world. It is the hype speech the world has been waiting for.

Induction Video Profile: The link to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame profile video can be found here.

3- Name: The Spinners.

   Criteria for Induction: The Spinners have been in existence since the 1950s and continue to perform in 2023. However, the history of The Spinners is a lot like that of The Drifters *(who I profiled in a very interesting post…at least to me…that you can read here). There were The Spinners, The Original Spinners, The Motown Spinners, The UK Spinners and so on down the line. The group that is touring in 2023 that bills itself as The Spinners contains not a single original member of the band that enjoyed their biggest hits in the 1970s. The Spinners had their greatest success in the 1970s with hits such as “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”, “I’ll Be Around” “One Kind (of Love Affair)” and one of my own personal favourite songs from the 70s, “The Rubberband Man”. They had multiple gold records and eight singles. The members of The Spinners who were recognized during the induction ceremony included Henry Fambrough, Billy Henderson, Bobbie Smith, Philippe Wynne and John Edwards.

Did They Attend: Yes and No. At age 85, Henry Fambrough was the only living member of The Spinners in attendance. He spoke words of gratitude for the honour via video message. He also spoke of regret at his fellow Spinners not being there to enjoy their moment with him.

Who Inducted Them: The 1980s boy band version of The Spinners, New Edition inducted them and then performed a silky smooth three song tribute set.

Notes: The Spinners originated in Detroit. The Motor City should be declared a national historic site simply based on the enormous musical impact the city has had on the culture of the U.S. Needless to say, The Spinners worked with everyone back in the day including Aretha Franklin, everyone at Motown and were one of the bands most associated with the TV show Soul Train hosted by Don Cornelius (who we will talk about in greater detail in tomorrow’s post).

Induction Video Profile: The link to this video can be found here.    

4- Name: DJ Kool Herc.

    Criteria for Induction: Simply put, DJ Kool Herc is one of the Holy Trinity of people responsible for the birth of Hip Hop as a musical genre. I have included mentions of him in posts about Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, as well as Afrika Bambaataa that you can read here and here. The whole Hip Hop ideal of rapping rhymes over beats mixed on turntables, scratched to make new sounds from existing sounds, started with DJ Kool Herc. If you trace the timeline of Hip Hop back to its origins, you will find yourself at a house party or a block party hosted by DJ Kool Herc where he would be transforming the funk from James Brown records and exhorting B’ Boys and B’ Girls to dance to his syncopated beats. DJ Kool Herc’s induction is a grand acknowledgement of his role in shaping the world of Hip Hop.

    Did He Attend: Yes.

    Who Inducted Him: Every Hip Hop artist who ever had even one moment in the spotlight should have been clamouring to induct DJ Kool Herc. In the end, the honour went to rapper LL Cool J.

    Notes: DJ Kool Herc is not a young man any longer. At almost 80 years of age, he required assistance to climb the stairs that led to the stage. Once there, he cried tears of joy and humility. He spoke words that were barely audible at times but the love and respect with which he was held was clearly evident in how the audience responded. In times such as these when so much division and cruelty mark our modern discourse, the love accorded him and the patience provided by the audience as he struggled to give his speech speaks volumes about the good that remains in our world. Love trumps hate. This can be seen so well at this moment. You can watch DJ Kool Herc accept his induction award here.

   Induction Video Profile: The link to the video about the life, career and cultural impact of DJ Kool Herc can be seen here.   

That’s it for today’s post. Tomorrow I will wrap up my look at this year’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony by profiling Chaka Khan, Bernie Taupin, Link Wray, Al Kooper and Don Cornelius. 

I will conclude with remarks about two things I learned from your comments yesterday. Firstly, I have been told by someone who has been there and who noted that a visit to the museum was on my bucket list that the Rock Hall, as it is known, is a huge place. She recommended that if I plan on visiting it, I should give myself at least two days to do so. I have made note of that and am grateful for the advice. Thanks JKH!  

Secondly, the whole process of nominating potential inductees to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and then voting on who gets in has been a source of controversy and confusion for many years. Many influential music industry types sit as members of the nominations committee. In the past, people like Phil Spector used his influence to ensure that his ex-wife Ronnie Spector was never given her due *(which she eventually got when he was imprisoned for murder. Her story can be read in a previous post that you can find here). The latest controversy to plague the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame came from the man responsible for heading Rolling Stone Magazine for many years, Jann Warner. In a book he released in time for the holiday shopping season, Warner wrote disparaging comments about female musicians, as well as musicians of colour. Needless to say, Warner was removed from his position at the Rock Hall but his comments surely cast a pall over this year’s proceedings. Thanks to my WordPress pal RD for pointing out that the music may be great but The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame remains a flawed organization. Hopefully, as RD stated, a new and better version of itself will emerge going forward. 

Thank you to everyone who reads my words and responds with stories, comments and ideas of your own. I appreciate your feedback and support. Your interest in my blog and in the content I cover is the fuel that powers my creative endeavours. Thanks again. See you all tomorrow.

The link to the official website for the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame can be found here.

***As always, all original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2023 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #248: Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine (KEXP)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song and going until I reach Song . When you see the song title listed as something like: Song (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #248: Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine.

When I was growing up, I was not a tough boy. I was small for my age and, furthermore, I had a fairly privileged upbringing which kept me shielded from many of the realities of how others lived their lives. One of the beliefs that allowed me to live my childhood with confidence was the notion that if I was to ever have to deal with “bad guys” then, all I needed to do was turn to the Police. All throughout my childhood, I thought of our local Police, not so much as my friends but, as my protector and as the folks who kept my town and my neighbourhood safe. Being a good kid who always did the right thing…..and, being a white kid…..I never gave the Police any reason to deal with me in person. Consequently, they were always more of an ideal to me rather than being real people.

But, as I have matured into adulthood, many things about the way the world works have revealed themselves to be much more complicated and complex that I ever thought them to be. One of those things is how I view Police officers. For me, my relationships have continued to be good. But, what has evolved for me is my understanding that, while I can still view the Police as being “my friends”, not everyone is so lucky. From a historical point of view, I am much more aware of the role of the Police in enforcing some of the most violent and racist policies in the Southern US. I am, also, aware of the role of Police in enforcing the policies that saw Indigenous children taken from their homes and forced into Residential schools. But, when it came to living in the present, the one event that really opened my eyes about the nature of Policing was the Rodney King incident. For anyone who doesn’t know what I am talking about, it was a videotaped incident whereby four Los Angeles Police Officers dragged a black man named Rodney King out of his car and proceeded to violently assault him, even though he offered no resistance. When an investigation was launched and all four Officers were acquitted of any wrongdoing, anger exploded and the Los Angeles Riots occurred, broadcast live on CNN, in all its violent, gory detail.

These were still pre-internet times so, like many, my reaction to seeing the Police behaving, as they did to Mr. King, was to be shocked and disappointed. I was not the only one to feel that way. “Rage Against the Machine” consists of singer Zach de la Rocha, guitarist, Tom Morello, bassist, Tim Commerford and drummer, Brad Wilk. As they watched the Rodney King video ad nauseam, their anti-authoritarian nature came to the fore. While teaching a guitar lesson, Tom Morello came up with the signature riff that would end up defining the sound of their biggest hit, “Killing in the Name”. He quickly recorded the guitar riff and took it to the rest of the band the next day. Very quickly, lyrics were added, the rest of the music fleshed out and the song was completed. As protest songs go, “Killing in the Name” is a fiery, incendiary rocker of a song. The lyrics speak to the view that Police Officers may not be the idealized heroic figures that I dreamed them to be when I was a child. In fact, the band states quite forcefully that many Officers are, in fact, abusers of the power bestowed upon them. This is portrayed in lyrics that state:

“Some of those who work Forces

are the same as those who burn crosses”

and, later on in the song, Police Officers are deemed to be “the Chosen Whites”.

The lyrics to this song also contain many examples of profanity and, as such, the playing of “Killing in the Name” on MTV or on public radio has resulted in much controversy, making “Killing in the Name” one of the more heavily censored song in music history. However, the fact that “Killing in the Name” is so heavily censored on the public airways lead to it playing a subversive/funny role in UK broadcasting history a few years ago.

As many of you may know, TV personality Simon Cowell, has made a name for himself producing and commentating on Talent Shows such as “American Idol”, “America’s Got Talent”, “Britain’s Got Talent” and so on. Cowell is a savvy marketer and is well-versed in making “stars” out of the contestants who end up “winning” his talent competitions. Well, as it turns out, he has designed the show, “Britain’s Got Talent” in such a way that the finals are held just as the Christmas shopping season is starting in the UK. For four years in a row, Cowell had managed to manipulate the UK music scene so that the act who won his show ended up being the hit on the charts at Christmas time thus, earning way more dollars, in terms of record sales, than may have been the case if the finale of the tv show had been at an earlier time in the year. After four years of this crass market manipulation, a couple of UK DJs decided that they had had enough. They organized a counter campaign aimed at promoting a different song from whatever Cowell had up his sleeve and helping that song become the Christmas hit in the UK. The song they opted to promote was seen as the antithesis of the sugary pop songs Cowell was promoting. The song that was chosen for this promotion was, “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine.

The members of “Rage Against the Machine” happily went along with the gag. Other prominent UK music personalities, such as Sir Paul McCartney, climbed on board and soon, “Killing in the Name” became the Christmas hit in the UK. This happened, even though the song is loud and profane and was almost impossible to play live during the contest. However, donations received during this “competition” ended up totalling over $100,000 which was all donated to UK charities involving the homeless. In gratitude to those who voted their song , “Rage Against the Machine” volunteered to put on a free concert at a place called, Finsbury Park. The video you will see of them performing this song is from that free benefit concert.

Despite the fact that some people hear the lyrics and instantly write them off as being rude and inappropriate, the reaction of the fans in this video will offer a differing point of view. “Rage Against the Machine” are beloved by many around the world and are highly respected by millions who feel, as they do, that the system is rigged against ordinary people and that, only by protesting and raising their voices, will change ever be affected.

As for me, my view of Police Officers and the role they play in our society has become more nuanced. I am still highly grateful that there are people willing to go into the dark and dangerous places that ordinary people like me turn away from. To those Officers who strive to keep our communities safe, I salute and applaud you all.

However, I have watched, with increasing alarm, the number of instances (especially since Trump came to power) where violent protests have occurred while the Police have stood by and done nothing to protect anyone. It is becoming a case where the cozy world of whiteness where I have lived my whole life is drawing ever closer to the world of the marginalized community members who have always viewed the Police through a different lens. As I write this post, right-wing anti-vaxx protesters are set to protest/riot at hospitals all across the country of Canada. One of the important side-stories to these protests will be the role the Police choose to play.

As you listen to the lyrics from “Killing in the Name”, my hope is that you will see past the profanity and see that the defiant message speaks to issues of right and wrong in our society, of power and powerlessness, of flawed heroes and of the need for Laws and for Justice for everyone in our communities. I wish everyone involved at a hospital today, peace and safety. I sincerely hope that the Police actively protect you all. I will feel better if that turns out to be the case. Time will tell.

The link to the video for the song, “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine, can be found here.

The official website for Rage Against the Machine, can be found here.

Thanks, as always, to KEXP for supporting good music in all forms. The link to their wonderful website can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #331: Bulls On Parade by Rage Against the Machine (KEXP)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song and going until I reach Song . When you see the song title listed as something like: Song (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #331: Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine.

Even if you have never heard a single song by Rage Against the Machine before in your life you would probably be able to guess, just by their name, that they play a form of high-energy Rock n’ Roll! Lol! Rage Against the Machine are a group from Los Angeles that formed in the early 1990s. They have made some of the loudest, most forceful, anti-authority music of any group anywhere in the world. The band consists of lead singer Zack de la Rocha, lead guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk. This group has formed, broken up and re-formed several times. During one of thier hiatus periods, the trio of Morello/Commerford/Wilk formed Audioslave with singer Chris Cornell. Then, when Audioslave broke up, they formed Prophets of Rage with Chuck D. from Public Enemy. But, no matter who they form new bands with, the band that everyone clamours for is the original Rage Against the Machine.

Rage Against the Machine has had several big hits including “Killing in the Name” (which is about police brutality and conformity), “Testify”, “Sleep Now in the Fire”, “Wake Up!” and today’s song, “Bulls on Parade”. Their brand of music has been termed as Nu-Metal but whatever you wish to call it, RATM play loud, muscular music that always has something pointed to say. Not surprisingly, the band has not been without its share of controversy due to the nature of some of the lyrics to their songs. For example, because they often use profanity as a way of expressing disdain for authority figures Rage Against The Machine have a hard time getting played on TV shows and on the radio without, first agreeing to censor their own lyrics (which the band vehemently opposes, on principle). Thus, Rage Against the Machine has become one of those bands that is almost completely driven/motivated by their fans. They write for their fanbase (which feels they have lots that needs saying), they perform for exclusively for their fans (who are among the most rabid and devoted in the world.) and they exist to give voice to those who may feel voiceless and powerless.

The song, “Bulls on Parade” is a political statement on the current situation that exists regarding the border between the US and Mexico and the number of lives that have been lost and families separated because of US immigration policies. The video you are about to see is of a free concert given by the band in appreciation for their fanbase helping to rig a UK Christmas BBC radio contest in their favour by voting, “Killing in the Name” the Christmas song in the UK. This video shows the band and their fans at their finest. If you watch, please note the unique way Morello plays his guitar in order to mimic DJs scratching albums during a Hip Hop show. The crowd is insane in this video! As for the song, “Bulls on Parade” tends to be constructed more on a foundation of repeatable phrases and chants but, none the less, the message gets delivered in the most raucous way possible. So, if you have something you want to get off of your chest and don’t know quite how to go about it, watch “Bulls on Parade”and I guarantee you that you will feel better. Enough talking. Here we go! “Bulls on Parade” by “Rage Against the Machine”. Enjoy!

The link to the video for the song, “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine can be found here. ***The lyrics version can be found here.

The link to the official website for Rage Against the Machine can be found here.

Thanks to KEXP for supporting great music, regardless of genre or volume! The link to their website can be found here.

***All original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2021 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com

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