Margarita+Kagan



 Margarita Kagan 10/13/09  English 101 – Kingsley Zack de la Rocha //“I'm in this band to give volume to various struggles throughout the world. To me, the tension in this band is a minimal sacrifice.” – Zack de la Rocha, lead singer of Rage Against the Machine// The band Rage Against the Machine is known for many things. It has skillfully distorted guitar by Tom Morello, a thumping bass by Tim Commerford, and drums that build incredible anticipation by Brad Wilk. Even with all of these talented musicians, Rage, as its fans call the band, has become near-legendary thanks to the lyrics and the vocals of Zack de la Rocha. His passionate lyrics with intense angry vocals resonate with every person who listens to them- they simply cannot be ignored because of the fierce conviction with which they’re put out. Zack and Tom formed the band out of a friendship as well as a desire to have a way to make the current generation aware of global social strife. Before Rage was ever a band, de la Rocha was born in Long Beach, California, growing up in the 1970’s. This was a time when the SLA (an urban guerilla group) was active. It was also a time during which the idea of anti-government and “going against the man” was still resonating from the 1960’s. The events of his generation all had a big impact on his life. There was the kidnapping of Patty Hearst by the SLA (the organization called her father, the owner of a newspaper, a capitalist pig). There was also Nixon in the Watergate scandal. His lyrics are all influenced by these occurrences, and became about confronting racism (he himself has a diverse Mexican, Irish and German background) and not letting the government blindly control everything without the common man’s opinion. His words brought about a wave of awareness of the world in his lyrics, which was his goal from the start. His live performances are an experience that few other bands can rival. Rage Against the Machine always puts out their best for every show. Because they are sending out messages that they feel are important for people to know, their passion resonates throughout the auditoriums they sell out. Zack de la Rocha shows as much fervor live as he does in his CD recordings. He will also typically read poetry between songs that discuss his zeal for political activism by the common man. The band released the music in order to show anyone who listened that they could do something to make a change, and the shows were performed in order to further encourage every day people to get involved in political issues.. To exemplify his own political views, in one song “War Within a Breath,” de la Rocha shows his disdain of public officials having certain privileges that common citizens do not. This track is on one of their later CDs (released in 1999- the band was formed in 1991 and broke up in 2000). The newer work has a different and more cultivated as well as experienced sound. It is less experimental and roughly put together than their earlier work. The messages are just as poignant throughout the band’s career, though. The opening verse of this song is: Every official that comes in  Cripples us leaves us maimed Silent and tamed And with our flesh and bones He builds his homes Southern fist Rise through the jungle mist It is very clear what de la Rocha’s opinion is of law enforcement right from the start, with “Every official that comes in cripples us, leaves us maimed”. One of de la Rocha’s trademarks is he bluntly addresses what he wants to speak out about without holding anything back. There is such an honestly with the lyrics, and the fearlessness is what distinguishes his work from every other mainstream music. Another distinctive factor in the lyrics is the ability to create strong imagery. For example, the words “southern fist” rising “through the jungle mist” very picturesquely depicts the notion of slavery. Another important characteristic of de la Rocha’s lyrics is to integrate words and images seamlessly in order to depict exactly what he is trying to get across. Lines like “with our flesh and bones he builds his homes” send a chill down people’s spines; this instilled memory of lyrics is exactly was de la Rocha was aiming for in order for listeners to remember the message of the band in another way, instead of catchy choruses that most artists use today. Some more vivid lyrics are from Vietnow, the title referencing Vietnam, the now meaning to take action. This song is from an earlier album, Evil Empire (1996). At this early stage de la Rocha was looser and centered much more on sending out his message. In later years his number one priority with music was still to get political activism, but the musical aspect began to show through more. These particular lyrics in Vietnow are more in the classic style of the band (meaning the style they’re really known for) and written to go along with de la Rocha’s intonation. His voice was one you didn’t hear but felt; every word he spit out with venom, passion and force. Veitnow is about right-wing AM radio shows, which were hosted by people such as Rush Limbaugh. This was also aimed at Christianity, tying in with right-wing Christians. He abhorred the idea of a select few blindly in charge of others, as well as discriminating against other religions and groups of people. De la Rocha himself was extremely left-wing, and strived to bring his opinions to light. Sheep tremble an here come tha votes Thrown from tha throat, new cages an scapegoats Undressed and blessed by tha Lord Tha same devil that ran around Managua wit a sword The “sheep tremble” line as well as “undressed and blessed by tha Lord” are stabs at right-wing supporters. The “votes thrown from tha throat” is the same imagery used to depict how right-wing activists forced people, from de la Rocha’s point of view, to do as they envisioned. The Managua line addresses a global issue; things Rage constantly strived to put at the forefront. The late 70’s saw a civil uprising in this city, which is the capital city in Nicaragua, to overthrow the regime that was in place during that time. This civil war went right into the 11 year long Contra War of the 80’s. De la Rocha grew up hearing about all of this and is implying in his lyrics that evil people all around the globe cause these mass murders and that the common people need to realize it and do something about it. De la Rocha’s biggest reason for making music is to get his opinions out to everyone. He has always dreamed of being able to influence the people who listened to him in such a way that they could go out and stand up for what they believe in. His frustration with Rage Against the Machine and his reason for leaving made sense to him because he felt that the impact he was making wasn’t the one he was aiming for. Many people everywhere enjoyed the music, but did not do anything regarding the message he was sending out. Today, he is making music in One Day as a Lion, with the same goal in mind. This band is less musically influenced (there’s no guitar in the band) with a slightly different sound, but the reverberations of Rage are still there in the lyrics. The hearts of all Rage fans certainly still harbor love for the band, judging from the sold out reunion shows. A band that is so outside the norm like Rage Against the Machine will hopefully continue to influence everyone for generations to come. Zapatista Army of National Liberation Flag: de la Rocha is a big supporter. This guerilla army has support from them because "Our purpose in sympathising with the Zapatistas is to help spark dialogue."