Forget for a minute that Tom Morello is a very famous musician, and put aside your views on whether or not musicians should use their music as a platform to express political views. Now watch and listen to this interview with Tom Morello at the Occupy Wall Street protests — where he serenaded protestors last week — and as you’re doing so think of him of just one of 300-some-odd million U.S. citizens with an opinion to express, just like everyone else:

I don’t care who the guy in the above video is; his are some of the most well-articulated, smart, and reasoned opinions of the whole “Occupy” campaign I’ve encountered to date. Best of all, Morello does a great job of framing the issue not as Republican vs. Democrat — because it’s really not a partisaned issue at all — but as regular people vs. the entire government/corporation complex, regardless of party lines. Sure, Morello’s history leans very far left, but the “Occupy” movement is gaining steam precisely because it doesn’t recognize political affiliation. Tea Partiers should really be able to back its message too. Sure, certain groups are trying to co-opt the message, but Morello addresses that issue in the above interview too.

Now feel free to once again remember how famous Tom Morello is, how many people he can influence, that the guy’s a pretty fantastic musician and, oh yeah, has a degree in Political Science from Harvard. I’d say this is fairly important, wouldn’t you?

For more on Occupy Wall Street re: metal: check out Valient Himself of Valient Thorr’s thought on the matter in an exclusive MetalSucks guest blog.

-VN

Yesterday word got out that Tom Morello was in New York to perform for the Occupy Wall Street protestors, and now, of course, there is video of that event, which you can check out below. There isn’t really all that much I can say about this, so I’ll just echo Vince’s words from yesterday: “God bless Tom Morello and the rest of the Ragers for never compromising their ideals.”

More after the jump.

Click to read more…

Evil Empire might not’ve had the non-stop song-to-song momentum that its self-titled predecessor did but it still packed one hell of a motherfucking punch. “People of the Sun,” “Bulls on Parade,” “Down Rodeo” and “Without a Face” are all classics in the Rage canon, and the comparatively raw production of Evil Empire gets right up in your face and serves to up the impact. The rhythm section of Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford absolutely pulsates on this one; it’s like you’re standing in the room with them and Zach de la Rocha, who’s as fired up and angry as ever. These songs sound just as important now as they did in 1996.

Funny story: I bought Evil Empire when it came out in ’96 but decided to trade it to a friend a couple of years later for Beastie Boys’ License To Ill because I didn’t like it as much as Rage’s first record. That was silly! I should’ve just bought both. But thanks to the modern wonders of Spotify, I now have it back again: stream it here.

God bless Tom Morello and the rest of the Ragers for never compromising their ideals. Morello has flown to New York City on his own dime to seranade the Occupy Wall Street protestors TODAY at 12 noon. Be there, and RAGE IT UP.

-VN

“I couldn’t sleep at all last night.”

My thoughts kept racing back and forth about what is happening in our country right now just underneath our noses.  SO CLOSE!  It’s so close!  It’s the same kind of close as when someone has stepped in dogshit and they walk into the room, and you kind of catch a whiff of it.  Enough of a whiff that you walk off into a corner and check the bottom of your shoe to make sure it’s not you.  THAT’s how close this happening is. Or THESE happenings are. The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to so many different cities that it’s pretty hard to keep up with what’s happening. I couldn’t sleep because this is something I’ve been dreaming about for a number of years. This is the beginning — NOT of a revolution (because revolutions just REVOLVE around and end up in the same place) but an EVOLUTION in our thought processes (taking us to a higher state of thought).

This gigantic hivemind group has come together despite their differences.  Despite the things that politicians would use against us to pull us apart.  They always pit the American people against each other.  Left or right.  Liberal or Conservative.  Black or white.  Rich or poor.  Gay or straight.  None of that shit matters.  That is the significance of the idea of the 99%.  There has been an unbalance in this country for too long.  The network or cable news wouldn’t let you in on this stuff.  It’s not them who’s out there protesting.  AND their paychecks come from those same people who’ve bought our government.  It took so goddamn long for something like this to happen.  And you know why?  Of course you do.  If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t be wasting your time on the internet reading something that some rocknroll singer wrote.  There is about 1% in this country that have the bread to buy those in charge, reaping the benefits and the rewards of all of your hard work.  It’s the reason that most people give up voting.  They think, “Well, these candidates are all bought.  What does it matter?  What good will my vote do when in the end if either way it goes we’re all fucked?”

Click to read more…