Whether it was the songs of Pete Seeger in the 1930s, Bob Dylan in the 1960s or Public Enemy in the 1980s, the mix of politics and music has always struck a chord amongst a layer of young people. In the 1990s, that honour undoubtedly belonged to Rage Against The Machine (RATM).
By Stephen Rigney, Socialist Party

In a decade where the ruling classes of the world declared the victory of capitalism and the death of socialism following the collapse of the Soviet Union, RATM remained vocal critics of a system that puts the interests of a minority before the needs of the vast majority.

After a seven year break-up, their comeback tour in 2008 which included headlining Oxegen 2008 and the Big Day Out, brought out thousands of old fans. The shows also helped promote anti-capitalist ideas to a whole generation of new fans.

With songs supporting the uprising of the Zapatistas in Mexico (War Within A Breath), exposing the racist frame-up of revolutionary black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal for (Voice of the Voiceless) or protesting against the international arms trade (Bulls On Parade), RATM has won itself a dedicated following amongst thousands of radicalised youth.

Their straight forward, no-nonsense lyrics have helped open up the eyes of many young people to the brutal reality of capitalism today. The release of their first single “Killing In The Name” in 1993 was a powerful response to the widespread media coverage surrounding the beating of Rodney King.

The song declared that “Some of those who work forces, are the same that burn crosses”. RATM didn’t get any less hard-hitting! “Take The Power Back” is not only an attack on the biased education system which teaches history and culture from the viewpoint of the ruling classes but also a call to action for workers’ and young people to get active and struggle against capitalism.

The question of getting active is an important theme throughout RATM’s music. The band members themselves have been active in protests against the big business parties in the US and demonstrations in support of immigrant workers. The song “Maria” is a testament to the those same migrant workers who are often effectively sold across the Mexico-US border “as human contraband” by criminals to work for employers on slave wages in order to support their families at home.

There is no doubt that while not all RATM fans are conscious socialists, they have had an influence on encouraging young people to learn about and get involved in socialist politics, something that the band recognises. Often surrounded by controversy because of their politics and attempts to have their concerts banned by right-wing politicians, guitarist Tom Morello correctly said, “As Zach would point out on stage, it’s obvious that the Order weren’t afraid of our band or our music. They were afraid of our audience, that people might be listening. That’s why they tried to boycott Rage Against The Machine.”

The attraction and popularity of RATM is obviously a reflection of the anger felt by young people at the establishment and the type of world we live in. But listening to socialist music is not enough. Young people have always been at the forefront of revolutionary movements whether in the revolutionary upheavals in France in 1968, the overthrow of Milosevic in 2000 or the anti-war protests of 2003.

It’s important that young people and workers today remember Morello’s point about the ruling classes fearing the fans of their music rather than the music itself. It is only when workers and youth get organised and struggle that repression, poverty and racism can be ended and a socialist future for all can be built.

RATM at the RNC

Last month RATM was banned from playing a free show to protesters outside the Republican National Convention (RNC). It’s clear that the reason was that the politicians feared that the band’s radical political message would fire up demonstrators.

When they were denied the right to play the band members instead led an a capella sing-along of “Bulls on Parade”. They then helped lead a march of several thousand into the city centre.

See the you tube clip here:

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 5:41 pm and is filed under Reviews & letters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.