Zack De La Rocha Discusses One Day As A Lion, RATM

Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times recently conducted a lengthy interview with Rage Against The Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha about his One Day As A Lion project and Rage's future plans. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On One Day As A Lion:

This is not simply a burst of energy. We are going to be making records and writing songs. We're still in the process of forming as a band — we need a keyboard player, I'm not good enough to do it all myself — so that will be rectified soon.

About the first One Day As A Lion single, "Wild International":

That song is a response to the way we saw the U.S. government try to reframe the conflicts of the world. Particularly when the Soviet Union had collapsed, there was no way to subject the country to the kind of fear needed to justify what I consider to be an ill distribution of wealth. After 9/11 you could see that reframing taking place. The specter of Communism no longer haunted the U.S., justifying its actions in Latin America and all over the world. What filled that void were Al Qaeda and the Muslim world in general. That song is, in an abstract way, addressing the way the right has distracted people from this huge rush of wealth from the bottom to the top.

Beyond that, I'm speaking toward a deeper sentiment that I feel and I know a lot of people feel. Most of the songs have to do with redemptive moments that come in the face of some real indignity. And that's the current that I'm trying to tap into, because I think that for a lot of people — for the real participants who live in the shadows and work at car washes and are forced to cross the border and are struggling and facing the real economic consequences — they're often left out off the debate because of the language they speak or even the terminology that they use. So it stems from my own frustration. It stems from seeing how things have been developing politically, and watching so much dissatisfaction and people very upset about the way the country is going. And watching all of that frustration steered back into a more traditional political process. The problems stem far deeper than anything that Brother Obama can address, and eventually people are going to have to respond.

On Rage Against The Machine's Future:

When you get older, you look back on tensions and grievances and have another perspective on it. I think our relationship now is better than it's ever been. I would even describe it as great. We're going to keep playing shows — we have a couple of big ones happening in front of both conventions. As far as us recording music in the future, I don't know where we all fit with that. We've all embraced each other's projects and support them, and that's great.

Read the entire interview from the Los Angeles Times.

Comments

[the_bear_shark]

Go RATM

[strat0blaster]

It's nice to read an interview with an intelligent person. I'd love to sit down and talk with De La Rocha, but I think I'd be in fairly deep over my head haha.

Even better - I'd love to start a band with him.

[WarwickFunk]

Just one more album from rage. Just one is all i want even if its 5 tracks long.

[staind_dust87]

Zack is a dumb ass, lol.

[Anjohl]

Zack might come off as profound, but his opinions are just that; opinions. Don't mistake knowledge for intelligence.

[llama_guitarist]

Anjohl wrote:

Zack might come off as profound, but his opinions are just that; opinions. Don't mistake knowledge for intelligence.

Well said, but at least this guy knows what he's talking about, unlike most people that bash on the government.

Like I said before about ODAAL, I wish there was more Mars Volta-like drumming from Theodore. That would make my life, cause he was my favorite in TMV.

[_bacon_]

Zack de la Rocha said:

The problems stem far deeper than anything that Brother Obama can address, and eventually people are going to have to respond.

Brother Obama?

[HotDogs1]

wtf? Brother Obama? just bc obama is black means zach refers to him as "brother?" they've probably never even met. so i guess a white guy cant be zachs "brother"

[royalrocker311]

WarwickFunk wrote:

Just one more album from rage. Just one is all i want even if its 5 tracks long.

Agreed, totally.
We need some new Rage.

[jefffelker40]

i like rage and everything but i have to be honest, i can not stand his political rants, i don't know what makes him think that people give a damn, if he would just shut up and make some music he'd be much cooler.

[not_dead_enough]

jefffelker40 wrote:

i like rage and everything but i have to be honest, i can not stand his political rants, i don't know what makes him think that people give a damn, if he would just shut up and make some music he'd be much cooler.

I agree; if you've got some good, insightful political lyrics (which IMO RATM don't) then by all means use them but to make a band exist almost solely for the purpose of being government-bashing lefties? We get enough politics and troubles on TV; music should be the escape.

[Black Hole Sun]

jefffelker40 wrote:

i like rage and everything but i have to be honest, i can not stand his political rants, i don't know what makes him think that people give a damn, if he would just shut up and make some music he'd be much cooler.

You're stupid. Because you don't give a damn, you can't see why he thinks anyone gives a damn? That's pretty egocentric.

not_dead_enough wrote:

jefffelker40 wrote:

i like rage and everything but i have to be honest, i can not stand his political rants, i don't know what makes him think that people give a damn, if he would just shut up and make some music he'd be much cooler.
I agree; if you've got some good, insightful political lyrics (which IMO RATM don't) then by all means use them but to make a band exist almost solely for the purpose of being government-bashing lefties? We get enough politics and troubles on TV; music should be the escape.

You're stupid. If you don't like politics in music, don't listen to it, but don't act like people shouldn't put politics and music together, because you watch too much political TV. That's pretty egocentric.

[not_dead_enough]

Black Hole Sun wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:

jefffelker40 wrote:

i like rage and everything but i have to be honest, i can not stand his political rants, i don't know what makes him think that people give a damn, if he would just shut up and make some music he'd be much cooler.
I agree; if you've got some good, insightful political lyrics (which IMO RATM don't) then by all means use them but to make a band exist almost solely for the purpose of being government-bashing lefties? We get enough politics and troubles on TV; music should be the escape.
You're stupid. If you don't like politics in music, don't listen to it, but don't act like people shouldn't put politics and music together, because you watch too much political TV. That's pretty egocentric.

I'm stupid? My favourite band is Megadeth - the band that pioneered political lyrics, and who were doing it long before RATM. Can you not see the distinction between just having some political songs, and existing purely for the purpose of being political commentators (and not really to make songs as art)? To me Megadeth are the former, RATM the latter. Or are you just going to say "That's pretty egocentric." again for the third time?

[not_dead_enough]

^I mean pioneered political lyrics in Metal (so you don't all have to tell me every singer pre-1983 that had political themes, lol)

[jefffelker40]

yes i agree with you, like i was saying before the egocentric guy popped up, i do like them, but when ratm shows up people aren't even guessing what they will be playing it's what political bullshit they will pull, like when they protested against an organization wanting to censor their lyrics by standing naked (at their own concert) with tape over their mouths not singing, i'm sure that really bothered the organization trying too censor them, i bet they were all in the audience just appalled, come on..they did this, directly insulting the fans, i just don't get it, guess i'm not trendy and political.

[invisiblekid123]

jefffelker40 wrote:

yes i agree with you, like i was saying before the egocentric guy popped up, i do like them, but when ratm shows up people aren't even guessing what they will be playing it's what political bullshit they will pull, like when they protested against an organization wanting to censor their lyrics by standing naked (at their own concert) with tape over their mouths not singing, i'm sure that really bothered the organization trying too censor them, i bet they were all in the audience just appalled, come on..they did this, directly insulting the fans, i just don't get it, guess i'm not trendy and political.

music is a very powerful thing. RATM said themselves that they are in the band to present a message, not just to play music. don't get me wrong, RATM's music is amazing, and is as amazing as their message, de la rocha is in the industry not just to write music, but to convey a opinion that many people share, and that many others are to blind to see, that is his career. and the people in the crowd could see their intentions when they stood naked on stage, and those who didn't are ignorant. RATM is a political band, not just a band, get over it

[not_dead_enough]

invisiblekid123 wrote:

jefffelker40 wrote:

yes i agree with you, like i was saying before the egocentric guy popped up, i do like them, but when ratm shows up people aren't even guessing what they will be playing it's what political bullshit they will pull, like when they protested against an organization wanting to censor their lyrics by standing naked (at their own concert) with tape over their mouths not singing, i'm sure that really bothered the organization trying too censor them, i bet they were all in the audience just appalled, come on..they did this, directly insulting the fans, i just don't get it, guess i'm not trendy and political.


music is a very powerful thing. RATM said themselves that they are in the band to present a message, not just to play music. don't get me wrong, RATM's music is amazing, and is as amazing as their message, de la rocha is in the industry not just to write music, but to convey a opinion that many people share, and that many others are to blind to see, that is his career. and the people in the crowd could see their intentions when they stood naked on stage, and those who didn't are ignorant. RATM is a political band, not just a band, get over it

A band is a band and a band makes music. If you wanna preach and tell people who they should vote for then go start a political party. At a concert I wanna mosh and jam, not think about the next election. If Zach et al have this burning ambition to tell me what they think of Bush etc I don't wanna hear it because I have my own opinions already.

Just like i'm sure if some religious extremists knocked on your door you probably wouldn't be interested. And if they formed a band instead but spread the same message you still would not be any more interested in them or their cause.

And there's a difference with Megadeth whom I mentioned above; Megadeth don't tell you who to vote for - just that you 'should' vote.

[Skittles135]

No, no, no! Screw One Day as a Lion. I want RAGE back!!!
=(

[cig13]

So because music has a political message you can't possible mosh and jam to it? Having seen Rage earlier in the year, I think not.

To say that because he is a musician means he can't spread a message is ridiculous. Who stopped John Travolta making Battlefield Earth? Noone! And that shit sucked!

[YetAnotherMuso]

jefffelker40 wrote:

i like rage and everything but i have to be honest, i can not stand his political rants, i don't know what makes him think that people give a damn, if he would just shut up and make some music he'd be much cooler.

Rage is and has always been a political band, that is part of who they are, and so if you're going to listen to the band then its implicit that you at least accept that they're going to be political, you can't say "oh I don't like them being political"...dude that's just like saying "I like Bob Dylan, but I don't like his lyrics" or "I love Hendrix, but I cannot stand those awful solos he does"...people listen to Hendrix for his guitar work, and they listen to RATM because they've got a message, that's an integral part of what RATM is.