Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello clapped back at some of the people in X who he said were “not smart enough” to understand the group’s politics.
The guitarist and singer has previously been known to express his political views and has shared how some fans missed the point in some of the band’s songs.
On November 3, he took to X to share about an encounter with a fan who expressed their admiration for Rage Against The Machine’s 1991 track “Killing In The Name Of” but according to Morello, completely did not understand the meaning of the song.
The tweet begins: “It never ceases to amaze me how many people who have listened to RATM in Paul Ryan mode, really DO NOT understand anything the band is about and understand even less the point of view of any of us on contemporary issues.”
“I was recently talking to a couple at a restaurant who were huge fans of ‘Killing In The Name’. The nice woman said, ‘I love that song. It got me fired up. rage at my parents and then resist the stabbing!’ I said, ‘Ma’am, that song is about racist cops who often behave like the Ku Klux Klan in the service of historical white supremacy and are lickers. shoes and thugs of the racist capitalist ruling class.’ She sat there chewing and blinking, chewing and blinking,” Morello added.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people have listened to RATM in Paul Ryan mode, really NOT understanding anything the band is about and even less understanding the point of view any of us about contemporary issues. Recently talking to a couple at a restaurant…
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) November 3, 2024
Ryan previously shared that he was a huge fan of Rage Against The Machine when he was Mitt Romney’s running mate in 2012. This prompted Morello to write to Rolling Stone.
“He embodies the machine that our music has been fighting against for two decades. Ryan claims that he likes the sound of Rage, but not the lyrics. Well, I don’t care about the sound Paul Ryan’s sound or his lyrics,” he said.
Morello, a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement, went on to criticize Ryan for his “rage” against “women… immigrants… workers… gays… the poor … environment” and support for the “super rich.”
“But Rage’s music affects people in different ways. Maybe Paul Ryan was into it when he should have been listening,” the guitarist added.
Fans began to clap back at Morello. In a now-deleted tweet, someone took the time to tell Morello what “Killing In The Name Of” was actually about, and the guitarist responded.
“My brother. She can do whatever she pleases. She can cough into her MAGA grandfather’s mouth for all I care. But if she’s going to tell a real person was present in the room when the song was written what the song ‘really’ was then I have every right to raise my hand and say, ‘no, ma’am’,” he retorted.
My brother. She can do anything she wants. For all I care she can cough into her MAGA grandpa’s mouth. But if she was going to tell a friend who was actually in the room when the song was written what the song was “really” about then I reserve the right to raise… https://t.co/T76F0sCHS1
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) November 4, 2024
Another replied: “God forbid people misunderstand that the government forcing you to get vaccinated to go to a concert, fly or work is against it.”
“Perfect example right here. No, sir, no one has been required to be vaccinated to attend or purchase tickets to any RATM show to date. Feel free to check with anyone in the tens of thousands of people who attended. Blinded by supposed biases and misinformation what else the sacred tenets of your worldview and opinions are probably based on. a complete lie? Morello shot back.
Perfect example right here. No sir, no one is required to be vaccinated to attend or purchase tickets to any RATM show. Please check with any of the tens of thousands of people who attended. Blinded by supposed biases and misinformation about other sacred tenets of your worldview… https://t.co/Hm3kjV6IUt
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) November 3, 2024
This isn’t the first time the musician has spoken out against people who don’t understand Rage Against the Machine’s lyrics. In 2022, he came to X to share that people are not “smart enough” to understand them.
At the time, he said: “Those of you who are offended by my political views on Twitter or Instagram, please know that it’s because you’re not smart enough to know the type of music you’ve been listening to all these years.” What is past? Guitar.com.
Tags Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine