Objective Jerk
Army Veteran Asshole that is learning to love Jesus. I use my MIC / Platform as a form of "Therapy", no schedule, no script, just whatever is floating my boat at the moment.
Objective Jerk
FROM REBELLION TO RATIONALITY : My Journey with Rage Against the Machine
Ever wonder how the music that shaped your youth continues to resonate even as your perspectives evolve? In this deeply personal exploration, I take you through my decades-long relationship with Rage Against the Machine—from my accidental first encounter at Lollapalooza '92 to rediscovering their power as an adult with different political views.
My journey with RATM mirrors how our connections to formative music evolve throughout life. I share how I initially misunderstood their message, thinking they might be far-right based on their visual aesthetic, until their "Freedom" video opened my eyes. Their rhythm section—Brad Wilk's powerful drums and Tim Commerford's innovative bass lines—became the heartbeat of my musical development, influencing my own attempts at playing both instruments.
The musical tattoos running down my arm tell this story visually—each band representing chapters of my life and versions of myself. From Queen and Def Leppard to Alice in Chains and Rage, these permanent reminders showcase how music becomes intertwined with our identities. When I recently revisited Rage's catalog after years away, I was stunned to find myself rapping along to every word while my children stared in bewilderment, witnessing a dimension of their father they rarely see.
This episode examines the bittersweet experience of loving music whose politics you may have outgrown, finding the core elements that still resonate, and appreciating the educational impact bands like Rage had on expanding vocabularies and worldviews. What bands formed your musical DNA? How do you reconcile changing perspectives with the music that made you who you are? Join the conversation and share your own musical journey.
Again, thanks for hanging out with me!
Please feel free to comment or send an email to theobjectivejerk@gmail.com
What's going on? It's the Objective, jerk. And I'm said, jerk, how you doing? Alright, what's going on? Alright, alright. This is kind of like I wanted to talk about some Rage Against the Machine. Okay, in a sense, I'm not going to try and pre-write, I don't do any of that stuff, I'm just saying I'm here, right.
Speaker 1:But the other day I was kind of listening to them again for the first time in a while and so it just kind of made me want to talk about them. And I was kind of talking about it with my kids and stuff. But you know, they're kids, they don't know whatever. My oldest kind of listens to some of it and stuff like that. So I was like, oh man, I could record a podcast on this, but I was trying to get stuff done. So that was a couple of days ago. So finally I'm like, well, let me, let me get this out of the way, I guess. Anyway, so I'm not going to do like a uh, you know, deep dive. Well, maybe it's a deep dive, I don't know, but it's not like a biography or it's just kind of my history with race against the machine and how I feel about them now and all that kind of stuff. So anyway, yeah, um, I guess real quick you can see my background changed again because I cleaned up my office area or my little whatever it is.
Speaker 1:Stuff kept getting piled up because, like I don't know, when I have an object and I don't have a spot for it, I just put it in front of me to be like, hey, you're going to find me a home, right, Because I hate to put things just somewhere, let me put it in this drawer, I'll just hide it in this junk. I hate junk drawers, I hate them. I have them, but I hate them. So I just so I put stuff and I'm like, okay, I got to figure out, I got to gotta go organize this and this, whatever, this and that. So my the stuff on this desk was just piling up and piling up. I was just getting out of control. So finally, um, kinda cleaned up and organized I'm not completely done yet, but it's pretty close um, but yeah, so that's about all that's been going on with me. Um, anyway, so, but yeah, so that's about all that's been going on with me, anyway.
Speaker 1:So, for those that don't know, I have some tattoos on my arms and I'm not going to go into all of those. So this arm is all basically like music, like cause I was really really into music, not so much that I'm like a composer and do this and that I play the drums and I try to play the bass and I appreciate a lot of different types of music and everything, but, um, you know, I'm not like, I'm not like some of the youtubers out there that are like straight up composing music and stuff like that. But so I, but I, you know, so I like music and so this whole, my whole arm is, is is music. Basically there's like a some a little drum. Let's see, can you see it? You can't really tell, but there's some drums. And then there's like bands that kind of I guess influenced me or that I really really liked at a younger age. Now there's lots of bands that I listen to now that are not on here, but it's just these are when I was younger and kind of helped, I guess, mold my existence. So there's, you know, there's a few of them I don't. And then there's like some designs in between. My shoulder is like a big Deftones thing, so it's got an owl that's not from the album, it's a different owl, but it's got the roses and stuff from the from the deftones album and I got, you know, alice in chains. I got a corn. I don't really listen to corn anymore. I'll listen to their first two albums but I don't really listen to their new stuff, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, so like the, very, the very first music anything, I was how, I don't know how old I was. I was pretty young, I'd have to say. I was like six ish around there, and the, it was queen, um, princes of the universe, that was on the highlander, the beginning of highlander, and so I thought that was a cool song and my stepbrother recorded it on his boombox for me from the movie, you know, and I would just listen to that little part until the movie started. So that's on here. You know, I got a little Queen logo but I didn't really get into Queen. Sorry, my audio just kind of changed a little bit, so it was kind of like what's going on? Hello, that's weird. I could hear myself really well, but no, but so you know, that was kind of it. And then I didn't really start listening to Queen until way later, and then it was After Queen, it was, it was Deftones or Deftones Defleppard, I think, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I got into Def Leppard when I was, you know, 10, 11-ish. Oh no, it was Motley Crue, then Def Leppard, and then after that back to Motley Crue. No, it was Def Leppard first, then it was Motley Crue and then after Motley Crue, then it was like the Grungera, you know, and then the Chili Peppers, nirvana and all. I don't have Nirvana on here, though, because I liked Nirvana but I didn't love them as much until I got into high school. But still, that's when I was younger. I should get a Nirvana on here, anyway. So that's kind of my arm, but anyway.
Speaker 1:So I do have a Rage Tat, right, rage Against the Machine, and I'm just gonna talk about that. I kind of spent a little too much time talking about nothing up until now. So, anyway, my first concert I went to was Lollapalooza 92. Pretty sure it was 92. Cause that's when the rage album came out. Um, um, I went with my older sister and at that time I was really into Alice in Chains, and so that's who I was excited to see. Plus, then you had I mean, alice in Chains was there. I remember Primus was there and then Rage Against the Machine. There's lots of other ones, because it's all elusive, but that's the only one I can really remember. But I didn't know who Rage Against the Machine was.
Speaker 1:So I remember sitting down in the field, because it was a big open field, and just sitting there and Rage started, and I have no idea what song it was or whatever, but I made the remark oh, sounds like Pearl Jam. I don't know, I just remember making. I don't know if I was just trying to sound like I was, you know, paying attention or I don't know what I was doing, but all I remember is there was this large woman wearing I can't remember what the t-shirt was. She was wearing a t-shirt. Um, maybe it was Pearl Jam, I don't know. But uh, she just kind of like turns her head and looks at me. You know, like, what the fuck are you talking about? You idiot, what I mean? And I totally caught the vibe and I just want to be like okay, I guess not, I don't know. Um, that was it, but I just remember that. But it was raised against the machine, right, so they played, but I wasn't really playing, paying a whole lot of attention, I think it was just absorbing the atmosphere and this and that and and um, you know, music is different live. So it was like my first you know anyway.
Speaker 1:And then you know concert went on and then I saw allison change, which was chains, which was cool and I'm trying to enunciate a little better and um, and then I remember we left when because primus, I guess Primus and Alice in Chains would take turns being the final show or the headliner, because they're like co-headliners or something. So the one we went to Alice in Chains was first, and then it was Primus. My sister didn't really care for Primus but her friend did, so we started heading back to the car so we could kind of get a head start. Friend did, so we started heading back to the car so we could kind of get a get, you know, um, get a headstart in front of the traffic and everything for driving and everything, um. But so I just remember walking away and just hearing the beginning intro to my name is my that's a horrible impression, but I just remember hearing that Anyway.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, a couple weeks a month, something goes by and I hear Rage on the radio and I was like I remember that that was at the concert, that was at Lollapalooza, and then I recognized them playing it. I'm like, oh yeah, okay, I remember this, it's kind of cool. And then I bought the tape. So it was before my first season. So it was the tape I bought and I listened to it a little bit. I was like I don't know, I wasn't sure, and I was looking at all the artwork and everything and I got the impression that they were extreme, well, which they kind of are, I guess, there. But you know, but I was thinking more like, far right, like they seem like skinheads or racist, you know what I mean like, and I was like man, I don't know, you know, so I didn't really listen to it too much, right.
Speaker 1:Then some time goes by and I catch freedom on mtv and it shows a little concert I don't know if you've seen the freedom video, but it shows um indian guy, peltier, or what was his, but he got arrested by the FBI and it shows everything and I could see clearly that they're not skinheads and you know, so I was like, oh crap, okay, so maybe. So I gave him another chance, and that's when I started really listening to it and, through a different lens, I was like, oh, okay, caught it, and I liked what they were saying and this and that, and so I started getting into them a lot. I started, I listened to that tape a lot. I can still like earlier, not earlier the other day I could I could sing along to the, to the lyrics, like without missing a beat. You know what I mean, all the, because I used to listen to crap out of it.
Speaker 1:But anyway, and you know, it kind of helped, shaped my liberal mindset on things and I, you know, because I, you know, I watched Dances with Wolves and I felt embarrassed for white people, what they did to the buffaloes and you know all that kind of stuff. So what they did to the buffaloes and you know all that kind of stuff. So I, um, I wasn't liberal, but if you had to classify me then, yeah, you know, um, because I wasn't into politics or anything. Um, I mean, I started to a little with rage, but still, even then I was like, but, um, you know, so I learned, I learned some vocabulary listening to Rage, because I'd read the lyrics and stuff. I'm like what the? What does that mean? I'd have to look up, like, what annex means or whatever you know, and and just different, different things and stuff. So it was, you know, educational right, educational right.
Speaker 1:But what really drew me in and I didn't really realize this till much later was the rhythm section. Um, brad wilk and and tom cumberford, the bassist and the drummer, um, like I love. So they really kind of grabbed me and, you know, I really got into um the rhythm section, but without knowing it, you know what I mean. Like I didn't, I don't think, I didn't realize till later, like, oh man, that's what really brings me, brings me in or kind of pulls me in. Um, obviously, uh, what's his face? The, the guitarist, tom Morello. He's very talented and stuff like that and has some great things that he does on there. But for me it's always been the bass and the guitars with Rage and High School came out Evil Empire.
Speaker 1:Came out Dude, I loved Rage, they're one of my favorites. Came out like I, dude, I loved Rage, they're like one of my favorites. Um, but the thing is, um, you know, I I didn't have much of an opinion on things, but the things I did have an opinion were probably closer to like that side of it, right, um, but I didn't really, you know, I didn't dive deep into any of that kind of stuff. Oh gosh, excuse me. So, um, I remember going to college, community college, and the third record battle, los Angeles, was out. I remember listening to that a lot, going to class and stuff, and and then you know, and then the, the compilation album came out, which was awesome. And then they, you know, and then the compilation album came out, which was awesome, and then they broke up, which sucked. But you know, life moves on or whatever.
Speaker 1:And then while I was in the Army, audioslave came out and I was like immediately I was just like, oh, there it is. You know, there's that rhythm section and you know I never, out of all the Seattle like the big four or whatever you want to call it, seattle grunge bands, soundgarden was my least favorite. I don't know why. I can't, I really don't know why. I'll listen to them now and I enjoy it. But you know, I always was more into Pearl Jam, nirvana and Alice in Chains, alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, and then probably Alice in Chains the most, which I don't know why. Part of it, I think, was Chris Cornell. I didn't really like his style of singing. I think maybe it was like reminiscent of like hair metal because of the way. I don't know, I really don't know, I'm just kind of grasping at straws here. But what's funny, though, is when Audioslave came out, it sounded good to me, like it worked. I don't get that, I don't know why, but it did.
Speaker 1:And it was this time that I, you know, was, I had an electric drum set and I would, you know, play along. And what's funny though, it's an electric drum set, but it still can make a lot of noise, just hitting the thump, thump, thump, thump, you know, especially if you're in an apartment complex. Dude, I lived in a trailer when I was in the army. I did live in a trailer for a time, and I had my electric drum kit by this window in our living room, and it was I don't know Friday night or Saturday night or something, and I was just jamming on my thing, just thump, thump, thump, thump, and all of a sudden a flashlight shines in my face through the window. I'm like what the fuck? And then come to find out it's like the police Somebody called the police of a noise complaint. I'm like it's an electric drum set, and I don't know. I just thought that was crazy, anyway.
Speaker 1:So I used to play a lot to Audioslave, and I don't know. So I really I didn't get into them as much as rage but I still really, you know, really liked them. I had all their albums, um, and then, yeah, then they broke up what, and then rage started touring. I've actually I think rage is the band that I've seen the most live. I've seen them I don't know, some people see bands like crazy but I think four times. I've seen them four times. The first time was all La Palooza, which I count, but I didn't really know who they were. So I guess, technically, three times, knowing who they were and going to enjoy the music, um, but yeah, so now, you know, as I got older and the way you know society and politics have become, I've kind of distanced myself from rage, not like on purpose, but just you don't.
Speaker 1:I don't want to listen to liberalism in my ears, I guess. I mean, most music basically is for the most part, but, um, I mean I would listen to it occasionally but I kind of I don't know, like the first album, I had a hard time. I was like, and then even, I don't know, I just kind of was, but I kind of, I don't know, like the first album, I had a hard time. I was like, eh, and then even I don't know, I just kind of was like I would kind of pick and choose whatever songs I listened to, like I wanted to, but I didn't. You know, it's like, it's like I want to watch football but I don't want to support the stupid black national anthem, like that's retarded, so things like that kind of.
Speaker 1:But the thing is, and plus, also, you know well, okay, so Rage was never like a Democratic band or a liberal band. I mean I guess maybe liberal would be better, but they were just anti-government. You know what I mean. There's like live recordings of What's-His--face talking shit about Bill Clinton, you know. And so they just didn't like American government period, it wasn't one side or the other, right. But then, I don't know, it just seems like, you know, with some of the stuff been going on lately, they're like advocating for, you know, the lockdown, all the kind of stuff that they used to kind of preach about government control and this and that, and then all of a sudden they're for it. So it's like. So I'm going to say it right now.
Speaker 1:I coined the phrase rage for the machine because I never heard it before until I thought of it, and then I posted a couple times and I've seen some people say it Now. Was I the first one? Probably not, I'm pretty sure I wasn't, but from my perspective I was. So anyway, yeah, but mainly I don't know. I think Tom Morello is very, very he's kind of more liberal, I think. What's his nuts? I haven't, I'm only saying this because I haven't seen anything or I haven't really. But god, what's his name? Rosha zach dealer. Rosha, there we go. The singer, um, you don't really hear much from him because I think he doesn't like you know what the left is doing either. He doesn't like any of it. You know what I mean. And it seems like Tom Morello is kind of like Trump sucks, but oh, hey, biden's okay, and then I don't know the other two, I'm not sure, but anyway.
Speaker 1:So when I, you know, my electric drum set was kind of going out, I got another, uh, acoustic set or an actual drum kit, but they're loud, right, they're hard to play and this and that, and I was always. I never got a chance. It was. It was hard for me to play. So I was like you know what I'm gonna? I'm gonna start learning the bass so I can at least have something to play that's not as loud and I can wear headphones and stuff, and immediately I'm drawn to Tim Comerford. You know just his tone and just his. You know his little licks and everything are just like awesome. You know, everything are just like awesome, you know. So, um, that's, that's. You know, I would sit there and play along or try to play along or learn.
Speaker 1:I don't know how many times I've learned a rage song and I've learned it and I'd kind of play it and be like, yeah, that's badass, okay, and then I don't do it for a while and then I come back and I'm like how did that go? I don't remember. I suck, I cannot remember. I don't know how to play bass, for shit. I mean, I can play, like I have rhythm.
Speaker 1:Like just the other day I was playing with my son. Usually I play the drums and he'll play bass. He's got a good ear, like he can kind of hear and figure out where to get those notes on the bass, which I'm like, dude, that's awesome, you know, like he kind of, but he's got to work on his rhythm a little bit like. So then I get on the bass. I know where the notes are, on the, on the neck, like I know where to push the notes, like where notes are and where they're not. I just don't know what those notes are. So I just will do my own thing and but but I have good rhythm and I was like you know, and he's like man, he's like you're good and I'm like I'm not, I don't know, like somebody I don't know. I'm good at creating my own little licks to go with something that the nerd, and they're simple, you know. But so yeah, so I have rhythm, but I'm just I don't have the ear for the bass to kind of, and the memory though, like I just don't and I don't have the patience to do it so many times that it just instills in my brain.
Speaker 1:For me the drums are a better fit for the way my brain works. Drums are a better fit for the way my brain works and the way I play is very Brad Wilkinson, wilkes. You know just the same style, just kind of like I love just jamming, and if I'm ever playing around with myself it's basically, like you know, I'm trying to sound like him. So I guess you know people always. You know his generation and you know or the generation before me or I guess technically they're Gen X too, I think, but the older Gen X, you know, they're always like oh, john Bonham, john Bonham, john Bonham. Dude, I love John Bonham and I'll play along to some Led Zeppelin, it's awesome. But I mean, you know, I'm a little. You know the 90s drummers are. So for me, you know, brad Wilkes of Rage obviously is probably my most influential drummer. Gosh dang it. Him and the dude from Chili Peppers, chad Smith, are probably like the ones that I kind of like to play. That's the kind of you know. But anyway, where am I at now Talking about craziness?
Speaker 1:So Rage, so that's kind of I don't really go along with their politics Although, like I said, they're not really, they're just more anti-establishment than anything, you know. But so I hadn't really listened to them, Like I haven't just put on a rage album and just just listen to it. You know, and I did this the other day I was cleaning, I was like you know what, I don't remember why, I think I think I watched, I think I watched oh, that's what it was I watched a Drumeo video on Brad Wilkes and so it was kind of like oh yeah, and I was just thinking you know what, I'm just going to jam on some freaking rage, oh, with my headphones not actually jam and so I did. So I was like you know what, I'm just gonna listen to the first album first, and so I just I put it on random though, so I played it and it was just like I was just going around the house. I'm like listening to my music and I'm doing stuff, but I'm like and I'm like rapping along really loud. My kids are looking at me like I'm psycho, and you know, I'm just kind of getting some stuff when I'm getting into some and it's just like it felt pretty good. You know, it was like oh man, that's some good.
Speaker 1:And there are a couple songs that I hadn't listened to in probably like 20 years, um, and but I knew like every word. It was like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, and it was just like dang and it just kind of. So I was doing that and listening to it. I was like that's why I was like, man, I need to.
Speaker 1:I want to talk about Rage a little bit, as far as on the podcast and everything, and just so. That's kind of where it's at. You know it's I don't know, are there some lines that are. Are there some lines that are, or lyrics in some of those songs that that are kind of cringe for me because of my perspective and my history. Now, yeah, you know, compared to when I was younger, I thought it was like, yeah, yeah, fuck the system or whatever. You know, I thought it was cool. And now when I hear it, I'm like, yeah, I don't really like that, but it's like you know. But'm like, yeah, I don't really like that, but it's like you know. But the music and I don't know. So I'm not saying like rage is the best, but you know, I still, I still like them all and that's what I'm saying like.
Speaker 1:So, this tattoo of all these bands, they were influential on me in some, some way or another and a lot of them I still listen to. Um, actually, I think most of them I listen to. I, all of them I listen to. Actually, I just don't really follow like, well, 311, they put out a new album. I listen to it, I like it.
Speaker 1:Um, I don't know alison chains without lane, I have a hard time. I listened to some of it and you know most of alice in chains was or is, uh, jerry control, but I don't know, it's just weird, um. So I gotta force myself every once in a while listen to some old def leppard or something. But or like old motley crew bc boys are on here, I still listen to them. They were kind of late, though I was late. I didn't like the first bc boys are on here, I still listen to them. They were kind of late, I was late. I didn't like the first bc boys album and then a friend of mine got me into them.
Speaker 1:So right before it was right around, hello nasty came out. That I was like really into them. And then, but then hello nasty was kind of different from their last three. I was like what is this? But that's, it's a good album though, anyway. So that's all, that's so.
Speaker 1:But then, you know, as I got older I'll like I like hip-hop and stuff too, more old school stuff, um, like stuff that I didn't really listen to, but that was around when I was younger. If I hear it I'm like, oh yeah, man, all right, cool, you know, I like it, but I never I don't buy it and I'm not like that's just not my, you know, my, my, my focus, as far as musically anyway, and it's like, what's funny is, as I've gotten older, I've actually gotten more into metal. I mean my favorites, like the bluesy hard rock kind of music, grunge, whatever, a little bit of punk, and you know what I mean um, with some like kind of sludge, like black sabbath, kind of heavy metal, but then you get into like like, uh, you know lamb of god and those, you know that kind of next whatever. Okay, so thrash, like you know, I like metallic and like that's about as much as I've gotten before. But then within the last I don't know six years or something, I started listening a little bit more heavier, a little more um, but yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1:Wow, I'm at 28 minutes. I need to shut the fuck up. Um, okay, try not not to say the F word, but it's hard, it's hard. Anyway, that's it. I just wanted to kind of share my history with Rage and see what yours is. And why am I not hearing? Okay, there we go, gosh, my headphones keep kind of going out Like I hear myself, and then all of a sudden it goes away. Anyway, thanks for hanging out, see you next time and God bless, all right, bye.
