I have never even met one of the most influential persons in my life. Even since the beginning of high school, Zacarias (Zack) Manuel de la Rocha, most famously the lead singer of Rage Against the Machine, has changed my outlook on life and what I need to accomplish while I am here. Hailing from nearby Long Beach, he grew up in Irvine, a town neighboring my own. It was perhaps his comment on life growing up in this town that first caught my eye and made me respect him. Mirroring my own opinion, he once stated that Irvine was “perhaps one of the whitest cities” he had ever seen. Given my own heritage, I am not one to talk, yet I feel that his comment on “whiteness” has much more to do with social attitudes than with skin color. Irvine has (notoriously) been filled with what I would describe as a sea of people lacking in hospitality, something I have seen in no other culture except that of the upper class. I am in no way implying that being upper-causes this, but growing up as a teenager it bothered me, and Zack’s comment was one reason I began to explore his lyrics and messages further. What I would soon find would change my entire world outlook.
Attending a Catholic high school, I naturally had a lot of pent-up anger. The school claimed that all were equal during its daily prayers and meditations etc., yet I found those who held different ideals or sexuality (and sometimes even those of a different race) were treated differently, even by the staff. In some cases, I would see protesters outside my school, holding signs that read "I was molested by a principal at Mater Dei." Such was my situation when I found Rage Against the Machine and the ways of Zack. Never before had I seen a public figure so unabashedly unapologetic and unafraid to stand up for what he believed in. Even before Rage, his description of his previous Long Beach hardcore punk band Inside Out seemed to speak to exactly what I was feeling at the time: “[it was] about completely detaching ourselves from society to see ourselves as…as spirits, and not bowing down to a system that sees you as just another pebble on a beach. I channeled all my anger through that band.”
But it was perhaps his later work with Rage that truly made me respect him and discover more about who I wanted to be. Although his band was perhaps the most politically driven act to ever receive extensive airplay from both radio and MTV, Zack refused to sell out and do whatever popular society wanted. In 1993 in Philadelphia, for example, in protest of the PMRC, or Parent’s Musical Resource Center, he and his band-mates stood completely naked on stage for a full 15 minutes, wearing nothing but black duct-tape over their mouths in protest of the PMRC’s attempted censorship of musical groups. Despite jeers from some angry fans who wanted to hear music, Zack never wavered. In short, he is a man who does not care what people want from him, he does what he believes is right and is not obsessed with simply being a celebrity.
This is further demonstrated by his tireless advocating in favor of Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal, widely believed to be political prisoners. The Zapatista movement in Mexico, another movement he supports, also demonstrates his worldliness. Perhaps the reason I so respect him is his refusal to sell his music along the typical terms of success as defined by monetary gain and a widened fan base. Rather, Zack is said to have not considered “any of Rage’s albums a success unless the provoked tangible political change.” Such commitment and courage is something that has inspired me to a career that would go beyond what is simply comfortable and secure, perhaps the reason why I have chosen to be a war correspondent, with high hopes of working for Arabic news network Al Jazeera one day.
3 comments:
Throughout U.S. history, musicians have risen to provide inspiration to individuals and groups seeking to make the world a better place. Zack de La Rocha and his music, his political activism, have contributed to many social causes here in the United States and Internationally. Inspiration through music, through lyrics, allows any person the ability to imagine that they too can be an inspiration. The music of Zack de La Rocha carries a message of hope. By the way if you do want to meet him, he lives in Eagle Rock and frequents a local eatery also in Eagle Rock called The Coffee Table on Colorado Boulevard.
I have a passion for music. I have a passion for rock music. Throughout history, it really does seem that this kind of music reaches out to those who do have trouble with the way they see people reaction to society (i.e. the treatment of people who were “different” in your Catholic school). While I admire the political activism that many musicians such as Zach de la Rocha have, I always wonder why you see such “activism” displayed supporting more liberal ideals and not so much for the conservative or even the moderate ones. Everything about the way I was brought up, except perhaps my religion, should have turned me into a bleeding heart liberal. I am an activist for issues that I feel are not given enough attention. I am very sympathetic for liberal perspectives and ALL perspectives. But while I completely understand how and why people don’t want things like censorship of music, especially since I live for my rock music, I think people don’t try to understand the other side often enough. I wish people in America could compromise better, but it is so black and white, so “liberal” and “conservative” that it causes so much contention. I like that Rage Against the Machine had stood up for their beliefs so blatantly. It’s just that there are not enough people, especially not celebrities and musicians, that stand up for the other side. I guess I just spent all my “pent up anger” during high school on testing and challenging my beliefs rather than finding people to agree with, and I have eclectic political views because of that, and I really dislike the individualistic way America is going.
I can't believe I hadn't read about this earlier. I am a big Rage fan, I actually had the pleasure of seeing them at Coachella two years ago and was blown away by his presence and the response of the crowd was overwhelming. The thought of music enacting social change and facilitating a movement through the lyrical and musical composition still impresses me. I do think, however, some miss the meaning behind the lyrics because they are focused on the rhythm and beat rather than the portrayed message. Renegades of Funk is a great song and the lyrics are so inspiring. I would like to hear more about the Zapatista movement and your thoughts on advocating a specific social change. If given the chance, what would you change and how would you go about it? Awesome post, I really enjoyed it!
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