Tom Morello doesn’t care if you stop listening to Rage Against The Machine.
Morello celebrated the anniversary of their appearance in the BBC 5Live Breakfast on X. Before the live performance, the band was asked not to swear and to change their lyrics, but they refused and shouted the lyric ‘F*ck you, I won’t do what you tell me’ on stage.
Morello explained what happened after the show in his post: “15 years ago, Rage Against The Machine went live on BBC 5Live Breakfast. They cut the broadcast when we unexpectedly hit the ‘correct’ lyrics. Surprise! Three days later, YOU shocked the world (and Simon Cowell) and made ‘Killing In The Name’ #1 on the UK pop charts, toppling The X-Factor’s dreary monopoly of the ‘UK Christmas #1.’ 100% of the proceeds of the single were donated to UK homeless charities. ‘Twas a Merry Christmas indeed!”
This didn’t sit well with some users, including one user who said: “I make a point to turn the channel anytime a Rage song comes on after what they did with COVID. Always judge a person by their actions, and not just their words. They will go down in history for the biggest flop sell out band!”
“While I’m unbothered that you no longer listen to RATM, I’ll clear up a common right wing misconception for you (as I have for many low information loudmouths in the past): Rage never required a vax (or a mask) to buy a ticket to or attend ANY concert in the band’s entire history. Feel free to check with any of the thousands who attended. I preemptively accept your apology and happy holidays to you,” Morello responded.
Another user said that Morello was the member or RATM because of ‘his shilling for Kamala Harris.’ “One last low information loudmouth clean up today: I have NEVER publicly endorsed ANY mainstream Democratic or Republican candidate, EVER, including Harris,” the guitarist replied. “I have consistently been a vocal critic of of both Trumpism’s horrible racism and fascist tendencies as well as corporate Dem war crimes and Wall Street subservience. On social media, live performances and on my records. You just don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. But happy holidays anyway.”
The user later told both the rocker and the people calling him wrong that they were right and that he should have done his research.
Rage Against The Machine appeared on the morning show to perform a live version of ‘Killing in the Name.’ The band was asked not to sing the final lyric, ‘F*ck you, I won’t do what you tell me!’ but lead singer Zack de la Rocha went ahead and sang it anyway.
It wasn’t until the fourth repetition of the line that the production team muted the microphone and cut back to the studio. “Get rid of it!” Fogarty was heard shouting in the background. “Sorry, we needed to get rid of that because that suddenly turned into something we weren’t expecting,” she told listeners. “Well, we were expecting it and we asked them not to do it and they did it anyway.”
The BBC later issued an official apology, stating: “5 Live breakfast featured a live broadcast of the song Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine. We had spoken to the band repeatedly beforehand and they had agreed not to swear. When they did we faded the band out and apologised immediately to anyone who was offended.”
Richard Jackson, the editor of 5 Live, also responded to fans who criticized them for expecting a band like Rage Against the Machine to keep their promise not to swear.
Even though they didn’t keep their word, Rage Against the Machine went on to take the 2009 Christmas Number One, beating Joe McElderry’s cover of Miley Cyrus’ ‘The Climb’ and ending The X Factor’s four-year streak of Christmas Number Ones with a 16-year-old song.
