You can ignore politics but it won't ignore you.

Anyway, that bass tone is insane.

The person who said on the stream that this isnt specifically political is, with all due respect, showing the massive white privilege that Rage were literally raging against. You cannot seperate the band from left wing politics. It is the fundamental message. The root of the anger and aggression, everything that the band is.

Not taking a side can be enabling a side.  "First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I wasn't a Communist" I prefer the less authoritarian brownie. The one that doesn't deploy it's army against its own citizens.

Pretty soon you may not be allowed to pick a side. If that point ever comes you may have really wish you had.

It's always funny for me to hear people say that they avoid or don't like "political" music. I specifically gravitated more towards post-hardcore, hardcore, and some punk specifically for the socio/political messages. It's the same reason why I got more into rock when alternative and grunge started exploding in the early 90's. The party rock of the 80's was played out. Many of us wanted music that actually meant something. It doesn't have to be political. It can be real emotion, real love, real loss, etc. I was slowly turned off from mainstream hip hop/rap over the decades because it all became about vapid materialism and toxic individualism. Once it went from "Fight the Power" and "F*^k The Police" to songs about cars, jewelry, women and a bunch of crap that doesn't matter, I lost interest just like I had lost interest in 80's rock (again, specifically talking about mainstream music.).

Politics is the application of morality. There's no such thing as ignoring it, only being blind to how you're participating.
That said, refusal to participate in a system you feel disconnected from is a valid choice

28:20 couple comments on police - the quote goes “a rotten apple spoils the bunch” When so called good apples look away from bad behavior to avoid getting fired, or when they are fired for reporting bad behavior, that only leaves bad apples behind.
Also, “defunding the police” means reallocating some funding toward social workers and other non-police professionals to deal with things like mental health crises or traffic tickets, so that police can focus on the crimes they were trained to deal with.

Not sure if this was touched on in the video but Tom Morello and Adam Jones(Tool) were in a band together in High school called Electric Sheep and Maynard tried out for the band as the lead singer before choosing Zack.

really hard to believe the “you matter” message if the cries for help and solidarity are brushed off as “political”

”Centrist gets close to class consiousness”

As a bass player, this album is definitely one of the biggest models for bass tones to shoot for. Also just such fun licks and grooves to play.

the shock on your face. very interesting to see someone react and have this thinking behind the camera. you are definetely safe.

newsflash - it's time to come out of your bubble and be discouraged.  in normal times "both sides are the same" has relevance.  right now, one side is actively trying to destroy the country and kill our neighbors.  I think I'll take the brownie that only tastes bad

Bullet in the Head is about how you have to compensate for a bad foreign policy image with propaganda at home. It establishes the connection between idealized and actual bullets. Check out the live version, it's pretty awesome!

You absolutely need to return to this band with Evil Empire

Defund the  police means not to abolish the police, but to prioritise preventative programmes to allow police funding to be cut, very sensible, in my view.

First time hearing RATM was as a high school freshman and it was revelatory.

Privelege allows us to ignore politics. I had moments where I rode the fence l/closed my eyes until I realized how our collective apathy was allowing those in power to hurt others, especially when it affects those I love.

I appreciate RATM for exposing me to histories and politics that was kept from me. Not everything is politics, but politics touches almost everything.

One of the best albums of all time I'm looking forward to watching this

Y'know for a long time I didn't love politics in my music, and I also once WAS the guy who though nonpolitical people were losers BUT, as I grew from teen into adult and matured I've come around on both BECAUSE i listened to RATM. I find that even though I do get a little riled up by the music that is actually a good thing, for me anyways it's okay for other people to feel different. I just find the band to be a VERY good outlet for my frustrations with the world and government. In fact, some of these songs read scarily true to me when looking around at the political landscape today, even more so in some cases than when the song came out. I think RATM had it historically correct and more people should listen to them, not just because their music is great but because there MIGHT be catharsis or educational benefits from it. I just find rather look down upon nonpolitical people or uneducated people it's best to simply best to educate them or leave it at the door, it doesn't have to be deep enough to let it ruin my or someone else's day. RATM is great for that because it's a good way for people to get into or be passionate about their political beliefs, it can be an outlet for both of us as well as something more perhaps.  Then after RATM anyone interested should listen to Audioslave, because its RATM with Chris Cornell singing and a harder rock vibe, it kicks ass.

Rage and Tool were close.  Some interesting notes:
Lifelong Friendship: Adam Jones and Tom Morello met in high school in Illinois, played in a band called The Electric Sheep, and remained close friends as their careers launched in LA.
Early Collaborations: Keenan (Tool) briefly considered fronting RATM, and he sang on their track "Know Your Enemy".
Shared Influences: Both guitarists were heavily inspired by Eddie Van Halen, incorporating his style into their unique sounds.
Musical Crossover: Maynard showed Tom Morello  drop-D tuning, which influenced RATM's "Killing in the Name," and Keenan taught Morello about bands like Swans, broadening his horizons.
Shared Stage Moments: The bands shared festival bills, with Keenan and Tool even inviting Zack de la Rocha to perform "Bottom" with them at Lollapalooza '93.