Rage against the machine.

Ten years ago I was 19 and a born-again, holy-rolling Christian. Worked in an automotive factory making parts for the Toyota Camry. You may be driving a faulty Camry at this moment. Sorry if you die. I was a bad employee and was let go.

Nine years ago I was living in my birth town near Mt. Rushmore, lazily pretending to work in a lumber yard as I lost my religion under the watchful eyes of George Carlin, Rene Descartes and my own sense of logic. I moved back to my home state and promptly watched my grandmother die of a heart attack.

Eight years ago I was working in an injection molding plant, getting tattooed and listening to Slipknot while the towers fell. I laughed while watching them fall, because it looked like a movie. Don't let Michael Bay film a tragedy.

Seven years ago I was working under the Golden Arches, getting tattooed and arrested. No conviction, though. If the glove don't fit...

Six years ago I was moving to the City of Trees for a girl. Yeah, I know...

Five years ago I watched Bush get re-elected, and thought about Rage Against the Machine lyrics.

Four years ago I watched the girl move out of my apartment a week after I started college. Somehow I failed that semester.

Three years ago I started making sandwiches and pretended to enjoy the company of customers. I may have also gotten laid that year at some point. I think.

Two years ago I still made sandwiches, but I quit school because the American education system is ridiculous.

One year ago I worked for the Evil Empire of Mr. Sam Walton and lived with a bunch of vegan hipsters. WTF was I thinking?

This year I started by walking out of Wally World and into the land of unemployment and living in a friend's house while I got back on my feet. (Which means I'm making sandwiches again.)

In between all of those I read halves of interesting books, wrote halves of my own interesting books, wrote halves of interesting pieces of music, memorized numbers, found number patterns, made friends, lost friends, smoked the occasional joint, smoked the occasional cigarette, drank too much, lost a few thousand dollars in poker and spent too much time on Facebook and Videosift, from which I've been banned two or three times.

Edit: Somewhere in there I watched my mother try to commit suicide twice. Forgot about that.

>> ^Payback:
>> ^BoneyD:
It's a travesty that it took a 17 year old song to beat McElderry's drivel. I know this is RAtM's point, but it's just sad to me that this event is going to be an impossible act to follow.

As the best choice for raging against machines, I would say the song is perfect for the job.


Oh I entirely agree with you! I think it speaks perfectly for the surging undercurrent of frustration at the state of the modern music scene. But why isn't there a modern day equivelant of this? Sony only put their shit out cause they know the masses'll consume it, grudgingly or not... so they need to stop buying it!

They need to put their money behind the 'good' bands out there and boycott the big label stuff. Or if it's the case that the disenfranchised are just not buying any music, then they should start.

>> ^coupland:
What the hell happened at the end? I was sitting there listening to one of the best live recordings I've ever heard when some crazy bitch started talking over it. Someone needs to get fired.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUPYIShaX1s&feature=related

>> ^siftbot:
Adding video to channels (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://rocknroll.videosift.com" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Rocknroll) - requested by rasch187.


Ffs siftbot. Stop conforming, stop doing what they tell you.

>> ^BoneyD:
It's a travesty that it took a 17 year old song to beat McElderry's drivel. I know this is RAtM's point, but it's just sad to me that this event is going to be an impossible act to follow.


As the best choice for raging against machines, I would say the song is perfect for the job.

I tip my hat to you, sir.

In reply to this comment by Ornthoron:
He didn't do what they told him.

>> ^coupland:
What the hell happened at the end?

These people must had no idea what Rage Against the Machine is about or what this song in particular stands for if they expected them to censor it. Duh.

Your video, Rage Against The Machine On BBC Radio, has made it into the Top 30 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Hurray! RATM won, and scored more downloads than the X-Factor thingie.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/53959/Rage-Against-The-Machine-Beat-X-Factor's-Joe-McElderry-To-Christmas-Number-One

*promote

He didn't do what they told him.

>> ^coupland:
What the hell happened at the end?

In the words of rage against the machine "We gotta take the power back!"

From lord of the rings

King Théoden "What can man do against such reckless hate"
Aragorn "Ride out and meet them head on!"

Though I'm no stranger to rock and roll, I was unable to recognize all the riffs, so I copy/pasted the below list from the Brodie Cumming web site for reference:

1 Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
2 Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
3 Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns & Roses
4 Wanted Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi
5 Layla - Eric Clapton
6 Black Magic Woman - Santana
7 No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper
8 Beat It - Michael Jackson
9 Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
10 Dr. Feelgood - Motely Crue
11 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
12 Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
13 Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
14 Enter Sandman - Metallica
15 Mister Sandman - Chet Atkins
16 One Step Closer - Linkin Park
17 Back In Black - AC/DC
18 Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
19 Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
20 Crazy On You - Heart
21 Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
22 Bulls On Parade - Rage Against the Machine
23 Unchained - Van Halen
24 Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood
25 Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
26 Surfing with the Alien - Joe Satriani
27 Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
28 Cult Of Personality - Living Colour
29 Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
30 Sunshine of your Love - Cream
31 Runnin' with the Devil - Van Halen
32 Hells Bells - AC/DC
33 Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix
34 Frankenstein - The Edgar Winter Group
35 Aqualung - Jethro Tull
36 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
37 Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
38 (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
39 Cemetary Gates - Pantera
40 Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
41 Walk This Way - Aerosmith
42 Tonight 'm Gonna Rock You (Tonight) - Spinal Tap
43 Life in the Fast Lane - Eagles
44 Come As You Are - Nirvana
45 Zero - Smashing Pumpkins
46 Nothin' But A Good Time - Poison
47 Round n Round - Ratt
48 It's Not Love - Dokken
49 Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer
50 Norwegian Wood - Beatles
51 Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
52 Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
53 Train Kept A-Rolling - The Yardbirds
54 Blackbird - Beatles
55 Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
56 All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
57 Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
58 Ace Of Spades - Motorhead
59 Breaking The Law - Judas Priest
60 King of the Hill Theme - Brian David Blush/Roger Meade Clyne
61 All Right Now - Free
62 Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
63 When I Come Around - Green Day
64 Trilogy Suite Op.5 - Yngwie Malmsteen
65 Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
66 Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
67 Day Tripper - Beatles
68 Panama - Van Halen
69 Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
70 More Than A Feeling - Boston
71 Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
72 Bark At The Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
73 Hair Of The Dog - Nazareth
74 No More Tears - Ozzy Osbourne
75 Just A Girl - No Doubt
76 Iron Man - Black Sabbath
77 Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
78 Pride And Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughn
79 Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
80 Machine Head - Bush
81 Black Or White - Michael Jackson
82 Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
83 Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
84 Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
85 10 Years Gone - Led Zeppelin
86 Wild Thing - The Troggs
87 Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes
88 Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
89 I Love Rock N ' Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
90 Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones
91 La Bamba - Los Lobos
92 China Grove - Doobie Brothers
93 You Really Got Me - Van Halen
94 Wipe Out - The Surfaris
95 House Of The Rising Sun - The Animals
96 Dust In The Wind - Kansas
97 Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac
98 Susie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival
99 Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix
100 Eruption - Van Halen

1. Bob Dylan - I want you
2. Jimi Hendrix - 1983 (A mermaid I should turn to be)
3. The Beatles - A day in the life
4. AC/DC - Night Prowler
5. Bob Dylan - Simple twist of fate (live performance from The Rolling Thunder Revue)
6. The White Stripes - In the cold cold night
7. Rage Against The Machine - Testify
8. Tommy Tee - Aerosoul
9. Gang Starr - Who's gonna take the weight
10. The Clash - Drug stabbing time

The only version of this song I have heard up until now was the remake by Rage Against the Machine. The original is powerful as well on its own level. Nice post. Thanks.