Know Your Enemy: The Story of Rage Against the Machine

by Joel McIver

Rage Against The Machine's founding member and guitarist Tom Morello has given author Joel McIver his blessing to write this unauthorised biography of one of the most pro-actively political rock bands on the planet.

In this book Joel McIver gives a clear and unbiased analysis of the group’s stance on a wide range of issues, as well as a chronology of their career.

Genres: Music, Biography, The United States Of America

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2014

Reviews

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siamo alla fine degli anni '80 e l'inizio dei '90, del secolo scorso a Los Angeles, Stati Uniti. Due ragazzi, all'apparenza totalmente differenti, con gusti musicali così lontani, ma animati dagli stessi ideali di libertà ed uguaglianza, ma soprattutto si sono trovati per quella rabbia contro il sistema (da qui il nome della band) dove trasudano tutti loro pezzi.
Tom Morello e Zack de la Rocha sono i nomi di questi due ragazzi, il primo molto più grande del secondo, che all'epoca era poco più che un ragazzo. Tom veniva da un gruppo, i Lock Up, di sonorità marcatamente heavy metal, invece Zack dagli Inside Out, un gruppo punk hardcore.
La storia della musica rock underground, ma non solo, stava cambiando, perchè i Rage Against The Machine sono un punto di partenza, una nuova partenza, innovativa, attiva, di protesta totale (non c'è un brano che non rimarca la protesta), ma anche l'aspetto innovativo in quanto a melodia, uso degli strumenti e l'unione di vari generi mai miscelati prima: il punk che sta alla base di questo gruppo, poi il rap ed il metal ed infine il funk. Cosa poteva venire fuori dalla commistione di questi 4 generi, all'apparenza così lontani? Un'apoteosi di rabbia contro la "Macchina", sonorità pazzesche, inarrivabili, una presenza scenica potente, ma soprattutto un qualcosa di mai visto e sentito prima!
Ai due ragazzi si aggregano altri due amici, Tim Commerford il bassista (con un tatuaggio pazzesco) ed il batterista Brad Wilk, protagonisti più silenziosi, ma sempre pronti a scatenare l'inferno!

Il presente saggio musicale è un ottimo riepilogo di ciò che i RATM hanno fatto e continuano ad instillare nella gente (gente che ha voglia ed intenzione di recepire), tutto sulla libertà di espressione, sulla difesa delle minoranze etniche, contro le brutalità effettuate dal potere costituito, contro disuguaglianze di ogni genere, contro le intolleranze sia etniche che in generale, sulla potenza della parola contro le ingiustizie ecc...
Il libro merita perchè aggiunge anche gli impegni sociali che i RATM hanno contribuito ad attuare, come la campagna a favore di persone ingiustamente accusate, senza un regolare processo, a favore di personalità come Snowden, per il movimento zapatista!!
Però c'è qualche mancanza nel saggio, mancano i testi con relative traduzioni e ci sono troppe ripetizioni, ma insomma i Rage son sempre i Rage e come potrei non ascoltarmeli fino all'infinito, ecco che si apre il concerto:
Killing In the Name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWXaz...
Wake Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFNPz...
Bulls On Parade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L4Yr...
Snakecharmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhTC7...
Born of a Broken Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg5m4...
Voice of the Voiceless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GV0Y...

[Craig N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off pretty well but ended boring and irrelevant. There was really no need for the last couple of chapters.

[Chris Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled across this book on Amazon while looking for some interesting books to read. I have consistently enjoyed listening to Rage Against the Machine since I first heard their music in 1995. I have enjoyed books by Guns and Roses musicians Duff McKagan and Slash, so I figured I would enjoy a book about RATM.

The other books I have read focused on a particular band member and their relationship to their band mates, the media, and the creative process. This book wasn’t written by one of the musicians, but rather by a journalist and writer. That gave it a very different feel, and a focus on theme rather than a personal story. McIver also included as many viewpoints and opinions from each of the four band members, so the reader gets a varied perspective on RATM and its development into one of the most influential bands of my lifetime.

The interesting thing for me that the book highlights really well is the broad appeal of RATM’s music. There are millions of fans of RATM that should not be fans. And I am one of those people. I am not a far left liberal. I do not advocate for socialism. I am a part of the Machine to an extent. And yet I love their music. I love that it challenges my thinking, and makes me question things. Their music taps into that rebel spirit that slumbers in most of us. It grabs that spirit and shakes it in a valiant effort to awaken it.

This book is a great read for any fan of RATM’s music, and any fan of protesting and activism. And a warning for any hardcore capitalist: keep an open mind and don’t simply accept the status quo. This book will challenge many things that you believe in. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That is how all progress is made.

[Markus Heikkilä · Rating 3 out of 5]

While McIver is a good writer (excluding a few too many pandering personal takes in what is supposed to be a relatively impartial biography), I don’t consider this one of his better works. It’s not entirely his fault either – with the band itself not being available to contribute to the book, and sources about their story being limited, the end result is rather surface-level, and McIver has to pad it with a lot of contextual and tangentally relevant information. It’s not a bad book, but in terms of RATM content, you have a choice between this and reading through their Wikipedia page, with not that much difference between the two.

[Sajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across Rage Against The Machine during 2000. I was aware that they were politically aware band but it was their powerful music that attracted me the most. I was about to see Prophets of Rage live at Download which is why I decided to read this book. Overall, it was a good read and I came to understood a lot of the history of band as a whole.

[Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense. Must keep an open mind to finish the book through.

[Stefano Fabbri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring Borin Boring. An aseptic collection of events and interviews... and there's no Zach.