Remember when Zack de la Rocha was relevant?
(One Day as a Lion by C.R. Stecyk III courtsey of ANTI-)
With memories of Rage Against the Machine’s brilliance in mind, few names were as irritatingly elusive throughout the Aughts as Zack de la Rocha’s. For years on end, word of any new material from the Rage Against the Machine vocalist didn’t simply raise brows, but set off fireworks amongst the media and fans alike. As time passed, rumors escalated about what would become of de la Rocha’s mysterious solo debut, and as the list of potential all-star collaborators grew, so too did the hype surrounding one of the most anticipated albums of the decade. Names such as El-P, DJ Shadow, Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, Roni Size, Trent Reznor & ?uestlove of the Roots all came up over the years in terms of who de la Rocha was working with, but unfortunately little to any of that material actually saw the light of day.
(Zack de la Rocha “We Want It All” — produced by Trent Reznor)
While it’s rumored that Trent Reznor produced some 20 tracks for de la Rocha, only one was ever released: “We Want It All,” which appeared on the supplement to Michael Moore’s 2004 film, Songs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11. In fact, aside from de la Rocha’s One Day as a Lion EP with one-time Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and a couple of cameo spots on tracks by such artists as Roni Size/Reprazent, Saul Williams & Blackalicious, little original material has actually been released by the vocalist since The Battle of Los Angeles.
(DJ Shadow feat. Zack de la Rocha “Artifact” — source: So Much Silence)
Last year Sole Sides dropped a previously unreleased collaboration from DJ Shadow’s 2006 Outsider sessions. The track is good, and certainly better than most of the material that actually made it onto the album, but as with “We Want It All,” de la Rocha seems to have been worked into a pre-casted mold with the track. In speaking to the LA Times in 2008, he touched on this somewhat, “When I was working with Trent and Shadow, I felt that I was going through the motions.” This isn’t to say that the two tracks are bad—they aren’t, by any means—but they don’t compare to something that preceded them: the song which remains the best offering from Zack de la Rocha during the entire decade, “March of Death.”
Previously discussing the song for Prefix in 2008, I wrote, “Distributed for free via MarchofDeath.com, the song focused de la Rocha’s anger and frustration into roughly four minutes of pounding beats.” Lyrically the song is aimed at the Bush administration, calling the President a “Texas furer [sic],” and lashing out, “Who let the cowboy on the saddle/He don’t know a missile from a gavel/Para terror troopin’ flippin’ loops of death upon innocent flesh/But I’m back in the cipher my foes and friends, with a verse and a pen.” Whether it have to do with the aggressive beat or de la Rocha’s continuously sharp flow, but “March of Death” remains one of my favorite tracks from the decade. My feelings don’t necessarily reflect those of the masses though. The American Prospect‘s Chaweon Koo reflected on the song, focusing on the weight behind its verbal punch, calling it a “lyrical letdown” and adding that “‘March of Death’ seems more like a knee-jerk reaction to George W. Bush’s Iraq War than a thoughtful punch to the face.”
In the dying moments of the 2008 documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Thompson’s ex-wife looked back on his life and reflected, “I think this is a time when Hunter Thompson could make a difference in this country.” Moments later Jimmy Buffett—of all people—added his thoughts, “He could wield a pretty effective sword against what’s going on right now.” Carrying a similar tone, in his 2007 essay, “An Open Letter to Zack de la Rocha,” Esquire‘s Jason Notte wrote,
“After a summer spent flipping off cops and raising a ruckus at the 2000 party conventions, you totally bailed… just as the Bush administration came into power. Then September 11 went down, Clear Channel yanked Rage songs off the air, and you? Nothing. After spending seven years sending your fans into street fights with Howitzers, you left them unarmed on D-Day… And when the U.S. went into war in Iraq based on sketchy intelligence and utter ignorance of the inherent religious and ethnic conflicts that could arise during an ensuing occupation? That Web-only release of March of Death was more than adequate. The thirty-two people who heard the song were moved. Why should you use the deplorable Capitalist machine to broadcast your position to millions when you can do the technological equivalent of handing out fliers?… With minorities being treated like fifteenth-class citizens during Hurricane Katrina, habeas corpus being tossed aside like Kim Kardashian’s underwear when a camera turns on, Guantanamo Bay being used as a kennel, Enron mugging employees for their life savings while folding in disgrace, Jack Abramoff playing Texas Hold ‘Em with the concept of Congressional ethics, Mark Foley hitting on anything that looked like a mid-’90s Lukas Haas, George Allen reintroducing “macaca” to the national lexicon…”
Unlike Thompson, Zack de la Rocha is obviously alive and well. A little over a week ago he and Jon Theodore took to the stage for the duo’s first ever live performances as One Day as a Lion (which were generally well-received: Spinner‘s Steve Baltin went as far as saying that they “have the potential to be a powerful force in rock”). But for a decade he has had the ability and opportunity to step up and continue the standard that he set with Rage Against the Machine. And with the talent that was supposedly joining him to produce this music, it looked as though he was willing to claim his place on the front lines for years to come; no matter how misguided some of his causes might be. As a vocalist, activist, and poet, Zack de la Rocha will continue to be revered as one of the strongest voices of his generation, and the argument could be made that he never stopped doing his best to make sure that many injustices are being addressed and corrected (which he should still be applauded for). But even if Rage releases a new album, One Day as a Lion pushes on, or a solo record sees the light of day, he will never be able to wield his sword with the same force that he once could. In that sense, “what could have been” takes on a whole new meaning.
Yes. I remember that time. It’s right now. Even if Zack never releases another piece of music his catalog will always remain relevant. The same way Woody Guthrie is still relevant. The same way Robert Johnson will always be relevant. The same way Public Enemy will remain relevant. I, like you, hope Zack will release new music, but I don’t want to chastise him for not doing so. Who knows what is going on in his life? He is a person first. A musician second. And we are lucky he ever shared anything with us.
In my mind as well as what he currently stands for, if anything, he never left. His relevancy stays the same. He’s still a very powerful force.
A little tidbit. A friend of mine actually got to talk to Zach, but from what I understood, the reason the album from Columbia hasn’t (and probably won’t) see the light of day was that the CIA was heavily following Zach as well.
I think part of what I was hoping to say got lost somewhere. Yeah, more music would’ve been great – no doubt about that, but I, too, could honestly care less if decided to never put out another song. No matter what he does from here on out, in those terms, will likely pale in comparison to what people’s perception of him is… just like Kamau’s Public Enemy. Also, I love a lot of what Chuck D does, but those guys are another story altogether as far their modern relevance is concerned.
What I was hoping to push was how much more he could have done publicly given his celebrity. That’s the gist of it, really. While he had people on the edge of their seats for years due to his music (or lack thereof), he was relatively silent compared to the outspoken character that he had projected himself to be during the previous decade. What changed, we might never know, but regardless of the cause, as long as there are people fighting for what many of the Zack de la Rochas in the world consider wrong, there should be Zack de la Rochas fighting for what they consider right. Not walk away and simply pop up here and there during what might be the most important decade in terms of where the country’s political direction was headed. In those terms, did he fail the people who considered him a champion for their causes? I suppose that’s up to the individual.
Maybe that’s too much to ask from a person, but for someone who is a millionaire essentially because of music leaning on past activism and political-leaning outspokenness, I don’t think it’s out of line to say that it’s more-than-questionable to abruptly step away from that. Like Notte said in his article, “I’m sure you had your reasons for walking away. Subcommandante Marcos and the Zapatistas probably would have done the same thing if they were in your position.”
I think he’s done a ton as far as his philanthropy work is concerned, just look at both the RNC and DNC rallies; their presences alone cause enough raised eyebrows and looks right? In essence isn’t that what his presence or affiliation, RATM or not, was supposed to do?
Same goes for the Nightwatchmen appearances at SEIU events or Zack’s appearance regarding AZ’s new immigration law.
This isn’t my argument, nor is it one I really care to get into because I support what he’s done in both of those occasions you’re bringing up, but it’s something that can be questioned in those scenarios: the convention in the Twin Cities came on the heels of what was a reemergence into the public eye with his successful RATM reunion tour & this year, while he’s jumped into the pack of musicians protesting Arizona, he’s releasing music with his other band and performing with the group for the first time ever (that, and both are very, very public stories with or without his involvement). My whole thing here isn’t: what’s his motive now, but doesn’t it seem like there’s all this other time… say… eight years… when he was predominantly out of the picture? Regardless of label involvement, he could have still been active in the public eye… even if only saying something far below him like “Fuck Bush.” (And even, as you’re suggesting, with the CIA on him… then again, he might have “caught cancer” somehow, had he done so… guess we’ll never know.)
I’m not saying he’s self-serving, or less generous with his time and money than is the perception of him–I don’t know the man personally, clearly, but from what I do know of him he’s fought his fair share of battles–all I’m really wondering is whether people think he has some sort of obligation to stand-up given his celebrity, even when he’s not releasing new material or touring, and help that “voice of the voiceless” that he once preached about.
The “relevant” part of this whole equation came with my own emotional conclusion. I feel like he has made a lot of money, not off of exploiting rebellion, but because he, himself, was a rebellious figure who a wide population could empathize with and attach themselves to. And I feel that if he had kept driving, been that “go-to” person on a few occasions, done a bit of press along the way to say “hey, there are people out there who have something to say,” then to this very day a mention of his involvement would bring WAVES of support and awareness to causes that might otherwise be swept under the rug (EVEN if he retired from music altogether). Now, more people seem to care about Conor Oberst’s opinion or, sadly, what Pink thinks of the President.
I appreciate the dialog here – thanks.
Interesting. I hadn’t really thought of it this way, but I do agree that for someone so overtly outspoken, so sit back while the flames got hottest does seem a little odd. Perhaps it was part of regaining his perspective on his role in the proverbial ‘struggle’? Aside from speeches at shows, his political moves tend to be on a much more grassroots/local level. From this speech and rapping People of the Sun with a djembe player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-kKfdp-ZXs
To a few years earlier kicking some rhymes ( one verse that we saw on the one day as a lion EP):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yryU1xi2f2M
I think the guy has been at work… Likely has a different approach to his art than I could ever imagine though… that CIA thing has me thinkin though too… wild stuff right there.
Remember when Zack de la Rocha was relevant?
Zack de la Rocha will be relevant forever.