Rage Against the Machine frontman calls out 'fan' who failed to notice band's political stance

Scott Casteneda seemingly hadn't been paying attention to the songs he was listening to

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 30: Singer Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine performs at L.A. Rising at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on July 30, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP

Singer Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine performing in 2011. AFP

Katy Gillett author image
Katy Gillett
Jun 11, 2020
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Millions of fans across the world have for years appreciated left-wing rock band Rage Against the Machine's strong political stance.

Now, however, it seems that one "fan" had completely missed the message.

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“I used to be a fan until your political opinions came out," wrote Scott Casteneda on Twitter, before deleting his account entirely.

"Music is my sanctuary and the last thing I want to hear is political BS when I’m listening to music.

"As far as I’m concerned you and Pink are completely done. Keep running your mouth and ruining your fan base."

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Tom Morello then responded, causing the band to start trending on the social media platform.

"Scott!! What music of mine were you a fan of that DIDN’T contain ‘political BS’? I need to know so I can delete it from the catalog," he wrote.

The group's debut album came out in 1992 featuring the artwork of a Buddhist monk lighting himself on fire in protest. It went triple platinum, largely thanks to the hit song Killing in the Name, in which the lyrics strongly oppose police brutality.

What 'Machine' did you think he was raging against? The dishwasher?

Twitter users were amused and bewildered that anyone could miss Morello's political message.

"What 'Machine' did you think he was raging against? The dishwasher?" wrote one.

"Take the Power Back is actually about recharging batteries," added another, referencing another song from the band's eponymous debut album.

"I do miss RATM music when it was all about partying, high school crushes and candies," someone else chimed in.

Others chose to remind Casteneda of some of the lyrics from Killing in the Name, which many also pointed out are just as relevant today as they were back in the early 1990s.

"Some of those who work in [police] forces are the same that burn crosses ... Those who die are justified. By wearing the badge, they're the Chosen Whites."

The message does seem fairly hard to miss, Scott.

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