Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morrello has spoken out against Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket. Ryan, a conservative with a history of extreme right-wing voting policies, had spoken recently about how Rage Against The Machine were one of his favourite groups, drawing considerable ire from the band's guitarist.
Morello, writing for Rolling Stone magazine, said "Paul Ryan's love of Rage Against The Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades. Charles Manson loved The Beatles but doesn't understand them. Paul Ryan is also clueless about his favourite band, Rage Against The Machine.
Rage Against The Machine are well known for using their music as a platform to forward their ideologies of social and political activism. Morello's criticism of Ryan is the latest chapter in the band's long history of speaking out against what they perceive to be inequalities in the United States and abroad.
"I wonder what Ryan's favourite Rage song is?", continued Morello. "Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of 'F*ck The Police'? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production. So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!"
Morello has previously criticised US talk radio host Rush Limbaugh for using the band's music ("stop using our music in your right-wing clown show"), forced the closure of the NY stock exchange by recording a music video there without permission and protested at political conventions for both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Rage Against The Machine returned to touring in 2010 but haven't played a live show in more than a year.
