Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello recently showed up in support of Green Day‘s “American Idiot” lyric change by subtly clapping back at critics with a simple three-word response on social media. His response came in opposition of Fox News anchors bashing Green Day and their choice to call out former president Donald Trump’s fanbase.
During their performance on the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve telecast, Green Day changed the lyrics in “American Idiot” from I’m not a part of the redneck agenda to I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda, referencing Trump’s campaign slogan.
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The Fox News segment featured the hosts claiming, “People are so sick of being preached at about politics from rock bands,” and “Stick to what you’re good at. You’re not a political analyst. You’re probably not really well-read on the issues that Americans really care about.”
Morello quote-tweeted the video of the segment and replied, “Is that so?” Rage Against the Machine has made an entire career out of songs about politics and unearthing corruption. From Dead Kennedys to Bikini Kill to Rage Against the Machine to Green Day, punk and rock bands have been making political and feminist statements for a long time. For the Fox News hosts to be surprised at that fact just proves they’re not paying attention.
Morello Remains Politically Active
The statement from Morello comes from more than his history with Rage Against the Machine, as he is politically active in his own right. In 2012, for example, Morello wrote an op-ed calling out Republican Congressman Paul Ryan for misunderstanding RATM’s message. Recently, he spoke out on social media against the violence in Gaza, stating that there is “no room for antiSemitism” in discussions of the conflict.
Among those who took to Twitter/X to respond to the Green Day lyric change was the owner of the social media platform himself, Elon Musk. “Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it,” he wrote.
Green Day have already released a new single on the heels of their New Year’s Eve spectacle, a vendetta-laced song called “One Eyed Bastard.”
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