In December 1950, Woody Guthrie moved into the Beach Haven Apartments in Brooklyn. His landlord was Fred Trump, father of Donald. Trump’s greed and racism inspired Guthrie to write Old Man Trump.
Ryan Harvey updated that song, and made this video with Ani DiFranco and Tom Morello (RATM).
Here are the lyrics:
Mas…That time Woody Guthrie wrote a song about the Trumps (videos)
POCHO amigo Flavio Morales dug this oldie up out of the secret vaults that hold the treasured recordings of his groundbreaking TV program Illegal Interns:
Live concert footage from 1997 of Take the Power Back by Rage Against the Machine.
[RATM is, indeed, raging so there are many NSFW F-bombs etc. Also, if play it loud you can sing along and no one will know.]
LOS LYRICS:
Mas…Rage Against the Machine: Take the Power Back! (NSFW 1997 video)
Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) writes:
I’ve witnessed countless incidents of racially motivated police brutality in my lifetime and it’s time to say ‘Enough!’ in the name of all those wrongfully killed and abused. For all the courageous men and women raising their voices against injustice in #Ferguson, and beyond, give ’em hell. This song is for you. [NSFW adult language.]
PREVIOUSLY ON RATM:
You say you don’t want to hear the same old sounds? Then you’ll like this new track from Outernational — Future Rock — produced by RATM’s Tom Morello. And we’ve got lyrics:
Mas…‘Is it the sound of coming riots?’ Outernational ‘Future Rock’ (video)
#RIPMikeBrown #RIPEricGarner & to all boys/men of color who've lost their lives to ignorance, hate & injustice. pic.twitter.com/GlimbBMhT0
— Veronica Rodriguez (@LaresNYC) August 13, 2014
Mas…Cops out of control kill Eric Garner in NYC, Mike Brown in MO (videos)
(PNS reporting from NEW JACK CITY) A local activist is excited about throwing her support behind a movement in Southern Mexico she recently read about on Facebook: the EZLN.
Pilar Morales (photo) said she saw a post on her friend Daisy’s Facebook wall about a new band called Rage Against the Machine which talked about the movement.
When the Spanish Harlem resident Googled it, she said she felt like she’d finally found a cause she could really support.
“I totally get this. They are just, like, fighting for their rights and the government is oppressing them!” Morales told PNS. “It’s just not fair.”
Make friends and influence people with a Chicano handshake?
That’s right, pochas y pochos, you too can reinforce your raza credibility with a puro handshake, as Subcommandanta del News Sara Inés Calderón demonstrates in her viral video. She illustrates the proper form for handshakes in Califas and Tejas plus throws in a variation that answers the musical question Why Can’t We Be Friends?
On the music front, Pocho Ñews Service Floridita Burro Jefe Santino J. Rivera takes a look at the contradiction between Rage Against the Machine’s message and some clueless fans’ love of the band. Hint: VP wannabe Paul Ryan isn’t the only doofus.
On the international business news beat, Subcommandante del Cultura Victor Payan blows the lid off the Republican effort to thwart the sale of bankrupt Hostess to Mexico’s Bimbo. Revelations from the TwinkieLeaks website include this money quote from GOP guru Karl Rove: “They can have my DingDong when they pry it from my cold, dead hand.”
And New Jack City Burro Jefe Elise Roedenbeck illuminates the softer side of South America with the sad tale of a Peruvian girl and her llama — a lament for lost youth, innocence and a little girl’s dreams.
These are top stories that broke the ñews on POCHO this week:
Rage Against the Machine’s debut album turns 20 this week and their legacy is still shrouded in confusion and ignorance. Back in the day, the band stormed the mainstream scene with angry Chicano rock, only the mainstream never noticed the Chicano part.
Chicano rock? You mean Santana..?
What always strikes me about Rage is how little so many of their fans know about their music or message. Recent failed VP candidate Paul Ryan is the personification of that ignorance. He claimed that Rage is his favorite band. Rage’s guitarist, Tom Morello was outraged by this and replied that Ryan is part of the machine the band has been raging against the last 20 years.
Well, no shit! But how could Ryan be so confused…?
Mas…Rage Against the Machine is 20 but many fans are still clueless
It’s rough being a Chicano, one little misstep and you can crap all over the sanctity of your Chicanismo. Here’s a list of the top eight Chicano sins you want to avoid, just in case you have trouble keeping track.
8. Changing your name to an Aztec name: If you’re Rosa, don’t pretend like you’re really Xochitl just because you joined MEChA. And that goes for you, too, Nezahualcoyotl, I mean Erick.
7. Confusing Emiliano Zapata with Pancho Villa: Yes, they both had mustaches, but not all Mexicans look the same. One of them was a revolutionary or something, right?
6. Talking shit about RATM: Every Chicano loves Rage Against The Machine, without question, everyone knows this. How dare you?!