In a new Guardian fan Q&A, Tom Morello told Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine fans to stop complaining about the state of rock, and to write the next “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Killing in the Name.”
A fan asked, “I think it’s a shame this generation don’t have their own anthems like Killing in the Name, You Oughta Know, Fight the Power, Fuck the Police and Teen Spirit. Do you feel disheartened that the current zeitgeist isn’t producing such powerful music in the mainstream?”
Morello responded, “Not so fast, sonny! Let me introduce you to the Atlas Underground, a sonic conspiracy of diverse artists bent on stirring shit up at home and abroad. The mere existence of a group of collaborators of divergent genres, divergent ethnicities, divergent ages, and divergent genders, is a statement in and of itself for these times. However in addition to that, we are on a rebel music mission, telling social justice ghost stories to bring the heroes and martyrs of the past, the voices of the voiceless, into the struggles of today and to shine a beacon to illuminate a more just and humane future. You are welcome to join us in this endeavour.
Rather than lamenting that there’s no Killing in the Name or Smells Like Teen Spirit at the top of the charts, either dig a little deeper, or better, form your own band and write your Killing in the Name. We’d love to hear it.”
