Contrary to drummer Brad Wilk’s claim that Rage Against the Machine is “finished,” bassist Tim Commerford has added fuel to debate over the band's future by admitting he isn’t sure what the story is.
In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone, he said: “I don’t know; I’m the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do.”
While it’s a reaction that does no favors to punchlines aimed at bass player stereotypes, it clouds the certainty of Wilk’s statement and leaves the possibility of future RATM tours and beyond lingering. If only a little bit.
During the interview, Commerford acknowledged his bandmate’s statement, adding: “Brad said what he said, but he’s one step above me. He’s in the number three spot. I am the low man on the totem pole.
“That’s all I can tell you,” he continues, “I’m the bass player. The bass players always are the last people to find out about shit like that.”
As was the case with Wilk’s statement, there has been no official band comment since Commerford’s interview was published to underscore or contradict what has been said by the bassist.
Intriguingly, in the drummer’s Instagram post, he did name Commeford – and the rest of the band for that matter – in his stark drawing a line in the sand. Yet, according to Commerford, he’s just as clueless as the rest of us.
“I don’t want to string people or myself along any further,” Wilk said. “I want to let you know that RATM (Tim [Commerford, bass], Zack [de la Rocha, vocals], Tom [Morello, guitar] and I) will not be touring or playing live again.”
During the group’s long-awaited 2022 North American dates, de la Rocha sustained a leg injury that forced the cancelation of their remaining world tour and 2023 US shows.
The politically charged band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, although only Morello attended.
For Commerford, life after RATM – or at least during what may prove to be a hiatus interim period – is hard at work with his new band, 7D7D. The stripped-back, grunge-tinted, and politically propelled band includes guitarist Jonny Polonsky, with whom Wilk and Commerford briefly played together in Big Nose, and Wakrat drummer Mathias Wakrat.
The RATM pair’s relationship with Polonsky, as revealed by Commerford during his Rolling Stone chat, goes back to the recording of Audioslave’s 2005 album, Out of Exile. Producer Rick Rubin had brought Polonsky in as a guitar tech, but the multi-instrumentalist was able to leave a lasting impression.
After the band returned from a break, they found Polonsky playing one of the songs they were tracking on piano.
“He was playing it like Thelonious Monk,” Commerford says. “I was fuckin’ blown away.”
The three musicians would later jam, with Polonsky on guitar, and discovered his talents extended beyond the ivory.
“After Audioslave, we went through a period where me and Brad and Jonny jammed together in a band we called Big Nose,” he told Guitar World. “I got exposed to Jonny as a guitarist and I was just like, ‘This is like jamming with Hendrix.’ Or as close as I'm gonna get to jam with someone who can play like that, at least.”
The band have released four singles, with their latest, Insignia, released earlier this month.
RATM’s last live performance was on August 14 2022 at New York's Madison Square Garden. The 20-song set kickstarted with Bombtrack, with trademark rebellion anthem Killing in the Name the last song of the night.
Whether it's the final time the band will perform the song is yet to be seen. Commerford certainly hasn't backed up his bandmates' statement, leaving plenty of wind in the air to spin the rumor mill evermore.
