RATM - Saturday Night Left (video)

A now historic performance at Saturday Night Live by Rage Against the Machine shows an early RATM in top performance shape, but much of what annoys me about them on record and video is magnified here:

Zach De La Rochas self-absorbed pontificating/left-wing bleating gets old on album; it gets really old watching him scream it live and posturing like some wanna be Gil Scott-Heron in a string of b-boy stances from the 80s and the occasional punk-styled stomping (which given the sulking whininess of Zach, looks more like a childs temper tantrum than anything else).

Tom Morello (aka, I am trying to be Vernon Reid, DJ Kool Herc and Jeff Beck at the same time) sounds fantastic, but is a very rigid on stage for the most part. That would be ok were it not for the fact that he appears at several junctures to be trying to jump start his body into doing something spontaneous and lively -- only to sputter and burn out in a flurry of more chords and feedback.

The standout presence, even though the camera crew focused little on him, was Tim Commerford. A hulking, stalking mass of low end power, the few moments you saw him he seemed to be the most compelling presence of the outfit.

The song was Bulls on Parade, and in and of itself it sounded really good.