Tom Morello Reveals What Rage Against The Machine Was Almost Called

In terms of groundbreaking, genre-defying bands, there are few as revered in our nu world as Rage Against The Machine. They set the table for what was to come, laying the groundwork for the marriage of hip-hop, metal, and funk that would come. It is hard to believe, with that in mind, that the band was almost called something entirely different.

In a recent interview with Scott Lipps for his SPIN show Lipps Service, Tom Morello revealed what almost was the name for the band: Two Minutes Hate.

Morello recounts:

We had given "Rage Against The Machine" a two-week grace period to try it out on our friends, right? We each went [to our friends] and all my friends are unanimous in hating the name. 'It's too long, I can't remember it, it's too on the nose. Every other band has a one-word noun name like Nirvana, Tool, Ween, whatever."

He then goes on to discuss the basis for what could have been their name:

Brad [Wilk] was like, "I've just been reading some George Orwell, and there's this one thing in Orwell where two minutes a day, the oppressed citizens look up at the TV and there's a picture of Big Brother, and they get it all out. It's called two minutes hate. I'm like "It's a genius name, I love that band name.

So Zack [de la Rocha] comes, and Zack had come up with the name Rage Against The Machine, it was going to be the name of the next Inside Out record. So with some nerves we say, "So our people are not exactly feeling the name, what do you think?" And he was down with Two Minutes Hate. So we're like, "We're called Two Minutes Hate! Can't wait to tell Tim the new band name we got!" Thank God we dodged the bullets of Rage Against The Machine, right?

Tim comes in, and we're like "Great news, we're not that terrible name, Rage Against The Machine." He's like "All my friends love it, it's the greatest fucking band name of all time."

On the way to a show opening for Tool, the band have a spirited discussion about the name, and right before they take the stage, they give the promoter the name Rage Against The Machine. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Check out the clip from Lipps Service below: