Tim Commerford says he doesn’t know if Rage Against The Machine have broken up: “I’m the bass player”

Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford has said he is unsure about the band’s current status, after drummer Brad Wilk suggested they had split up.

At the start of January, Wilk posted a statement on Instagram that appeared to confirm that the band had ended for good. 

“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the cancelled RATM shows,” he wrote. “So, while there has been some communication that this may be happening in the future… I want to let you know that RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again.” 

Wilk continued by saying, “I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen” and “thank you to every person who has ever supported us”. 

Now, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Commerford has said that he is uncertain about the current state of the band.  

“I don’t know. I don’t get involved in that,” he said. “I’m the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do. Brad said what he said, but he’s one step above me. He’s in the No. 3 spot. I am the low man on the totem pole. That’s all I can tell you. I’m the bass player. The bass players always are the last people to find out about shit like that.” 

Neither Zack de la Rocha nor Tom Morello have publicly commented on the status of the band since Wilk’s post. 

Commerford did indicate that should the band decide to carry on, he would still like to be involved. “When the Rage light gets shined up in the clouds, like the bat-signal that Batman would see and would know that he had to go do some shit… that’s how I live it. And that feels the best for me,” he said.  

The bassist is currently focusing on his new project 7D7D, who recently released their new single ‘Insignia’, which you can check out below. Back in December 2022, Commerford also disclosed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and that he had had his prostate removed as a result.

Rage Against the Machine’s most recent dates would have been the North American leg of their ‘Public Service Announcement Tour’ in February 2023, but the band cancelled the shows after de la Rocha injured his achilles tendon during a 2022 show. 

In November 2023, Morello attended the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony alone, accepting Rage Against the Machine’s induction into the Hall on their behalf. 

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