rage against the machine

Rage Against the Machine‘s Tim Commerford sat down for an interview with Spin this week, in which he revealed his battle with prostate cancer, something previously unknown to the public.

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“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s—,” the 54-year-old rocker told the publication. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer.” 

“You can find yourself in a situation like I’m in where it’s like, f—, my whole life changed. With everything that happens to me now, I wonder, am I feeling this way because I have cancer? Am I losing my hair because I have cancer? Whatever it is, it makes me wonder if it’s happening because I have cancer,” he continued. “And prostate cancer is a very, very, very tough one because it’s connected to your sexuality. It’s hard to disconnect from that and when you’re forced into that situation, it’s a brutal psychological journey. […] It’s very hard for me to not break down and get emotional.”

Commerford noted that his bandmates know of his diagnosis, even though fans didn’t. “You can still be in great shape. When I got my physical, my doctor said I was in the best shape of any 50-year-old he’d ever seen there,” he explained. “There’s plenty of people that are in great shape that have cancer. And I’m hoping to continue as long as I can be that. I work out religiously, and I try my hardest to stay in shape. I’m still very proud of who I am. When I first got diagnosed, it f—ed with me on that level. But now I’m starting to feel this level of, ‘I’m going to be the fittest motherf—er with cancer that’s 54 that you’ve ever f—ing seen in your life.’”

Going forward, Commerford said that the “glass is half-full” in his eyes. “I go into a trance, and I just completely forget about it,” he says of performing and making music. “And it’s so beautiful. When I wake up in the morning, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a new day. Dope!’ Then it’s like, ‘Oh f—, I have cancer’ and you can’t stop it. It puts a dark cloud on the day. When I go jam with Mathias [Wakrat], I just tune out and it feels so good. Music has always been there in the toughest of times.”

RATM previously cancelled their planned 2023 North American tour in October due to singer Zack de la Rocha’s leg injury.