It’s been a year of ebbs and flows for Rage Against The Machine. After finally embarking on their long-awaited (and pandemic-delayed) first tour in eleven years, the band had to cancel their remaining tour dates after singer Zack De La Rocha tore his Achilles tendon while performing on stage. Now long-time bassist Tim Commerford has revealed that he has been battling prostate cancer.
“Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer,” Commerford told Spin. The bassist, who’s as notable for his ripping bass lines as he is for his iconic arm and chest tattoos covering his chiseled physique, got real in saying how prostate cancer is something that was obviously totally out of his control. “I’ve been someone that’s taken a lot of pride in being in shape and taking care of myself. But it’s something where either you’re either lucky or not.”
Commerford explained that he first found out about his prostate cancer when he went to get life insurance and his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were too high for him to get coverage. In a very candid interview, he noted how prostate cancer has taken a toll on him mentally: “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.”
He also spoke about the physical pain and how being in such good shape, affected him further mentally: “The suffering part of it, the physical suffering after the surgery, I’ve never felt pain quite like that.” He also added, “After the pain went away, I still haven’t really been able to get up, even though I’m working out and doing shit, but psychologically, the damage is severe. It’s very hard for me to not break down and get emotional.”
Commerford spoke about how remaining dedicated to his fitness is keeping him level now and how even though his PSA levels came back at “zero” after his six-month test, his recovery from prostate cancer is ongoing. “I’m starting to feel this level of, ‘I’m going to be the fittest motherf*cker with cancer that’s 54 that you’ve ever f*cking seen in your life.”
Read the whole interview at Spin here.
