Anger Is a Gift

True. Though they haven't been around for eight years, there's still a Doors-like cult following for Inside Out that hasn't gone away (though largely because of de la Rocha's Rage fame). Last year, Eric Axen, bassist for the British Columbia punk band Octember, put up a fairly comprehensive Web site dedicated to the band (www.bulkley.net/~chloe/bio.htm), which he says receives about 100 hits each week. There's even a Canadian emo band called By a Thread, which takes its name from an Inside Out song.

"The hardcore scene was really strong back in those days," says Rosas. "Shows took place in all kinds of places: VFW halls, gyms, rec rooms. There were no places that stayed established, like Koo's, nothing like that. Shows were held in almost word-of-mouth locations—in garages, even. Some of the most crowded shows I've ever been to were ones that were going on when that scene was around."

By 1992, when Rage started to break, Rosas says he felt a bit strange seeing all the hype that his old bandmate's new project was getting. "I was really happy for him, but that was at a time when I really wasn't talking to Zack much, so it was still easy for me to separate. It was almost like I was seeing somebody else instead of this star. But I was happy and excited for music in general because there needs to be bands like Rage Against the Machine. They were just so different when they came out; I thought it was great they were getting exposure. There were a lot of bands that came before them, though, that were kind of . . . I don't want to say doing the same style of music, but different bands that popped up and failed because they didn't really do it right. Rage came out and nailed that sound, they had a message, and they're really good musicians. They pretty much had the whole package.

"So when I see them on MTV, I don't get angry—that's a good sign," he adds. "I don't get frustrated and fed-up with the music, so it's cool; it's inspiring. It may not be entirely my cup of tea, but I can't think of anything that's wrong with them."