Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello is a pretty vocal figure of the left.
He’s at the forefront of workers’ rights issues along with various other causes that deal with human rights – which is why a story coming out of Seattle threatens to put a slight damper on his image.
According to a report from BlabberMouth, Morello performed at the El Corazon in Seattle last Friday as part of a benefit concert for 15 Now, the grassroots organization that successfully fought for a $15 minimum wage in Seattle.
Morello and his entourage allegedly tried to get “a special room” at The 5 Point Café, even though the bouncer informed him that the place was “at capacity” with a long line of people in front waiting to get in. The restaurant’s doorman apparently told Morello and his crew that he could not accommodate them, prompting the guitarist to send out a tweet that slammed the eatery:
But the 5 Point’s owner David Meinert wasn’t going to take Morello’s attempt to drive traffic away from the café lying down. Posting on his Facebook page, Meinert attacked the apparent contrast between Morello’s humanitarian image and his blatant attempt to hurt the profits of a privately-owned business:
For the record Tom Morello – The 5 Point is totally pro-worker. We try to pay more than any other small restaurant, and on top of the higher pay, we offer health insurance, paid sick days, paid time off, retirement and profit share. Sorry if you had an issue with our staff, but typically our staff is awesome, and when they are not, it’s usually a reflection of the customer. Act like a prick = get treated like a prick.
I have to say, your attacking a small business without knowing anything about it, or addressing your problem with them directly before you go on a public rant, pretty much sucks. Just lost a ton of respect for you, and I’ve been a fan for years, both of your work in Rage and your work for workers rights since.
PS – rock stars don’t get special treatment at The 5 Point. We couldn’t give less of a sh*t. Sorry.
And PSS – I’m the owner of the 5 Point and have worked to raise the minimum wage in Seattle and support the same nationally, worked to get paid sick days law in Seattle, and am supporting a City sponsored retirement plan for employees of small businesses. I hope you do the same for your employees on the road…
PSSS – turns out he and his crew didn’t get let in as the place was at capacity and there was a line. No one was being let in. According to our doorman who I totally trust, Tom and his crew were all totally rude. Quote from the door guys “I knew who he was, we had no room, his whole party was being rude. He wanted a special room in the back. Clearly had no ideas what it is like inside. I’ve told bigger rock stars than him no.”
We’re baffled by Morello’s behavior as well. Even if the doorman was being a jerk, does that justify a public figure with a huge following to mount a viral campaign designed to attack the profits of a small business? Absolutely not.
We reached out to Morello but haven’t received a response.
Morello did however release a statement telling his version of the story. Either way, it still doesn’t justify the immoral actions of targeting a small business because of a disagreement with an employee.
Leave a Reply