Dr.'s Tom Morello, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson Rush Tim Commerford Into Surgery In Blood-curdling "Voodoo JuJu" Video (Future User)
"I got the idea for the video after I ruptured a disc in my back and needed emergency surgery. As someone who often goes under the knife, I've always been a bit overwhelmed by the process, paperwork, approvals and costs. Luckily, I have insurance, but it got me thinking about all the people in this country who can't afford medical treatment. I read an article recently that said there are over 40 million uninsured people living in The States, which is insane," former Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave bassist Tim Commerford lamented in a press release accompanying his latest blood-curdling music video, "Voodoo Juju." Commerford assembled his politically-charged musical outlet, Future User, sometime during 2013 following the disbandment of his post-Rage super-group, Audioslave; Timmy C, multi-instrumentalist Jordan Tarlow, and drummer Jon Knox have previously attempted to self-describe Future User's unique genre-blending sound as "Progtronic" (an interesting mix of Electronic and Prog-Rock).
"I talked my doctor into letting me shoot the surgery, then explained the concept to Tom [Morello], who was totally into the idea. And of course, you can't talk about universal health care without bringing Canada into the conversation, so I called Geddy [Lee] and Alex [Lifeson] and asked if they'd be part of it and was blown away when they said yes. And all that footage of my back being opened up is real, no joke," Commerford continued in a statement the band shared with Blabbermouth. "Voodoo Juju," in the end, is a satirical representation of America's money-hungry healthcare system, inter-splicing footage of Commerford's rather graphic spinal surgery along with stock footage of Dr. Van Drusel aka Tom Morello, Dr. Geddy Lee, and Dr. Alex Lifeson. Future User's Brendan O'Brien-assisted, hashtag-ready debut album #SteroidsOrHeroin is now available for your listening pleasure on CD-LP from Middle Ring Partnership; its previously-uploaded videos have featured noteworthy cameos from Commerford's headline-snatching buddies John McEnroe, Lance Armstrong, and comic book legend Stan Lee.