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Naked Rage Against the Machine Video Star’s Identity Finally Revealed

bruce springsteen, tom morello, australia

For Rage Against the Machine fans, one of the greatest mysteries has long been, “Who’s that naked dude onstage with Zack de la Rocha in the ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ video?” Wonder no more! In a fan Q&A posted to YouTube, Tom Morello reveals that the nude man whose privates had to be blurred for MTV was friend of the band M.J. Plenty.

As part of a bet/hazing ritual, Morello explains around the 2:40 mark in the video above, Plenty had to go onstage naked during the Maynard James Keenan portion of “Know Your Enemy.” After that, he’d be rewarded with the $250 per diem the band received that day during the tour. Morello stresses that, contrary to the pixelated blur that appears in the video (starting at 0:26, below), Plenty actually walked out in front of the audience “with a weiner tuck,” or to use the parlance of our times, a “mangina.” 

In other news! Bruce Springsteen has tapped the Nightwatchman to fill in for longtime E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt for nine upcoming Australian dates. Morello got the gig after Little Steven was forced to bow out of the tour due to scheduling conflicts with his Netflix series Lilyhammer.

As Rolling Stone reports, Morello and Springsteen have a long history together. The RATM axman has played alongside Bruce everywhere, including at last year’s SXSW, on Late Night With Jimmy Kimmel, and on Springsteen’s latest album Wrecking Ball. In 2000, Rage recorded a rendition of Bruce’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” for covers album Renegades, and Morello has continually performed that track live with Springsteen over the past decade. Morello will also be on hand when Springsteen is honored at the pre-Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony. Aw, Tom and Bruce: BFFs 4eva.