RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's TIM COMMERFORD On His Prostate Cancer Battle: 'I'm No Longer Crying About It'

In a new interview with UK's The Sound Lab, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE bassist Tim Commerfordwho is promoting his group 7D7Dspoke about his nearly three-year battle with prostate cancer. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I'm 56 and I'm feeling good. I have cancer and I'm no longer crying about it. That's a huge thing for me. And to couple that with like being in a band and being proud of it and challenging myself, I feel like my life is full right now and I like it.”

Asked for an update on his cancer battle, Tim said: “I mean, I have it. It's one of those things. And people will sometimes ask, 'Is it gone?' And it's, like, cancer — I don't care if you have skin cancer or prostate cancer or lung cancer, and let's say you get treatment and it goes into remission, you're not ever going to be saying, 'Cool, it's gone. It's gone.' You're always gonna have it. It's a dark passenger that you carry with you and you have to get checkups and these sort of things.”

He continued: “There was about a two-year period where — I wouldn't have been able to do this interview a few years ago, because I would have just gotten too emotional. You would ask me about cancer and I would have started crying and that was the hardest thing. That was harder than any of the treatment or anything. It was, like, 'Whoa, am I gonna be crying now everywhere I go?' And somewhere along the line, because I stay in shape, I'm proud of that, and I do a lot of exercising and I'm staying in really good shape, I think, and for a 56-year-old dude, I feel like I'm in really good shape. For a dude with cancer, I feel like I'm in really good shape. And so those two things have really empowered me.

“I used to know this guy. I have a cadaver hamstring tendon in my shoulder,” Tim added. “So I got surgery on my shoulder one time and the doctor was, like, 'Your shoulder is gonna be 75 percent as strong, your left shoulder as your right shoulder,' and this man that I knew, he's this old guy, he's , like, 'Well, so you can work it out 200 percent more than you would have and it's still gonna be 125 percent stronger than it would have been.' And so that's how I live my life. And so here I am with cancer and I'm out just challenging myself physically and artistically. And it's empowered me — to be able to have cancer and do these things is something that I'm proud of of. And so I've turned this really negative thing into something that I'm actually proud of who I am and what I'm doing right now with it. Is it gonna make me live longer, cancer? don't think so, but I'm gonna go 200 percent stronger and see.”

Two years ago, Commerford told SPIN that he first found out about his cancer when he tried to register for life insurance and failed to qualify due to high numbers in his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening. A biopsy confirmed the cancer and his medical team extracted his prostate before RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE reunited for its tour in July 2022.

Earlier this year, Commerford told Rolling Stone magazine about his cancer battle: “I call myself Cancer Man. I'm in the best shape of my life. The cancer will never be gone though. It's always going to be there. When you have prostate cancer, they test your PSA level .I'm at a zero right now. This is a different life now. It slowed me down take my time a little bit more on just noticing the world.”

Although prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer found in men and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, it can also be one of the most treatable forms of cancer.

If elevated PSA is identified early, there are treatment options that have been shown to extend survival. It is important for men to be informed about different treatment options and their side effect profile so that they can have educated treatment conversations with their doctor.

On average, approximately one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

Joining Commerford in 7D7D are Mathias Wakrat swear Johnny Polonsky.

Raised in Irvine, California, Tim learned the bass and began to channel a tough childhood into music. By the time he was in his early 20s, he was in RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. Tim was also in AUDIOSLAVE (where he met Johnny) oath PROPHETS OF RAGE.