Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine

Brad Wilk was born on September 5th 1968, in Portland, Oregon, USA. He moved around a lot as a child and lived among other places in Chicago, Illinois. Eventually, he settled in California. As a kid he was a big fan of music in general. Some of his favourite bands were Led Zepplin and The Sex Pistols. He's also cited the music of James Brown and George Clinton as influences. He started to play drums when he was 13 years old and got his first CB700 kit when he was 14. He played along to records and took lessons. Brad decided to make a career for himself as a drummer, placed an advertisement in a newspaper seeking a band who was not afraid to make unique music. He later received a call from Tom Morello, an undiscovered guiatrist with whom Brad would go on to play in two legendary bands: Rage Against The Machine (along with bassist Tim Commerford and rapper Zach de la Rocha) and Audioslave (with Tim Commerford and singer Chris Cornell). Brad enjoys many artists including Black Sabbath, Leonard Cohen, MC5, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Gene Krupa, Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. Brad is a Buddhist and is seen by many as very grounded and compassionate. His father passed away while Brad was touring with Rage Against The Machine on the 1994 Lollapalooza ticket. He has said that witnessing how material wealth corrupted his father made him value the simple things in life.
Wilk, having been diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic in 1997, offers help and support to other young sufferers. Wilk also has donated about $12,000 for the Orange County chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Unable to find an all natural, sugar-free lemonade that would fit with his diet management and exercise plan, Wilk began formulating his own lemonade in his kitchen. After much feedback from friends and family, Wilk started Olade, a sugar-free beverage intended for others who suffer from diabetes. As of December 2009, the Food and Drug Administration approved Olade to be put into the market as a non-dietary supplement, meaning anyone with or without diabetes can consume it.

In 1993 on Rage Against The Machine's Funkdoobiest tour with Cypress Hill, Wilk met Selene Vigil while she was the lead vocalist in the now defunct band 7 Year Bitch. Wilk married Vigil in 2005, and since has had two children with her, Luka and Alex.

Trivia

Plays on a handbuilt kit known as Pork Pie drums

Is of German and Russian Jewish descent.

Is a vegetarian.

Where Are They Now

(November 2002) Is the drummer in the platinum supergroup Audioslave, which he formed with RATM collegues Tim Commerford and Tom Morello, and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.