Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, the guitarist for one of the most politically vocal bands, is well recognised for having a lot of strong beliefs, as per theprp. It should come as no surprise that Morello disagrees with the notion that politics and music should be kept apart, given the combative nature of Rage Against The Machine during their peak and the decades of activism he has engaged in afterward. In a recent interview with Metal Hammer Germany, Morello discussed the reasons he still feels compelled to speak up after all these years.
In my country in these dangerous times, where there’s so much suppression of ideas and censorship of books and of artists being canceled for their political opinions, that merely by speaking up… Courage is contagious, and by artists standing up for their beliefs against the… We have a president who will personally go after you and send the Department Of Justice after you if you stand up against his regime, and so that tends to cow a lot of people into not speaking their mind.
But the second that you’re silent is the second that authoritarianism wins, is the second that fascism rises a few more clicks. And so every act of art is an act of resistance. Every song sung is a beacon of light in the gathering darkness, and every truth spoken is hopefully like a bell that’s rung for the people who are the ones who are gonna undo this madness.
Morello responded to individuals who believe that politics and metal music should be combined.
Well, when people say that musicians should not be involved in politics, it means they are people that disagree with your politics. The second that you write a song that agrees with their politics, all of a sudden they’re all for it. So, one, it’s very hypocritical, but two, I also think that, why should you give away your free speech rights in the job that you do? Because it offends someone? I think the converse is what is actually true.
I think that you do yourself and your times a disservice by censoring who you are in your work. Not just musicians. I think, one, it’s sort of weirdly sort of selfish to kind of ghettoize musicians as, like, ‘Oh, they shouldn’t say anything.’ I think in your work as a music journalist or in your work as a tour manager or as your work as a bus driver, whatever, you should not leave behind who you are and what you believe. And I think, like I said, there’s an extra hot layer of hell for people in times of great injustice who censor themselves and remain quiet when they should have spoken out because they’re afraid of some Internet troll.
Additionally, Morello was asked if he believed that politically charged music could effect change.
It’s a broader question, like can music have an impact? Can songs change the world? Well, I can only speak from personal experience. Music changed me. Music helped form the person I was, and every time I’m in a picket line or doing activist work, it’s in part because of Public Enemy and The Clash. And I saw that you can be a musician and… It’s not, like, ‘Oh, go vote for this particular candidate’, or, ‘Oh, stand up for this particular cause.’ It just means that it’s a beacon that you’re not alone.
You can have these feelings about that the world just doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t add up right, and maybe you’re not tuning into The New York Times every day or whatever the news sources, but when I heard musicians like Chuck D and like Joe Strummer expressing opinions, they were from Staten Island and London — very, very different backgrounds than myself — but they saw that oppression was bad, standing up to oppression is good, and they did it with guitars and with turntables.
And that made me think, ‘Oh, you know what? I’m in this town where a lot of people have opinions that are very, very different than I do, but I am not alone.’ And that’s one of the reasons why I think, whether it’s the music of Rage Against The Machine or my solo work, or my work with Serj [Tankian, System Of A Down vocalist] and [my son] Roman, I think it’s important to just, one, not leave behind who you are in what you do, and two, know that that every song is like a beacon of hope for somebody.
Morello‘s most recent political endeavours include this joint anti-ICE song with Serj Tankian and his son Roman Morello, anti-ICE protests, benefit performances for individuals impacted by immigration raids, and the forthcoming “Power To The People” event.
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