During a press conference at this past weekend’s Hellfest in Clisson, France, Tom Morello, the guitarist, songwriter, and political activist known for his work with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE, and his solo projects, spoke about his lifelong commitment to making a difference through music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Across 21 records, there’s really one message that threads through all of my music: the world is not going to change itself. That is up to you. And by you, I literally mean you — the people watching on your thing and your thing; that’s how the world changes. Sometimes it seems like a monolithic problem that we’ll never overcome and that the worst people are in charge, and they often are. But you are not witnesses to history; you are agents of history. History is not something that happened; it’s something you make. Whenever there has been progressive, radical, even revolutionary positive change, it has come from people no different than anyone in this room or any of the audiences you’re writing for or that your videos are for. Once you realize that you have your hands on the wheel of history and this planet, and if you want to make it a more peaceful, just, equitable, anti-racist, and environmentally sound place, there’s no one to blame if it doesn’t happen but you for not standing up.”
Morello, who has often said that social change is his main motivation for making music, also discussed where he finds inspiration for his songwriting in an increasingly divided world.
“At any given historical moment, you stand in the place where you live and you stand in the place where you are,” he explained. “That’s it. Some people say, ‘You guys made RAGE records 30 years ago, and now look at the horrible state of the world.’ Imagine what it would be like if we didn’t make RAGE records 30 years ago. At every moment, you do what you can, when you can, where you can. That’s how I see it. The arc of history is long, and these are very challenging times, certainly in my country and here as well. Literally, the fate of the planet is at stake over the next few decades. So it’s time for metalheads to get their shit together.”
