Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello revealed that he wants the band’s music to be ‘heard in the streets’ in 2021 during protests.
The interviewer from Q on CBC asked, “Given that one of your most popular songs, ‘Killing in the Name,’ is based on the police killing of Rodney King – you’ve been talking about racism. When your songs become protest chants at protests after the murder of George Floyd, when I first heard that, I thought, ‘Oh, how happy they are that their music lasted this long…'”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know that we ever anticipated that a three-and-a-half-minute song would end racism on a global scale, but it is, you know, it is a testament to the fact that music – not just Rage Against the Machine music, but music – is an important component of social movements, and that there’s a unique thing in the song.
Music predates spoken language, there’s something deep in the human DNA and the reptilian brain that responds to a gathering of a tribe and the chanting of a lyric – or a beat or whatever – that feels like the truth in a way that very little else does. And so I’m happy that Rage Against the Machine music and some of my own music, other music, has been heard in the streets in 2020 – and I suspect it’ll be heard in the streets in 2021 as well.
Imagine if no one had ever done anything, where the world would be…? It’s a constant tug of war in those antagonisms, race, and class, you know, antagonisms are going to be there, and if we’re not pulling on our end of the rope, if our hands aren’t on the steering wheel as well, then it’s going to drive off in a pretty awful direction.”
Ultimate-Guitar transcribed Morello’s comments. Morello wished The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards a happy 77th birthday yesterday, writing, “Happy 77th birfday, Keiff! One of the baddest to ever do it. Two of the first songs I ever learned were “Sympathy For The Devil” & “Time Is On My Side”. We are all in your debt, baby! @officialkeef.”
