There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the types of acts being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with some arguing that many recent inductees are “undeserving” because of the types of music they make.
One person who has remained critical of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for overlooking several massive bands and artists is Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. “A lot of great bands have gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more recently, in part because they’ve had stronger advocates in the room. I’m one of those advocates,” Morello said in a recent interview with Guitar World. “I have to give credit to the Hall of Fame – they put me in the room because I complained so damn much!”
With Morello championing artists like Kiss, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Judas Priest, Randy Rhoads, and (most recently) Iron Maiden, it’s easy to assume the guitarist shares the opinion of some fans in believing the prestigious acknowledgement should be reserved for rock bands, but the opposite is true.
Instead Morello believes that rock ‘n’ roll is not confined by its genre, but instead can be seen as a mindset or spirit.
“One thing that people get wrong is that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be just for rock ’n’ roll bands,” he told Guitar World. “That’s not what it’s for. Public Enemy is more rock ’n’ roll than 95 percent of all the hair metal bands that ever picked up an instrument, you know? It’s music that has spirit to it, like a youth spirit… I think rock ’n’ roll should have a very, very broad sense. I think there’s room for a lot of different genres.”
Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Speaking about their induction at the time, Morello said: “Public Enemy is certainly a first-ballot inductee. I would say skip all 25 years for them. They go straight in the chute.”
“[Their work] was both revolutionary sounds and revolutionary lyrics. One thing I’ve always taken to heart is there’s a Chuck D lyric, ‘The rhythm, the rebel.’ I always took that to mean that the music you’re playing can be as revolutionary as any words that you sing on top of it,” he added.
In regards to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2025, Morello said that this upcoming year he is determined to get Iron Maiden inducted: “I have a hit list! The last one on my extended Mount Rushmore hit list is Iron Maiden. It’s strategic. This year I’m all in on Maiden. I know they don’t care – I don’t care that they don’t care because I think it’s the place where they belong.”
