Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello recently opened up about the inherently political nature of his directorial debut “The Ballad of Judas Priest” at its Berlin Film Festival press conference. He said that the band is a model for “how we all can do better.”
Tom Morello talks about fighting Fascism
When asked to share his thoughts on the conversation surrounding politics at this year’s Berlinale, Morello said: “What a time to be alive, where you can both make a documentary about one of your favorite bands and fight fascism at the same time.”
Following his response, the room erupted in applause and he continued: “The band’s existence is very political. When I’ve seen Judas Priest over the last decade or so in Los Angeles, the audience is maybe more than 50% Latino, it’s a lot of gay couples.
He added:
“Nothing that has anything to do with any of the stereotypical — yes, there are some older dudes like myself in leather jackets probably bringing their kids to the show — but that community and the unity and the harmony that exists at a Judas Priest show, is in some ways a model for how we all can do better.”
Tom Morello is a political activist who is at the Berlinale for the world premiere of the documentary, which he co-directed with Sam Dunn. Following the heavy metal pioneers from their working-class origins in England’s Black Country to their recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, the doc “dives deep into vocalist Rob Halford’s long struggle as a closeted gay man in heavy metal, and explores the ‘culture war’ surrounding the band’s controversial, high-profile trial during the Satanic panic of the 1980s,” according to its synopsis.
