RAGE AGINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello says that his bandmate, RATM vocalist Zack de la Rocha, is “the greatest frontman of all time.”
Speaking with Revolver, Morello said: “In my opinion, he’s the greatest frontman of all-time. He’s the punk rock James Brown. There’s no one in the history of Western music that has the sort of the totality of spiritual commitment on stage and in the studio as that guy. And it’s matched with a brilliant intellect, and he’s a tremendous musician as well, and it’s really an unbelievable combination just, feel fortunate to be in a band with him.”
Morello also spoke about working with late SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell in their band AUDIOSLAVE, saying: “…And the thing that is one of his great gifts, on top of his startlingly good looks, and hair, and eyes, and all the stuff, you’re like, ‘Are you magical? You’re like a magical being!’ Blessed in so many ways, and a lovely dude.
Anyway, he had this ability to craft melody, beautiful and ferocious melody out of the ether. And I remember making that first record [“Audioslave“] with Rick Rubin. And Rick‘s like, ‘You don’t understand how lucky you got. I work with a ton of vocalists and it’s difficult to make a great melody. And this guy is just throwing them right and left!’
“‘Like A Stone,’ ‘I Am The Highway,’ no matter what we threw at him – the simplest chord progression, or the most complicated heavy riff, he’d just sit in a chair with a cigarette, and he’s like, ‘OK, that sounds like a great song right there. What’s next?’”
Morello spoke highly of SOUNDGARDEN, saying: “When I was on tour with my band Lock Up – before Rage Against The Machine – when you’re in the van, the rule is, when you’re driving, you get to pick the music. And I would always pick those early Soundgarden demos, EPs, and whatnot. Talking about the lyrical content – I credit Chris Cornell, maybe two or three bands…: Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction, maybe Living Colour, they were bands that embraced all that was great about heavy metal in the musical sense – the unapologetic huge riffs!
But the lyrics were intelligent, and they were relatable, and they were artistic, and they were poetic, and they had a life of their own. They weren’t just singing about chicks and the devil on top of some kick-ass riffs. There was nuance and depth of it, you could get into them if you were a smart person.
But also, it provided a greater breadth. I love metal and I loved poetry, and Chris Cornell was one of the people that brought those things together, and in a way, it was commercially successful at the top of the chart. So we all owe him a grade of debt for I think saving metal, in a way. So when we were in a band together, his initial impetus was he had been the principal music writer in Soundgarden, as well as the lyricist.”
RAGE AGAINST THEMACHINE ended their hiatus in 2019 with the announcement of a reunion tour in 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic postponed those plans. The band now plan to hit the road with RUN THE JEWELS next year. You can see dates below.
RAGE AGAINSTTHE MACHINE tour dates:
03/31 El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
04/02 Las Cruces, NM – Pan American Center
04/04 Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
04/06 Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
04/15-17 Indio Valley, CA – Coachella
04/22-24 Indio Valley, Coachella
04/26 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
04/28 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
04/30 Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
05/02 Portland, OR – Moda Center
05/05 Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum at the PNE
05/07 Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
05/09 Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
05/11 Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
05/13 Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
05/15 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
05/16 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
05/18 Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
05/20 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
05/22 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
05/23 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
06/09 East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07/11 Chicago, IL – United Center
07/12 Chicago, IL – United Center
07/15 Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest
07/16 Quebec City, QC – Festival d’ete de Quebec (no Run The Jewels)
07/19 Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Centre
07/21 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
07/23 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
07/25 Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
07/27 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07/29 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
07/31 Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
08/02 Washington DC – Capital One Arena
08/03 Washington DC – Capital One Arena
08/08 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08/09 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08/11 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08/12 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08/14 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden