Sep 24, 2026 · 25 min · 13 segments
Tom Morello has been a key sonic element of the music we've heard over the years, including (of course) Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, plus Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and also…
Tom MorelloGuest
Matt WardlawHost
Well, this is the 22nd album of my career between Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Prophets of Rage, Bruce Springsteen, my Night Watchman records, etc.
And the primary inspiration for it was over the course of the last five or six years, I've been playing solo shows with my sturdy backup band, the Freedom Fighter Orchestra, where I've been embracing the totality of my career.
you know, playing the riffs of Rage Against the Machine, which are in the hearts of people around the world, giving tribute to Chris Cornell and playing some Audioslave, playing the acoustic Night Watchman stuff, and the bludgeoning, like leaning into the bludgeoning riffs that have been my stock and trade.
And I wanted to make a record that reflected the totality of what it is that I do best, sort of a Morello maxing record.
It's a record that I wanted to be able to riff to riff stand up with my favorite records that I've been a part of before.
folky writer, and I'm a very comfortable, you know, in a rock band, the chemistry of a rock band writing songs, and I had to find, like, what felt like home for me, like, what are the stories that I want to tell that accompany these huge riffs, and, you know, while it is a solo record, there are a few collaborations on it, with Beartooth, with Surge Tank, you know, System of a Down, with Irish rappers, Kneecap, and of course, My secret weapon, my 15-year-old guitar whiz son, Roman Morello, is featured on five of the tracks, giving me a run for my money.
Yeah, man, it is really something when it comes to this new record and the music that folks have heard so far.
In this case, it is a music video, but it's pretty powerful watching how you and Roman lock in on the clip for a journey.
What's kind of the moment for you where you saw that connection really starting to take shape? Because that's powerful.
Yeah, I mean, it's interesting because it's one thing when he started playing during the pandemic.
first 10 000 hours in um you know and there's it's one thing to be able to play the you know mr crowley solo note for note in your bedroom uh it's quite another to be able to have the confidence as a young teenager you know this is the third summer we toured together started when he was 13th um and i remember we were we played a couple of smaller shows it was our first big european festival show in spain about 60 000 people And beforehand, he comes up, he goes, Dad, I'm a little bit nervous today.
I said, well, do you still know how to play the songs like you knew how to play them at the last show? He's like, well, yeah.
I said, are you still pretty confident that the rest of us know how to play the songs like we did a few days ago? He's like,
Well, this is the 22nd album of my career between Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Prophets of Rage, Bruce Springsteen, my Night Watchman records, etc.
And the primary inspiration for it was over the course of the last five or six years, I've been playing solo shows with my sturdy backup band, the Freedom Fighter Orchestra, where I've been embracing the totality of my career.
you know, playing the riffs of Rage Against the Machine, which are in the hearts of people around the world, giving tribute to Chris Cornell and playing some Audioslave, playing the acoustic Night Watchman stuff, and the bludgeoning, like leaning into the bludgeoning riffs that have been my stock and trade.
And I wanted to make a record that reflected the totality of what it is that I do best, sort of a Morello maxing record.
It's a record that I wanted to be able to riff to riff stand up with my favorite records that I've been a part of before.
folky writer, and I'm a very comfortable, you know, in a rock band, the chemistry of a rock band writing songs, and I had to find, like, what felt like home for me, like, what are the stories that I want to tell that accompany these huge riffs, and, you know, while it is a solo record, there are a few collaborations on it, with Beartooth, with Surge Tank, you know, System of a Down, with Irish rappers, Kneecap, and of course, My secret weapon, my 15-year-old guitar whiz son, Roman Morello, is featured on five of the tracks, giving me a run for my money.
Yeah, man, it is really something when it comes to this new record and the music that folks have heard so far.
In this case, it is a music video, but it's pretty powerful watching how you and Roman lock in on the clip for a journey.
What's kind of the moment for you where you saw that connection really starting to take shape? Because that's powerful.
Yeah, I mean, it's interesting because it's one thing when he started playing during the pandemic.
first 10 000 hours in um you know and there's it's one thing to be able to play the you know mr crowley solo note for note in your bedroom uh it's quite another to be able to have the confidence as a young teenager you know this is the third summer we toured together started when he was 13th um and i remember we were we played a couple of smaller shows it was our first big european festival show in spain about 60 000 people And beforehand, he comes up, he goes, Dad, I'm a little bit nervous today.
I said, well, do you still know how to play the songs like you knew how to play them at the last show? He's like, well, yeah.
I said, are you still pretty confident that the rest of us know how to play the songs like we did a few days ago? He's like,
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