January 7, 2026 • 31 mins
On the first In Service Of of 2026, iconic guitarist Tom Morello sits down with host Steve Baltin to discuss Morello's new custom guitar with Fender, his long history of activism, political songwriting, Springsteen, Kendrick and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey to see Balton and welcome back to an inserts
up for the first episode of twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Happy New Year.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
By the way, I am Thriven, joined by a longtime
friend and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Audis Lay, guitarist,
solo singer, night Watchman.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
And all around rock and roll icon Tom Morella.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
We talked in detail about his new guitar with Fender
as activism of course, Bruce Fringstein, and much more so.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did.
It is always a pleasure to talk to Tom.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
So I mean, how long do you go back to Fender?
You go back years?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Right? No, I mean it's just recently. The sole Power
guitar was the the first one I did. You know,
for for decades, you know, I was approached by many
companies about doing signature guitars, and I never had any
interest because, like when I was a kid, a lot
of my favorite guitar players, like with each new album cycle,
(01:21):
they'd have a brand new company and was hawking a
brand new guitar, a guitar that had nothing to do
with the music that I liked most that they made.
When I approached it was mighty. A few years ago,
I approached Feners that could we make the Soul Power
guitar exactly like the guitar that I play on all
(01:42):
the Audio Slave records, and like, we'll give it a shot,
and we were able to do it. I had such
a great experience with that. People loved it. I loved it.
I used that guitar, you know, interchangeably with the original
Soul Power guitar. You know. It was on that day
we began conspiring to do a version of the Arm
the Homeless gar, which presented a lot of challenges because
that guitar is really from the Island of Misspit Toys.
(02:05):
It's a bunch of mixmatched parts that were kind of
strewn together in nineteen eighty eight and eighty nine and
has been my bread and butter guitar for you know,
from that day to this and we got it right
and I'm very proud to have it out there. Another
one more thing I'll say too is that has been
very frustrating is there's a lot of imposts on the
(02:31):
market through the years of people painting guitar blue. They write,
they scribble arm the Homeless time they go like here's
a Tom Morello, you know, armed the homeless guitar, and
people have been you know, ripped off buying these things
that have nothing to do with the original. I've spent
so much time meticulously curating this to make sure that
it is interchangeable with the real deal. And actually, over
(02:55):
the course of the last year, I've been using the
prototype and no one's even known because we got it
that we did, we did that well with it.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, you know, it's interesting as well though, because I
was joking out at the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I was starting with a friend of mine right, who is.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Well I met her as a bartender and chose she
also does beauty pageants, and we're joking about doing like
a swimsuit calendar. But where it ties in is like
she's huge into animal rescue, and so I was joking
with her, well, if you're gonna do this, then you know, like,
if you're gonna, you know, like do something that's good,
(03:38):
like you know, gives give the money to something that's
important to you. I'm not gonna say something she wants
to do, but it'll do well. And I'm like, andie,
do love dogs more than anything, And I'm sure the
fact that this, you know, goes into charity means so
much more for you.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Of course, of course, you know it's because you know
to to to in exact deal, exact detail recreate the
original arm the homeless guitar. You know, it's it's not
an easy thing to do, and you know the guitar
does not retail for forty five dollars. I just wanted
to make sure that we were also giving back to
(04:15):
those most in needs. So we partnered with Covenant House
and with the Midnight Mission here in Los Angeles, which
I've been working with for a long time, two organizations
that help people experiencing homelessness, you know, as an important
part of the of the role out of this guitar well.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
And also obviously that's been so much part of your
ethos over the years as well. Yeah, so for you,
I mean talk about you know, it's interesting Jason and
I from Fender we're talking this morning, and it's really
funny because we were talking about something that we've never
discussed before, but I thought was interesting.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
You know, so much of music.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
The name of the podcast I do is called The
Service Up, and it started off being about philanthropy, but
then as I talk to every musician in the world,
you realize, as a musician, you're always in service of
You're in service to the music. You're in service to
the universe that's channeling to you. You're in service to
your fans, whose lives you're literally changing with these songs.
(05:19):
And so as we were talking about it, you realize,
you know, like the guitar is like an instrument to that.
And it's interesting how vital like one instrument, like the arm,
the homeless guitar can become to sort of your mission.
And it's funny because you know, you and I once,
you know, did an interview driving to a baseball game.
(05:41):
I know what a fan you are. It's very similar
to the superstition that athletes have.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah yeah, yeah, well, I mean I I initially resisted,
you know, decades ago, resisted the urge to, you know,
to have like an emotional attachment to an instrument. I'm like,
these are you know, these are tools of the trade.
But over the years, this particular guitar clearly has been
a collaborator and has been integral in co creating the
(06:12):
music that I've been a part of. I mean, the arm,
the homeless guitar. Not only was it responsible for the
songs in lock Up, but you know it's the guitar
the riffs from you know, Bomb Track, Bullet in the Head,
Bulls on Parade, you know, Vietnam, the Ghost of Tom
Joad with Bruce Springsteen. You know, this guitar has been
has been an accessory to you know, those those musical crimes.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
So interesting, I mean you say you resist the urge
for the attachment. You know, it's funny, like the analogy
that you've Jason was, It's like the scene at the
end of the Natural with Roy Hobbs, you know where
he picks up that bat and it's like he can
only hit that home run off that bat. So why
do you think it is with this guitar.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Well, I mean, this guitar is the product of several
The guitar and the what it is created is the
product of several profound failures. You know, first I was
you know, when I was thirteen years old, I took
a couple of guitar lessons and failed. I didn't want
to learn how to tune it or you learned the
C major scale. So I set the guitar down for
(07:25):
four years, right, then later on, you know, I got
a job, the first check I ever got from working
for Senator Alan Krantzton. I went down to a custom
shop in Hollywood, and I, you know, I didn't know
anything about choosing fret boards or anything like that, and I,
you know, spent a lot of money on what was
the absolute worst guitar I'd ever held in my hands.
(07:48):
So that guitar, guitar eventually became the arm, the homeless guitar.
You know. I got rid of the neck five times,
the pickups five times, the WAMMI bar, the electronics changed me,
change of changing, and then right around eighty eight eighty nine,
I simply gave up. I was searching for some sort
of sound that I never found. I was wasting so
(08:09):
much of my time on this kind of fruitless endeavor.
And I hadn't been creating. I wasn't writing songs. I
wasn't you know, improvising solos. I was worrying about a
guitar that I didn't have, and I decided, you know what,
this is just the guitar that I got, And that
guitar is the identical one that I've used on all
the rage records of the audio, you know, writing the
(08:31):
audio slave music, you know, you know, twenty of my
twenty two albums that I've made, you know, and every
live show ever from nineteen eighty eight to this date
is the arm. The homeless guitar. It's imperfect state is
what made it perfect for me. I love that.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I mean, it's funny because you know, it makes sense
to any instrument of any kind that you use, and
you have to tailor to you. So it's fine if
there was like the greatest guitar in the world made
given to you, like, it wouldn't be It's still won't be.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Like if there was a fucking ex.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Caliber of guitars, Yeah, it's still wouldn't be your guitar.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, I'm like, thank goodness, I'm so grateful that I
was unable to achieve whatever that sound was that I
was looking for because in sort of accepting my fate
with this particular piece of wood, with this particular the
neck I got out of a used guitar neck being
at Nadine's Music on Santa Mall. It was like a
(09:37):
bunch of umbrellas, you know, like an umbrella stand, and
I just picked one out and that's the guitar. That's
the neck that has been you know that that is
has been my ex caliber. It's you know, it's guided
my career and guided every song that I've ever played. Interesting.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
So when you go back and listen to you know,
it's funny because I talk about this songwriters all the time. Right,
You write a song and a lot of times, you know,
because writing is says subconscious you don't even know what
it's about. And like Nick Cave, who is infinitely smarter
than me, says in Faith Up and Carnage, you know,
I'll be on stage in a year and a half later,
I'll be like, oh, that's what that was about.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
So do you have those.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Moments where you're playing and you like you feel like
the arm the homes where you feel like a certain
moment like Slash when I know your friends with the
talking about it, he's like, you get on stage, you're playing,
He's like, in the perfect moments? Are those moments where
you basically black out?
Speaker 2 (10:31):
You just go yeah, yeah, yeah. There's there's so much
that goes into being a musician that has to do
that doesn't have to do with the magic. You know,
it's doing interviews, it's it's you know, it's driving to
a gig, it's you know, it's showing up at rehearsal,
it's tuning the guitar. But those moments where where you
(10:53):
know you have the antenna up and are are transmitting
something from the you know, if they're musical, heavens down,
those are what we live for. And for me to
have that particular guitar be the conduit over the course
of you know, over thirty five years, it's been a
(11:13):
very very special relationship, and I'm so happy to be
able to share that guitar now with the world, because
I mean it is I was driving the people at
Fender absolutely fucking nuts, like I must have sent the
neck back twenty three times, you know. I'm like, it
has to feel. I have to be able to pick
(11:34):
this one up, the original up, and put the original down,
pick this one up and have there be nothing about
it that feels the least bit different, so I can
continue the journey with this guitar and people who have
been fans of the music that this guitar has made,
that's you. That's exactly it. And my hope too, is
that for people this is not just the end of
(11:56):
a journey to be able to get an arm the
holmeless guitar that's like the one on the Rage records
and like Tom Morello has played for years, but to
begin their own journey, and I can't wait to hear
what people create with it.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Well, it's so funny because I've done a lot of
the interviews as Alex who's muted on this nose with
Fender over the years, And it's funny because you say
you drove them fucking nuts. No, I mean that's like
they wouldn't want to do it if it wasn't, you
know exactly, you know, simplar, I mean, because it has
to be like you say, your fans are you know,
(12:42):
one of the things, of course the fans love is authenticity.
That's more than anything. So it's like, if it feels
like it's you know, like a a knockoff, people are
just gonna you know, they're gonna know in three seconds.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And you know, and like I said that,
what's really aged me through the years is there are
a bunch of knockoff arm the homeless guitars out there
that have nothing to do with me, nothing to do
with the sound, nothing to do with the feel of it,
and uh, you know, the Fender really got this one right. Nice.
I'm switched topics for one second.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Now. I'm curious though, because you were just talking about
the magic moment, you know, and I think about like
a you know, I've talked about there so many great songs.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
We just lost Jimmy Cliff not long ago, who was
like an all time rate and he told me he
wrote many Rivers Across, which is one of those beautiful
songs of all time, because like I wrote that in
ten minutes on the way to the studio. Sure for you,
was there that, like I mean, I think probably at
this point, you know, Like a Stone is as you know,
(13:43):
memorable a rift for you as any that you've done.
Was that something that was the channeling thing? Was it something?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah? I mean the solo for Like a Stone, they
both Chris Cornell's melody for that song and the solo
for that song were first takes in rehearsal. We were
recording rehearsals, and I had that that come up with
that chord progression, you know, late at night on an
acoustic guitar at home. Brought it into rehearsal, and how
you know, and he just he didn't sing all the words,
(14:10):
but the first time through he sang that melody. And
when it came time for the solo section, that's the
solo that I played. Thank goodness that we recorded it,
you know, in the in our San Fernando Valley rehearsal space,
because then I just I recreated that solo on the record,
and it was one of those moments where you just
kind of I wasn't even thinking about it, like could
just kind of let go and and sort of followed
(14:32):
my muse, you know, on that. And it was the
while the sole power guitar is the guitar that played
it in concert, it was the arm the homeless guitar
that wrote it.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
It's so funny you say, thank god who recorded it,
because you know, I know you've been friends with Jackson
Brown for years. Yeah, and I adore Jackson. I mean,
and we're talking about that girl could Sing, which is
one of my favorite songs, and he's telling me what
drove him nuts was David Linley did the solo on that,
and David had no idea how he did it, and
he couldn't even necessarily always recreate it, and he couldn't
(15:05):
explain how he did it. So whenever a new guitarists
came on, He's like, I mean they can never do
the solo.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah, he's got this weird tone.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
So has that happened to you where you've done these
like where you're just in the zone, you have these
great moments and you know, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I Mean. The one thing that I've gotten more comfortable
with through the years is is, you know, I've always
been a pack rat with regards to you know, uh
riffs and ideas, and used to have the you know,
the radio chat cassette recorder that I kept all of
them on. But now, like, if I come up with
an idea that I really really like, I'm unable to
(15:44):
like don't have my voice memo to just say it
into and I forget it. I'm I'm much It's much
easier for me to let it go. But specific times
in the past where it has come up and I
have captured I mean, on the Arm, the Homeless Gar,
the sleep now on the fire riff, I mean that
came up and I just remember I recalled. I was like,
(16:05):
that's gonna make a field of sixty thousand people go
absolutely ape shit, you know, the co chief riff was
this was the same the you know people, the son
you know, rubbing the Allen wrench on the a string
of the arm, the homeless guitar that you know, manifested
in a rage rehearsal. So a lot of those moments,
and the very importantly the the eighty two bar Ghost
(16:31):
of Tom Joe solo with Bruce Springsteen. You know that
was you know, that was me, Me and Arm, the homeless,
just absolutely hanging on by the seat of our pants,
you know, trying trying to trying to make it to
the next next eight bars.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So for you, I mean it's interesting. I mean, yeah,
I've talked about there so many musicians as well doing
something like this. It's like it's a different form of creativity.
So for you, how exciting was it to know, help
craft this guitar for everybody and then turn around and
you know what I've also found from talking to people,
(17:08):
it's like if you're a photographer, if you're a painter,
if you're a designer, it infuses into the music because
all creatid Yeah I can't talk to the dude, but
all creativity infuses together.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Yeah. Well, I've always you know, and to this day.
I've always been against endorsements where an artist just slaps
their name on something that doesn't have anything to do
with them other than they like sort of endorse it.
But I've always been happy to share and to sell
and to promote my music, my stuff, you know, through
(17:43):
the years. Now I've done it's my wah wah pedal.
There's the Power fifty pedal that we recreated, my AMP sounds,
you know in a pedal. There's the sole power guitar.
Like these are my things that I have meticulously curated
with the same degree of intention as any of the
(18:04):
songs that I've written. And it was very much the same,
you know, in creating the Homeless guitar. I was like,
we've got to get this absolutely right. Yeah, no, it
makes sense.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
I mean it's funny because you say you've been against endorsements,
but if it's something that you know helps your career,
I mean it's funny. I think if someone like my
favorite songwriter of all time is Tom Witz by Warship,
but I mean he's never done an endorsement. But I mean,
you know that's unusual most people, you know, like, again,
(18:37):
if it's something that comes from integrity, coming back to
the authenticity.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
You know, yeah, I mean this is this is my guitar.
It's not like it's not like Fender had a new
guitar and they go, Okay, this is the Tom Morella model.
Like this is like you don't you don't know. I mean,
you probably are sensing the passion that I had about
this project, and I was serious. I was about getting
it right. Because this I want people to be able
(19:02):
to have the neck feel exactly like it does to me.
Have that front pick up with that sort of springing,
single coil feel that you know you hear and you
know you're hearing Bulls on parade, you hear and sleep
down the fire you hearing, you know, Mike Check you
know some song songs like that to be able then
switch to the lead pickup and have that sort of
(19:23):
the the the clear, ringing soaring tone from the Ghost
of Tom Joe solo or the ability or the toggles.
I mean a huge part of you know, a huge
part of myself of the years has been the toggle switch.
So we have a to the toggle switch in this
that is the one like the average toggle switch in
your Gibson guitar. Fender guitar or whatever would break in
(19:45):
about two seconds with the abuse that I that I
give it. So, you know, so we've got the same
one that's in my guitar, that that is that is
going to hold up to quite a bit of abuse
when you're the DJ. So it's ach.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
I asked you about the you know, charity component, and
we talked a little bit about being in service out
and I mean, did you and not talk so much
over the years. I mean, let's face it, the world
is fucked right now in so many respects, So what
is it in being in service? I mean to you
at that point, who's someone who's always been so you know, outspoken,
(20:23):
and so.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I mean the mission, the mission is no different now
than it was, you know, in in the in the
mid eighties. It's it's the you know, I did not
choose to be a guitar player. It chose me. And
that is both blessing and curse. Blessing because I believe
it's what I was born to do. Curse because I
now have to have the burden of figuring out how
(20:47):
to bring myself my views to my thoughts about injustice
and this is the medium that I have to do it,
you know, like I'm not running for office. I'm not
you know, darting, you know, some pack fund or something
like that. I'm a musician. I'm a guitar player, and
(21:07):
so channeling who I am through what I do, and
this particular instrument is what the gig is in this
you know, perilous place and time. The message is the
same as it's always happened. The world is not going
to change itself. That's up to you and the planet
and our country have experienced dire and awful you know
(21:29):
times before. We're in one now. But it's moaning about
it don't help. The only people standing up in their
place and time and using their intelligence, creativity and courage
is what can move the meter.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Well, you know, it's really interesting. I haven't thought about
this in terms of you for this, but I was
thinking about this right because I mentioned Jackson. I'm friends
as well with John Mellencamp, you know who I know
are both friends with Bruce and great writers, you know.
But it's interesting because of course when it came time
to speak out, it was Bruce and I realized, you know,
(22:07):
the difference is is that they're all gifted writers and
they're all good musicians. Some people just embrace that kind
of role more than others. And when you look at
what Bruce did after the Rising and then in the eighties,
So for you, how much has it been inspiring to
spend time with him over the years and get to,
you know, see him as a role model because you know,
(22:29):
again a lot of people feel the same way about Trump,
but he was just literally like out loud, like go
fuck yourself.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah. Well, I mean, frankly, I've been out loud go
fuck yourself. I know you have, you know, decades decades before,
and you know, and and I think it is it
is admirable. Uh. You know, when artists do speak their
mind and they speak truth to power. You know, my
role models with regards to that are Fred Hampton and
(22:59):
Hueye uh, Pete Newton, you know, Malcolm X, Martin, Luther King,
Emma Goldman, et cetera. Like those like I don't I
don't think that one can look to brave musicians in
troubled times as well. But you know, like my my
north Star was set you know, long before I heard
darkness on the edge of town there.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Yeah, all right, So you talk about your role models,
we're gonna wrap up in a second, but I have
to ask you, because I know you're Hall of Fame,
one what did you think of it? And two the
reason I ask you the next question of who's your
dream to get in this? Because it's funny. Syke's is
a very good friend as well. We've had this debate
at lunch for two years now and next year's culture
(23:43):
and times with birthday and I'm like, how the fuck
is culture?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Not is in as an influence.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Phil Wesh literally told me that without Coltrane there would
be no Grateful Dad. He interviewed influencer Antana Sure two doors, Sure.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Sure, I've you know I've I've jammed along with Coltrane
records myself too. You know it's no I mean the
it was so gratifying to see Sound Garden get into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, White Stripes as
well Salt and Peppa. You know a number of the
artists that uh, I'm the big, big fans of. But
the fact now that you know, all four members of
(24:20):
Audio Slave are in the Rock Roll Hall of Fame
is very very gratifying, and to not only salute the
great work of Soundgarden but also Chris for Temple of
Dog and his solo stuff as well. Is really is
really pretty great. You know, for me, the top of
the list is Iron Maiden right now, and that's you
know when I when I went in when when Now
it's almost fifteen years ago, when they made the mistake
(24:42):
of letting me in the in the room to help
with the nominations. You know, I had a hit list,
I had a I had a checklist, and most of
them have gotten in, from Rush to Kiss, from Stevie
ray Vaughn to Randy Rhoades, Judas Priest, Soundgarden, uh et cetera,
et cetera. But the one name, the name that is
(25:03):
at the top of that list right now is Iron Maiden.
Good name.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Wait, now it's important. When Iron Manning gets inducted, does
Eddie get inducted as well?
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Well? Eddie certainly should be that. I know that Iron
man has sort of disavowed the Rock Roll. I'm not
sure if they'll be there. Perhaps Eddie can go and
except in their in their in their stead.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
I'm talking about someone recently. I have no idea who,
but Eddie was so cool. I remember being a kid
and seeing Iron Maiden have like the weirdest show ever.
You know, they have these weird shows when you're a kid.
There was literally Foreigner Lover Boys, Scorpions and Iron Maiden
and Inanahot and you know, Adaheim Stadium, some strut and
(25:48):
Eddie walks out of the audience. So why is it
that no other band has really had a mascot like that?
Speaker 2 (25:55):
That's you know, that's a good question. I mean, I'm
trying to think in the in the in the world
of metal, of anybody else's trotted out somebody like that.
I mean made this mainand really cornered the market on
the on the ghoulish mascot.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Yeah, I get so. I mean, you know it's hard
to talk to seven foot zombies.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
So yeah, yes, yes, or seventy foot zombie, depending what
tour you're talking about it.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Yeah all right, So wait, you did say in an
interview as well, if I read correctly, there's an unreleased
audio slave album.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
It's not an unreleased arty a slave album. There is
an unreleased there's unreleased songs of that one could compile
into an album. Yeah, but there's no I mean, there's no,
there's it's I hate to even talk about it because
it then becomes the pull quote. There is no news
about it. There's nothing new about it. There is no
(26:51):
plans to release it. There are no plans to not
release it. It's just the same as it's always been
when we recorded those records. There's some songs left over
that are really good to describe, Like there is no infrastructure,
there is no there's nothing. There's a you know probably
you know, eleven to fourteen, you know, studio recordings from
(27:15):
you know, outtakes from the first three records that are
mixed and could be put out, but there's like nothing
to do it, you know, all.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Right, so wrap up on stuff that can come out, Yeah,
your son, you know. Which is funny because, as I said,
we've talked a lot about music discovery, you know, and
I'm working with the new hit Parader now, which is
really fun so cool to hear from you guys soon.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah. So, I mean, my new tune everything Burns comes
out like in a couple of days, which is the
song from Final Fantasy fourteen, which is a banger. It's
a collaboration with Bear Tooth. It's a huge riff rocker,
a song that's both you know, moshpit ready and also
speaks to the times as well as you know, connecting
(28:03):
with you know, one of the biggest video games of
all time. And then I'm headed to India on Sunday
for a tour bringing the family. My son Roman will
be rocking you know, Mumbai and New Delhi in a
couple of days with me, and then coming home and
buckling down finishing this Tom Morello rock record. I got
about seventeen songs, uh, you know, the latest one, Soldier
(28:26):
in the Army of Love came out, Pretend to Remember Me.
Everything Burns is the next one, and I got to
fit come home and finish that record because there's a
lot of like like some of the you know, biggest
riffs of my career are on this record, and some
of them were written by Roman. Nice.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Sorry, last question, who's the dream for you to work with?
Because I remember asking Eddie van Hill on this and
so interesting between us. Actually, I think I've said this publicly.
I asked Eddie when he was, you know, going through
the turmoil with Van Hale and who you would want
to work with, And I swear to God, you fucking
zich Is Cornell.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Oh yeah, that's interesting to say that. Probably in twenty
twenty six. You know an artist that I really admire
and would love to see how we could combine talents
would be Kendrick Lamar. You know, I just think that
he's his voice and his vision is you know, is
(29:22):
the apex artist of our time right now? Interesting?
Speaker 3 (29:29):
And I lied, I'm just seeing one more because we
just lost Ozzie, So I know you were at his
show and I need Ozzy forever. Is there anyone that
you know, I mean this year was brutal Man, sly Stone,
Brian Wilson, Jimmy Cliff, Is there any ace?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Is there anyone that you just as like, you know,
like an older artist that just like you never got
to work with that you would love to fucking jam with.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
You know, I've been very very fortunate, and you know,
there are some artists who have passed that I that
I missed the opportunity to. But I've I've been able
to you know, to to you know, be in a
room whether or on stage with a lot of with
some people that I've greatly admired. Just this last year,
got to play with, you know, and and do a
thing it south By Southwest with John Fogerty, got to
(30:19):
do a tribute show with Joan Bias for Joan Bias,
those were two people that would certainly have been on
that list. You know. Right now, it's like it's it's
got keeping my head down and fighting the power with
every strum of the every strum of the arm of
Homeless guitar.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Joan is incredible, man, I mean because I've got an
interview heard and when you sit down, I mean, there's
a lot of amazing people out there, but when you
sit down she start telling you about walking alongside Martin
Luther King, They're like, I'm just not sure, sure Sure?
Is there anything you want to add that we didn't
talk about.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
No, I think I think we're good. I think we're
going to appreciate it. I was great to talk to you, man.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
I get see any dude and Roy India and uh
I look forward to the new record next year.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Okay, thanks man, m m HM
Hey to see Balton and welcome back to an inserts
up for the first episode of twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Happy New Year.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
By the way, I am Thriven, joined by a longtime
friend and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Audis Lay, guitarist,
solo singer, night Watchman.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
And all around rock and roll icon Tom Morella.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
We talked in detail about his new guitar with Fender
as activism of course, Bruce Fringstein, and much more so.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did.
It is always a pleasure to talk to Tom.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
So I mean, how long do you go back to Fender?
You go back years?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Right? No, I mean it's just recently. The sole Power
guitar was the the first one I did. You know,
for for decades, you know, I was approached by many
companies about doing signature guitars, and I never had any
interest because, like when I was a kid, a lot
of my favorite guitar players, like with each new album cycle,
(01:21):
they'd have a brand new company and was hawking a
brand new guitar, a guitar that had nothing to do
with the music that I liked most that they made.
When I approached it was mighty. A few years ago,
I approached Feners that could we make the Soul Power
guitar exactly like the guitar that I play on all
(01:42):
the Audio Slave records, and like, we'll give it a shot,
and we were able to do it. I had such
a great experience with that. People loved it. I loved it.
I used that guitar, you know, interchangeably with the original
Soul Power guitar. You know. It was on that day
we began conspiring to do a version of the Arm
the Homeless gar, which presented a lot of challenges because
that guitar is really from the Island of Misspit Toys.
(02:05):
It's a bunch of mixmatched parts that were kind of
strewn together in nineteen eighty eight and eighty nine and
has been my bread and butter guitar for you know,
from that day to this and we got it right
and I'm very proud to have it out there. Another
one more thing I'll say too is that has been
very frustrating is there's a lot of imposts on the
(02:31):
market through the years of people painting guitar blue. They write,
they scribble arm the Homeless time they go like here's
a Tom Morello, you know, armed the homeless guitar, and
people have been you know, ripped off buying these things
that have nothing to do with the original. I've spent
so much time meticulously curating this to make sure that
it is interchangeable with the real deal. And actually, over
(02:55):
the course of the last year, I've been using the
prototype and no one's even known because we got it
that we did, we did that well with it.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, you know, it's interesting as well though, because I
was joking out at the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I was starting with a friend of mine right, who is.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Well I met her as a bartender and chose she
also does beauty pageants, and we're joking about doing like
a swimsuit calendar. But where it ties in is like
she's huge into animal rescue, and so I was joking
with her, well, if you're gonna do this, then you know, like,
if you're gonna, you know, like do something that's good,
(03:38):
like you know, gives give the money to something that's
important to you. I'm not gonna say something she wants
to do, but it'll do well. And I'm like, andie,
do love dogs more than anything, And I'm sure the
fact that this, you know, goes into charity means so
much more for you.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Of course, of course, you know it's because you know
to to to in exact deal, exact detail recreate the
original arm the homeless guitar. You know, it's it's not
an easy thing to do, and you know the guitar
does not retail for forty five dollars. I just wanted
to make sure that we were also giving back to
(04:15):
those most in needs. So we partnered with Covenant House
and with the Midnight Mission here in Los Angeles, which
I've been working with for a long time, two organizations
that help people experiencing homelessness, you know, as an important
part of the of the role out of this guitar well.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
And also obviously that's been so much part of your
ethos over the years as well. Yeah, so for you,
I mean talk about you know, it's interesting Jason and
I from Fender we're talking this morning, and it's really
funny because we were talking about something that we've never
discussed before, but I thought was interesting.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
You know, so much of music.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
The name of the podcast I do is called The
Service Up, and it started off being about philanthropy, but
then as I talk to every musician in the world,
you realize, as a musician, you're always in service of
You're in service to the music. You're in service to
the universe that's channeling to you. You're in service to
your fans, whose lives you're literally changing with these songs.
(05:19):
And so as we were talking about it, you realize,
you know, like the guitar is like an instrument to that.
And it's interesting how vital like one instrument, like the arm,
the homeless guitar can become to sort of your mission.
And it's funny because you know, you and I once,
you know, did an interview driving to a baseball game.
(05:41):
I know what a fan you are. It's very similar
to the superstition that athletes have.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah yeah, yeah, well, I mean I I initially resisted,
you know, decades ago, resisted the urge to, you know,
to have like an emotional attachment to an instrument. I'm like,
these are you know, these are tools of the trade.
But over the years, this particular guitar clearly has been
a collaborator and has been integral in co creating the
(06:12):
music that I've been a part of. I mean, the arm,
the homeless guitar. Not only was it responsible for the
songs in lock Up, but you know it's the guitar
the riffs from you know, Bomb Track, Bullet in the Head,
Bulls on Parade, you know, Vietnam, the Ghost of Tom
Joad with Bruce Springsteen. You know, this guitar has been
has been an accessory to you know, those those musical crimes.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
So interesting, I mean you say you resist the urge
for the attachment. You know, it's funny, like the analogy
that you've Jason was, It's like the scene at the
end of the Natural with Roy Hobbs, you know where
he picks up that bat and it's like he can
only hit that home run off that bat. So why
do you think it is with this guitar.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Well, I mean, this guitar is the product of several
The guitar and the what it is created is the
product of several profound failures. You know, first I was
you know, when I was thirteen years old, I took
a couple of guitar lessons and failed. I didn't want
to learn how to tune it or you learned the
C major scale. So I set the guitar down for
(07:25):
four years, right, then later on, you know, I got
a job, the first check I ever got from working
for Senator Alan Krantzton. I went down to a custom
shop in Hollywood, and I, you know, I didn't know
anything about choosing fret boards or anything like that, and I,
you know, spent a lot of money on what was
the absolute worst guitar I'd ever held in my hands.
(07:48):
So that guitar, guitar eventually became the arm, the homeless guitar.
You know. I got rid of the neck five times,
the pickups five times, the WAMMI bar, the electronics changed me,
change of changing, and then right around eighty eight eighty nine,
I simply gave up. I was searching for some sort
of sound that I never found. I was wasting so
(08:09):
much of my time on this kind of fruitless endeavor.
And I hadn't been creating. I wasn't writing songs. I
wasn't you know, improvising solos. I was worrying about a
guitar that I didn't have, and I decided, you know what,
this is just the guitar that I got, And that
guitar is the identical one that I've used on all
the rage records of the audio, you know, writing the
(08:31):
audio slave music, you know, you know, twenty of my
twenty two albums that I've made, you know, and every
live show ever from nineteen eighty eight to this date
is the arm. The homeless guitar. It's imperfect state is
what made it perfect for me. I love that.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I mean, it's funny because you know, it makes sense
to any instrument of any kind that you use, and
you have to tailor to you. So it's fine if
there was like the greatest guitar in the world made
given to you, like, it wouldn't be It's still won't be.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Like if there was a fucking ex.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Caliber of guitars, Yeah, it's still wouldn't be your guitar.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, I'm like, thank goodness, I'm so grateful that I
was unable to achieve whatever that sound was that I
was looking for because in sort of accepting my fate
with this particular piece of wood, with this particular the
neck I got out of a used guitar neck being
at Nadine's Music on Santa Mall. It was like a
(09:37):
bunch of umbrellas, you know, like an umbrella stand, and
I just picked one out and that's the guitar. That's
the neck that has been you know that that is
has been my ex caliber. It's you know, it's guided
my career and guided every song that I've ever played. Interesting.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
So when you go back and listen to you know,
it's funny because I talk about this songwriters all the time. Right,
You write a song and a lot of times, you know,
because writing is says subconscious you don't even know what
it's about. And like Nick Cave, who is infinitely smarter
than me, says in Faith Up and Carnage, you know,
I'll be on stage in a year and a half later,
I'll be like, oh, that's what that was about.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
So do you have those.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Moments where you're playing and you like you feel like
the arm the homes where you feel like a certain
moment like Slash when I know your friends with the
talking about it, he's like, you get on stage, you're playing,
He's like, in the perfect moments? Are those moments where
you basically black out?
Speaker 2 (10:31):
You just go yeah, yeah, yeah. There's there's so much
that goes into being a musician that has to do
that doesn't have to do with the magic. You know,
it's doing interviews, it's it's you know, it's driving to
a gig, it's you know, it's showing up at rehearsal,
it's tuning the guitar. But those moments where where you
(10:53):
know you have the antenna up and are are transmitting
something from the you know, if they're musical, heavens down,
those are what we live for. And for me to
have that particular guitar be the conduit over the course
of you know, over thirty five years, it's been a
(11:13):
very very special relationship, and I'm so happy to be
able to share that guitar now with the world, because
I mean it is I was driving the people at
Fender absolutely fucking nuts, like I must have sent the
neck back twenty three times, you know. I'm like, it
has to feel. I have to be able to pick
(11:34):
this one up, the original up, and put the original down,
pick this one up and have there be nothing about
it that feels the least bit different, so I can
continue the journey with this guitar and people who have
been fans of the music that this guitar has made,
that's you. That's exactly it. And my hope too, is
that for people this is not just the end of
(11:56):
a journey to be able to get an arm the
holmeless guitar that's like the one on the Rage records
and like Tom Morello has played for years, but to
begin their own journey, and I can't wait to hear
what people create with it.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Well, it's so funny because I've done a lot of
the interviews as Alex who's muted on this nose with
Fender over the years, And it's funny because you say
you drove them fucking nuts. No, I mean that's like
they wouldn't want to do it if it wasn't, you
know exactly, you know, simplar, I mean, because it has
to be like you say, your fans are you know,
(12:42):
one of the things, of course the fans love is authenticity.
That's more than anything. So it's like, if it feels
like it's you know, like a a knockoff, people are
just gonna you know, they're gonna know in three seconds.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And you know, and like I said that,
what's really aged me through the years is there are
a bunch of knockoff arm the homeless guitars out there
that have nothing to do with me, nothing to do
with the sound, nothing to do with the feel of it,
and uh, you know, the Fender really got this one right. Nice.
I'm switched topics for one second.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Now. I'm curious though, because you were just talking about
the magic moment, you know, and I think about like
a you know, I've talked about there so many great songs.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
We just lost Jimmy Cliff not long ago, who was
like an all time rate and he told me he
wrote many Rivers Across, which is one of those beautiful
songs of all time, because like I wrote that in
ten minutes on the way to the studio. Sure for you,
was there that, like I mean, I think probably at
this point, you know, Like a Stone is as you know,
(13:43):
memorable a rift for you as any that you've done.
Was that something that was the channeling thing? Was it something?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah? I mean the solo for Like a Stone, they
both Chris Cornell's melody for that song and the solo
for that song were first takes in rehearsal. We were
recording rehearsals, and I had that that come up with
that chord progression, you know, late at night on an
acoustic guitar at home. Brought it into rehearsal, and how
you know, and he just he didn't sing all the words,
(14:10):
but the first time through he sang that melody. And
when it came time for the solo section, that's the
solo that I played. Thank goodness that we recorded it,
you know, in the in our San Fernando Valley rehearsal space,
because then I just I recreated that solo on the record,
and it was one of those moments where you just
kind of I wasn't even thinking about it, like could
just kind of let go and and sort of followed
(14:32):
my muse, you know, on that. And it was the
while the sole power guitar is the guitar that played
it in concert, it was the arm the homeless guitar
that wrote it.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
It's so funny you say, thank god who recorded it,
because you know, I know you've been friends with Jackson
Brown for years. Yeah, and I adore Jackson. I mean,
and we're talking about that girl could Sing, which is
one of my favorite songs, and he's telling me what
drove him nuts was David Linley did the solo on that,
and David had no idea how he did it, and
he couldn't even necessarily always recreate it, and he couldn't
(15:05):
explain how he did it. So whenever a new guitarists
came on, He's like, I mean they can never do
the solo.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
Yeah, he's got this weird tone.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
So has that happened to you where you've done these
like where you're just in the zone, you have these
great moments and you know, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I Mean. The one thing that I've gotten more comfortable
with through the years is is, you know, I've always
been a pack rat with regards to you know, uh
riffs and ideas, and used to have the you know,
the radio chat cassette recorder that I kept all of
them on. But now, like, if I come up with
an idea that I really really like, I'm unable to
(15:44):
like don't have my voice memo to just say it
into and I forget it. I'm I'm much It's much
easier for me to let it go. But specific times
in the past where it has come up and I
have captured I mean, on the Arm, the Homeless Gar,
the sleep now on the fire riff, I mean that
came up and I just remember I recalled. I was like,
(16:05):
that's gonna make a field of sixty thousand people go
absolutely ape shit, you know, the co chief riff was
this was the same the you know people, the son
you know, rubbing the Allen wrench on the a string
of the arm, the homeless guitar that you know, manifested
in a rage rehearsal. So a lot of those moments,
and the very importantly the the eighty two bar Ghost
(16:31):
of Tom Joe solo with Bruce Springsteen. You know that
was you know, that was me, Me and Arm, the homeless,
just absolutely hanging on by the seat of our pants,
you know, trying trying to trying to make it to
the next next eight bars.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
So for you, I mean it's interesting. I mean, yeah,
I've talked about there so many musicians as well doing
something like this. It's like it's a different form of creativity.
So for you, how exciting was it to know, help
craft this guitar for everybody and then turn around and
you know what I've also found from talking to people,
(17:08):
it's like if you're a photographer, if you're a painter,
if you're a designer, it infuses into the music because
all creatid Yeah I can't talk to the dude, but
all creativity infuses together.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Yeah. Well, I've always you know, and to this day.
I've always been against endorsements where an artist just slaps
their name on something that doesn't have anything to do
with them other than they like sort of endorse it.
But I've always been happy to share and to sell
and to promote my music, my stuff, you know, through
(17:43):
the years. Now I've done it's my wah wah pedal.
There's the Power fifty pedal that we recreated, my AMP sounds,
you know in a pedal. There's the sole power guitar.
Like these are my things that I have meticulously curated
with the same degree of intention as any of the
(18:04):
songs that I've written. And it was very much the same,
you know, in creating the Homeless guitar. I was like,
we've got to get this absolutely right. Yeah, no, it
makes sense.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
I mean it's funny because you say you've been against endorsements,
but if it's something that you know helps your career,
I mean it's funny. I think if someone like my
favorite songwriter of all time is Tom Witz by Warship,
but I mean he's never done an endorsement. But I mean,
you know that's unusual most people, you know, like, again,
(18:37):
if it's something that comes from integrity, coming back to
the authenticity.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
You know, yeah, I mean this is this is my guitar.
It's not like it's not like Fender had a new
guitar and they go, Okay, this is the Tom Morella model.
Like this is like you don't you don't know. I mean,
you probably are sensing the passion that I had about
this project, and I was serious. I was about getting
it right. Because this I want people to be able
(19:02):
to have the neck feel exactly like it does to me.
Have that front pick up with that sort of springing,
single coil feel that you know you hear and you
know you're hearing Bulls on parade, you hear and sleep
down the fire you hearing, you know, Mike Check you
know some song songs like that to be able then
switch to the lead pickup and have that sort of
(19:23):
the the the clear, ringing soaring tone from the Ghost
of Tom Joe solo or the ability or the toggles.
I mean a huge part of you know, a huge
part of myself of the years has been the toggle switch.
So we have a to the toggle switch in this
that is the one like the average toggle switch in
your Gibson guitar. Fender guitar or whatever would break in
(19:45):
about two seconds with the abuse that I that I
give it. So, you know, so we've got the same
one that's in my guitar, that that is that is
going to hold up to quite a bit of abuse
when you're the DJ. So it's ach.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
I asked you about the you know, charity component, and
we talked a little bit about being in service out
and I mean, did you and not talk so much
over the years. I mean, let's face it, the world
is fucked right now in so many respects, So what
is it in being in service? I mean to you
at that point, who's someone who's always been so you know, outspoken,
(20:23):
and so.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I mean the mission, the mission is no different now
than it was, you know, in in the in the
mid eighties. It's it's the you know, I did not
choose to be a guitar player. It chose me. And
that is both blessing and curse. Blessing because I believe
it's what I was born to do. Curse because I
now have to have the burden of figuring out how
(20:47):
to bring myself my views to my thoughts about injustice
and this is the medium that I have to do it,
you know, like I'm not running for office. I'm not
you know, darting, you know, some pack fund or something
like that. I'm a musician. I'm a guitar player, and
(21:07):
so channeling who I am through what I do, and
this particular instrument is what the gig is in this
you know, perilous place and time. The message is the
same as it's always happened. The world is not going
to change itself. That's up to you and the planet
and our country have experienced dire and awful you know
(21:29):
times before. We're in one now. But it's moaning about
it don't help. The only people standing up in their
place and time and using their intelligence, creativity and courage
is what can move the meter.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Well, you know, it's really interesting. I haven't thought about
this in terms of you for this, but I was
thinking about this right because I mentioned Jackson. I'm friends
as well with John Mellencamp, you know who I know
are both friends with Bruce and great writers, you know.
But it's interesting because of course when it came time
to speak out, it was Bruce and I realized, you know,
(22:07):
the difference is is that they're all gifted writers and
they're all good musicians. Some people just embrace that kind
of role more than others. And when you look at
what Bruce did after the Rising and then in the eighties,
So for you, how much has it been inspiring to
spend time with him over the years and get to,
you know, see him as a role model because you know,
(22:29):
again a lot of people feel the same way about Trump,
but he was just literally like out loud, like go
fuck yourself.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah. Well, I mean, frankly, I've been out loud go
fuck yourself. I know you have, you know, decades decades before,
and you know, and and I think it is it
is admirable. Uh. You know, when artists do speak their
mind and they speak truth to power. You know, my
role models with regards to that are Fred Hampton and
(22:59):
Hueye uh, Pete Newton, you know, Malcolm X, Martin, Luther King,
Emma Goldman, et cetera. Like those like I don't I
don't think that one can look to brave musicians in
troubled times as well. But you know, like my my
north Star was set you know, long before I heard
darkness on the edge of town there.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Yeah, all right, So you talk about your role models,
we're gonna wrap up in a second, but I have
to ask you, because I know you're Hall of Fame,
one what did you think of it? And two the
reason I ask you the next question of who's your
dream to get in this? Because it's funny. Syke's is
a very good friend as well. We've had this debate
at lunch for two years now and next year's culture
(23:43):
and times with birthday and I'm like, how the fuck
is culture?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Not is in as an influence.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Phil Wesh literally told me that without Coltrane there would
be no Grateful Dad. He interviewed influencer Antana Sure two doors, Sure.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Sure, I've you know I've I've jammed along with Coltrane
records myself too. You know it's no I mean the
it was so gratifying to see Sound Garden get into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, White Stripes as
well Salt and Peppa. You know a number of the
artists that uh, I'm the big, big fans of. But
the fact now that you know, all four members of
(24:20):
Audio Slave are in the Rock Roll Hall of Fame
is very very gratifying, and to not only salute the
great work of Soundgarden but also Chris for Temple of
Dog and his solo stuff as well. Is really is
really pretty great. You know, for me, the top of
the list is Iron Maiden right now, and that's you
know when I when I went in when when Now
it's almost fifteen years ago, when they made the mistake
(24:42):
of letting me in the in the room to help
with the nominations. You know, I had a hit list,
I had a I had a checklist, and most of
them have gotten in, from Rush to Kiss, from Stevie
ray Vaughn to Randy Rhoades, Judas Priest, Soundgarden, uh et cetera,
et cetera. But the one name, the name that is
(25:03):
at the top of that list right now is Iron Maiden.
Good name.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Wait, now it's important. When Iron Manning gets inducted, does
Eddie get inducted as well?
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Well? Eddie certainly should be that. I know that Iron
man has sort of disavowed the Rock Roll. I'm not
sure if they'll be there. Perhaps Eddie can go and
except in their in their in their stead.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
I'm talking about someone recently. I have no idea who,
but Eddie was so cool. I remember being a kid
and seeing Iron Maiden have like the weirdest show ever.
You know, they have these weird shows when you're a kid.
There was literally Foreigner Lover Boys, Scorpions and Iron Maiden
and Inanahot and you know, Adaheim Stadium, some strut and
(25:48):
Eddie walks out of the audience. So why is it
that no other band has really had a mascot like that?
Speaker 2 (25:55):
That's you know, that's a good question. I mean, I'm
trying to think in the in the in the world
of metal, of anybody else's trotted out somebody like that.
I mean made this mainand really cornered the market on
the on the ghoulish mascot.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Yeah, I get so. I mean, you know it's hard
to talk to seven foot zombies.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
So yeah, yes, yes, or seventy foot zombie, depending what
tour you're talking about it.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Yeah all right, So wait, you did say in an
interview as well, if I read correctly, there's an unreleased
audio slave album.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
It's not an unreleased arty a slave album. There is
an unreleased there's unreleased songs of that one could compile
into an album. Yeah, but there's no I mean, there's no,
there's it's I hate to even talk about it because
it then becomes the pull quote. There is no news
about it. There's nothing new about it. There is no
(26:51):
plans to release it. There are no plans to not
release it. It's just the same as it's always been
when we recorded those records. There's some songs left over
that are really good to describe, Like there is no infrastructure,
there is no there's nothing. There's a you know probably
you know, eleven to fourteen, you know, studio recordings from
(27:15):
you know, outtakes from the first three records that are
mixed and could be put out, but there's like nothing
to do it, you know, all.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Right, so wrap up on stuff that can come out, Yeah,
your son, you know. Which is funny because, as I said,
we've talked a lot about music discovery, you know, and
I'm working with the new hit Parader now, which is
really fun so cool to hear from you guys soon.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Yeah. So, I mean, my new tune everything Burns comes
out like in a couple of days, which is the
song from Final Fantasy fourteen, which is a banger. It's
a collaboration with Bear Tooth. It's a huge riff rocker,
a song that's both you know, moshpit ready and also
speaks to the times as well as you know, connecting
(28:03):
with you know, one of the biggest video games of
all time. And then I'm headed to India on Sunday
for a tour bringing the family. My son Roman will
be rocking you know, Mumbai and New Delhi in a
couple of days with me, and then coming home and
buckling down finishing this Tom Morello rock record. I got
about seventeen songs, uh, you know, the latest one, Soldier
(28:26):
in the Army of Love came out, Pretend to Remember Me.
Everything Burns is the next one, and I got to
fit come home and finish that record because there's a
lot of like like some of the you know, biggest
riffs of my career are on this record, and some
of them were written by Roman. Nice.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Sorry, last question, who's the dream for you to work with?
Because I remember asking Eddie van Hill on this and
so interesting between us. Actually, I think I've said this publicly.
I asked Eddie when he was, you know, going through
the turmoil with Van Hale and who you would want
to work with, And I swear to God, you fucking
zich Is Cornell.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Oh yeah, that's interesting to say that. Probably in twenty
twenty six. You know an artist that I really admire
and would love to see how we could combine talents
would be Kendrick Lamar. You know, I just think that
he's his voice and his vision is you know, is
(29:22):
the apex artist of our time right now? Interesting?
Speaker 3 (29:29):
And I lied, I'm just seeing one more because we
just lost Ozzie, So I know you were at his
show and I need Ozzy forever. Is there anyone that
you know, I mean this year was brutal Man, sly Stone,
Brian Wilson, Jimmy Cliff, Is there any ace?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Is there anyone that you just as like, you know,
like an older artist that just like you never got
to work with that you would love to fucking jam with.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
You know, I've been very very fortunate, and you know,
there are some artists who have passed that I that
I missed the opportunity to. But I've I've been able
to you know, to to you know, be in a
room whether or on stage with a lot of with
some people that I've greatly admired. Just this last year,
got to play with, you know, and and do a
thing it south By Southwest with John Fogerty, got to
(30:19):
do a tribute show with Joan Bias for Joan Bias,
those were two people that would certainly have been on
that list. You know. Right now, it's like it's it's
got keeping my head down and fighting the power with
every strum of the every strum of the arm of
Homeless guitar.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Joan is incredible, man, I mean because I've got an
interview heard and when you sit down, I mean, there's
a lot of amazing people out there, but when you
sit down she start telling you about walking alongside Martin
Luther King, They're like, I'm just not sure, sure Sure?
Is there anything you want to add that we didn't
talk about.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
No, I think I think we're good. I think we're
going to appreciate it. I was great to talk to you, man.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
I get see any dude and Roy India and uh
I look forward to the new record next year.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Okay, thanks man, m m HM
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