Rage Against the Machine guitarist and activist Tom Morello has strongly fired back at detractors who argue that musicians should steer clear of political commentary. Speaking with Katrin Riedl of Germany’s Metal Hammer magazine, Morello addressed the rising tide of censorship and defended the fundamental necessity of artistic expression.
When asked to elaborate on his recent comment that “every act of art is an act of resistance,” Morello explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth):
“Yeah. Well, definitely. Especially in my country in these dangerous times, where there’s so much suppression of ideas and censorship of books and of artists being canceled for their political opinions, that merely by speaking up… Courage is contagious, and by artists standing up for their beliefs against the… We have a president who will personally go after you and send the Department Of Justice after you if you stand up against his regime, and so that tends to cow a lot of people into not speaking their mind. But the second that you’re silent is the second that authoritarianism wins, is the second that fascism rises a few more clicks. And so every act of art is an act of resistance. Every song sung is a beacon of light in the gathering darkness, and every truth spoken is hopefully like a bell that’s rung for the people who are the ones who are gonna undo this madness.”
The conversation then turned toward critics who firmly insist that “metal should not be political.” Morello dismissed the sentiment as inherently hypocritical, arguing that professionals across all industries should never be forced to abandon their personal convictions.
“Yeah, well, when people say that musicians should not be involved in politics, it means they are people that disagree with your politics. The second that you write a song that agrees with their politics, all of a sudden they’re all for it. So, one, it’s very hypocritical, but two, I also think that, why should you give away your free speech rights in the job that you do? Because it offends someone? I think the converse is what is actually true. I think that you do yourself and your times a disservice by censoring who you are in your work. Not just musicians. I think, one, it’s sort of weirdly sort of selfish to kind of ghettoize musicians as, like, ‘Oh, they shouldn’t say anything.’ I think in your work as a music journalist or in your work as a tour manager or as your work as a bus driver, whatever, you should not leave behind who you are and what you believe. And I think, like I said, there’s an extra hot layer of hell for people in times of great injustice who censor themselves and remain quiet when they should have spoken out because they’re afraid of some Internet troll,” he explained.
As for whether he thinks songs with a political message can change anything, Morello pointed to his own formative years and the foundational impact that revolutionary artists had on his own life.
“It’s a broader question, like can music have an impact? Can songs change the world? Well, I can only speak from personal experience. Music changed me. Music helped form the person I was, and every time I’m in a picket line or doing activist work, it’s in part because of Public Enemy and The Clash. And I saw that you can be a musician and… It’s not, like, ‘Oh, go vote for this particular candidate’, or, ‘Oh, stand up for this particular cause.’ It just means that it’s a beacon that you’re not alone. You can have these feelings about that the world just doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t add up right, and maybe you’re not tuning into The New York Times every day or whatever the news sources, but when I heard musicians like Chuck D and like Joe Strummer expressing opinions, they were from Staten Island and London — very, very different backgrounds than myself — but they saw that oppression was bad, standing up to oppression is good, and they did it with guitars and with turntables. And that made me think, ‘Oh, you know what? I’m in this town where a lot of people have opinions that are very, very different than I do, but I am not alone.’ And that’s one of the reasons why I think, whether it’s the music of Rage Against the Machine or my solo work, or my work with Serj [Tankian] and [my son] Roman, I think it’s important to just, one, not leave behind who you are in what you do, and two, know that that every song is like a beacon of hope for somebody,” he concluded.
Morello recently collaborated with System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian and his son, Roman, to release the joint single “ADJOURN IT“. The accompanying music video incorporates scenes from the classic 1954 film “Salt of the Earth“. The blacklisted Hollywood production, which focuses on the true story of Mexican-American zinc miners striking against exploitation and institutional oppression, serves to reinforce the song’s core themes of solidarity and resistance.
Tom Morello explained that the project stems from his decades-long musical and political relationship with Tankian, combined with creative inspiration found directly at home.
“What inspired us to create the song together, the ‘ADJOURN IT‘ song together, were two things. One is my longstanding relationship with Serj. We’ve worked on a number of songs through the years, played many shows together through the years, have had political organizations together. Also, Roman Morello‘s my kid, and so he’s trapped at home, and I steal his riffs to make songs all the time, as I have done with the song ‘ADJOURN IT,'” he said earlier.
Roman Morello, who penned the track’s driving guitar riff, expressed his excitement about contributing to a project with a heavy social message after gaining a clearer understanding of his father’s career.
“When he first showed me the song, I was, like, ‘Wait a second. That kind of sounds familiar. Where’d you get that riff?’ And it turns out he stole it from my voice memos on my computer. But it’s just an honor to be part of this project. And with the political message, I think they said it great. And it’s just really great to be part of this.”
“Back when I was littler, I didn’t really know what my dad did for work,” Roman added. “When I first actually saw the effect that he had on people and the effect that he had on music, I really started to take inspiration from him and really research into what he does and learn what he’s done in the past and the political messages that he conveys to millions of people around the world.”
The motivation behind the single was directly sparked by aggressive immigration enforcement tactics observed in Southern California, prompting the musicians to respond through their art.
“The idea to create a song like this came up during the DHS and ICE raids in Los Angeles, when the streets of L.A. were being terrorized by Gestapo-like tactics, people combing through the neighborhoods, businesses having to shut down, children being abducted from school — an absolute reign of terror on our city. And I thought, ‘We have to do what we can while we can with what we can.’ And with us, that’s making music,” Morello stated.
Tankian emphasized the need for artists to address systemic issues and administrative crackdowns on families, noting the widespread trauma caused by the enforcement strategies.
“Like [Tom] said, we’ve done a lot of songs together, a lot of projects, and been friends for a long time. And this disturbed all of us. It’s still disturbing all of us, the kind of tactics that have been used by the administration in cracking down on families, separating families, and children without parents. I mean, I read that there’s 27,000 children whose parents have been deported. And it’s really a trauma for this country. And we have to learn how to deal with these things the right way. We have to learn how to stand up to fascism in the right way. And so this is a great way for us to do. This is what we do. We do music,” Serj said.
For the Morello family, social activism has always been closely intertwined with daily life. Tom Morello pointed out that both Roman and his brother Rhoads grew up attending demonstrations, making political music a natural evolution, while also praising his son’s innate musical instincts.
“Roman has been going to protests with his brother Rhoads and our family since they were very, very little. It’s been a part of the fabric of our lives. It’s just sort of what we do. And so it’s very natural that it should come into our music as well.”
“One thing I will say about Roman here is he is a tremendously talented guitar player,” Morello added. “He started playing during the pandemic. I didn’t start playing until I was 17 years old. He started playing at — what? — eight or nine, something like that, and really advanced quickly. He’s got a natural ability. I had to fight hard for every scrap of it. He seems to be able to do it very, very naturally. But the thing that was the big surprise was he was able to write riffs that felt like they had the Morello DNA in them, but they’re not riffs that I would have thought of. So it’s like having a great bandmate who you kind of go, like, ‘That’s a kick-a** riff. It sounds kind of like something I should’ve thought of.’ And that was very much the case with — the main riff in the song ‘ADJOURN IT‘ is one that was written by Roman Morello.”
All three musicians involved in the new track are scheduled to perform live at the upcoming “Power To The People” festival, curated by Tom Morello. The event will take place on October 3, 2026, at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
The festival lineup features high-profile acts including Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, and Dave Matthews. While officially billed as a “non-partisan celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action”, the gathering serves as counterprogramming to MAGA-aligned live events organized by the current U.S. administration, featuring a robust roster of artists who have vocally opposed the policies of Donald Trump.
Both Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen have actively participated in protests against policies enacted under U.S. President Donald Trump, who has previously directed public criticism toward Bruce Springsteen.
In addition to the musical performances, the venue will host a “Freedom Village” to provide a platform for various advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations. A portion of the proceeds from all VIP ticket sales will be directed to Headcount and VoteRiders, two organizations dedicated to assisting voters with registration and navigating the U.S. voting process.
