It’s not every day you get to interview a legendary guitarist like Tom Morello. You never know when an opportunity might strike so when we ran into the mastermind behind Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine in a New York City elevator last week, we knew we had about 30 seconds to make this happen. So we gathered ourselves, calmed our nerves, and hit every button on the elevator panel.
The Hard Times: We can’t wait to see Rage Against the Machine reunite at Coachella this year! How did that come about?
Tom Morello: Wait, we need to talk about what just happened. We locked eyes, you pushed me aside, and proceeded to rub your hands all over the elevator button panel like a rabid dog.
Sort of like how the winds of fate pushed Rage to reunite?
Jesus, dude. What is wrong with you?
We haven’t heard from Zack de la Rocha in a while, what brought him back?
I would have been happy to schedule an interview with you to talk about it. All you had to do was reach out to my management. You didn’t need to trap me on this elevator to get an answer.
You’re considered one of the most innovative guitarists out there. How did you develop such a unique style?
I dedicated my time to practicing and putting in the work to hone in my technique. I also spent my time learning from other guitarists whom I asked to take the time to speak with me. What I didn’t do was trap them in elevators. Fuck me, how are we only on the fifth floor?
Guy On The Elevator With Us: I’m supposed to pick up my kid from soccer in ten minutes. Thanks a lot, asshole.
So Tom, tell me, should we expect a new Rage album in the near future?
Ya know, it’s things like this that made us hate being famous and break up in the first place.
Absolutely. Well thanks for talking to us today, Tom. I’m gonna get off here, this is my floor.
Unbelievable.