Furious Gravitas: A Chip Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

"Another successful musician instantly becomes a political expert." That was the criticism recently levelled at Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and currently Prophets Of Rage member Tom Morello by one clearly uninformed punter via Instagram. Among Morello's alleged infractions was a guitar emblazoned with 'Fuck Trump'. The guitar player, who also performs solo as The Nightwatchman, had a zinger of a response. "One does not have to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University to recognise the unethical and inhuman nature of this administration but well, I happen to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University, so I can confirm that for you [sic]," he wrote.

Given Morello's fiercely leftist values and high-profile activism amid these socially and politically volatile times, how does he feel about social media leaving him more accessible to vitriol from detractors? "I mean, that's nothing new," he says from his home in Los Angeles. "People have been vehemently disagreeing with my politics and my band's politics for a quarter of a century. And to that, I have to say, if you're making music and you have positions that everybody can agree on, you're probably making pretty shitty music and you probably have pretty shitty positions."

There's certainly no fence-sitting from Prophets Of Rage, either. The group of like-minded personnel is comprised of the rhythm section from Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave (Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk), Public Enemy's Chuck D and DJ Lord as well as Cypress Hill's B-Real. If the response to initial shows was any indicator, the sextet could have focused on earning a lucrative living knocking out predominantly covers-oriented sets. However, this amalgam of heavy rock and hip hop royalty had a Trump administration, racism, homelessness, surveillance and more to dissect on their recent self-titled debut LP.

The guitarist politely interjects when it's suggested that some star-studded projects could be content with "nostalgia act" status. "This band formed because of the politics of now. And some of the songs of Rage... and Public Enemy speak to 2017, 2018 much more explicitly than when they were written, like during the Bill Clinton era.

"We put this band together because of the political emergency of these times. Then when we got in the studio, we were like, 'Well, now it's time for this band to address - musically and politically - what's going on.' There's a duality to the band. On the one hand, we have the gravitas of our histories and, on the other hand, we're a brand new band with a chip on our shoulders. And we go out there every night to destroy the crowd. We don't think anybody should take it for granted that this is a great band. You come to the show and we will kick your fucking ass.

"We've been the standard-bearers of radical, of revolutionary rock for a long time," Morello says of some American musicians' claim that, when they tour overseas, people they encounter are embarrassed for them. "So when we come to town, people know where our convictions lie," he laughs. "And I think that they're pleased and relieved, especially outside the United States, to have artists that are going to view the world in a more internationalist way. I mean, dangerous times demand dangerous songs; that's why we formed this band, and that's why we made this record."

Pundits have suggested that - much like the divisive Reagan era fuelled plenty of truly scathing punk, hardcore and hip hop - the current administration could also motivate a new generation of disaffected youth to pick up a guitar or microphone and rail against injustice and inequality. "It's not specifically important to me that musicians speak out about the times. It's important to me that people speak out about the times regardless of their vocation whether they're a rock-music journalist, carpenters or students. If you have convictions and feelings about injustices perpetrated around the globe, then it's time for you to stand up. If you happen to be in a band or happen to be an MC, great! Do it in your music. But we're not waiting around for anybody else."

In that vein, Morello praises the #MeToo social media campaign and the many women who have shared their personal stories of sexual assault and harassment. "I think it's long overdue. And I think that one of the givens in any work relationship where there's relationships of power, that sort of culture of sexual harassment, certainly in the United States, is very prevalent. And it's not just with movie studio heads and congressmen, it's at every McDonald's. And the fact that women have been brave enough to step forward... I think it's all frankly a result of the Trump era, and the way that it has kind of poked the hornet's nest and made people go... The world is teetering on the abyss - environmentally, culturally, politically - and that world is not going to change itself. It's up to us to do that and I think that the #MeToo movement, if you want to call it that, is a reflection of that."

On a more personal note, recent Prophets Of Rage shows have featured the band paying instrumental tribute to singer Chris Cornell - Morello, Wilk and Commerford's late Audioslave bandmate. The guitarist shares some cherished memories of the frontman. "One was when we played Madison Square Garden together, a sold-out Madison Square Garden - that was pretty exciting. But I'd say my favourite memory was when we reunited in January 2017 for the Anti-Inaugural Ball. Audioslave hadn't played together in 12 years, and Chris came out and we did a little three-song Audioslave set in the middle of a Prophets Of Rage set. It was just awesome. He was shining and the awesome rock god that Chris Cornell is. He sang beautifully and ferociously, had a great hang backstage, and that's the last time I saw him. So I'm glad to have that memory."