TOM MORELLO: “Over The Last Few Years, I Think The Rock Hall Has Become More Democratic”

Despite losing the fan vote, Rage Against The Machine will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame’s Class Of 2023. In an interview with A Rádio Rock, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello said he’s pretty stoked about the induction and about how the hall has handled rock and metal in recent years.

“It’s great. And we were nominated five times, and so I was pleased that we finally got in on the fifth one,” he said. “I like the idea that there’s a place like the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that pays attention to the accomplishments in multiple genres for things artists have done.”

“Over the course of the last few years, I think the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has become more democratic. Hard rock artists, which were normally kind of marginalized — from Rush to Kiss to Judas Priest to even Stevie Ray Vaughan, which had trouble getting in — now are welcomed in. So I think it’s a nice home for Rage Against The Machine, to be joining some of my favorite bands: Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Public Enemy, The Clash. That’s pretty good company to be in.”

Rage Against The Machine has been nominated for the Rock Hall in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and finally made it this year. Rage Against The Machine has always been Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, and Brad Wilk, so obviously that’s the lineup that’ll be inducted. Fellow nominees Iron Maiden and Soundgarden did not make this year’s class.

Of course, opinions on the Rock Hall aren’t all as positive. In a recent anonymous interview, one Rock Hall voter said that metal simply isn’t taken seriously by the mainstream.

“I’m not voting for [Iron Maiden], but they’re a groundbreaking band that brought the new wave of British heavy metal into the rest of the world — and they have a gimmick,” said the voter. “Their thing with Eddie and their iconography, and the fact that Maiden is similar shorthand as Metallica or Slayer. They’re definitely in the ‘big four’ of being reliable icons for what a metalhead is.

“Metal still isn’t taken seriously by a lot of people, whether it’s because of its fan base or the fact that it’s a lot of super-nerdy musician types geeking out over various mythologies of evil in tandem. I think for somebody from metal to be in, we should nominate Slayer for the Hall of Fame. They had a great career. They headlined stadiums around the world and arenas, and they left a mark. Maybe there should be a metal wing at the Hall or something. It’s one of those genres where the lack of respect is so inherent to its existence at this point. It’s music for people who don’t feel like they belong.”