Talk:Tom Morello/Archive 1

Nu metal
I have a problem with using the term nu metal to describe tool. they are nothing of the sort. they had been around 8 years before the term ever came into existence. do not disgrace this band by putting that term near their names.


 * I agree. Maybe consider changing it to prog-metal or just alternative roc

tom morello is my hero--Armthehomeless 03:44, 27 July 2005 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I agree. Tool are more prog rock than anything.

Tom Morello: Wobblie??
I was wondering if any knows if Tom is a part of the IWW? he has the IWW hat on in 'One Man Revolution', is he a part of the union? Transcona Slim 23:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Maybe not, but he does admire them. Have a look at this quote from a 1999 profile:
 * "'I don’t have any guilt about it, quite frankly,' says Morello, who has a big, stylish home high in the Hollywood Hills. 'And I employ a guitar tech as well,' he adds with a regretful laugh, 'which may disqualify me for membership in the Wobblies.'"
 * Of course, being 8 years ago, things might have changed since then. ~ Swi tch  (✉ ✍ ☺ ☒ ) 08:47, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

Political Science or Social Science Degree?
I've read elsewhere that Tom graduated with a social science degree, not a political science degree. In case you aren't a college nerd like myself, a social science degree covers all of the social sciences (anthropology, history, economics, political science, sociology, etc.), while a political science degree traditionally focuses just on that one social science. Anyone know which he actually received?


 * I am relatively certain he recieved a degree in political science. A point of contention I have with the article is that he grew up in Libertyville, Illinois, not Marseilles.  I should know, I'm from there:) His mother (who grew up in Marsailles) used to teach at the high school.  He was also in a band with Adam Jones (currently of Tool) who also was from Libertyville called "Electric Sheep" back in high school.  Go to Jones' page for more details.


 * It's political science. I don't have the energy to find a link and I know wikipedia has a jihad about that. I happen to know because he told me, in person. Look it up for the purposes of "proving" it, but in case you're curious.

I appreciate the input, but I would like to find a verifiable citation quoting Morello directly. I have thus far been unable to acquire one however. Has anyone had any luck since this discussion began? --BBUCommander (talk) 16:52, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

His race should be mentioned
I think it's important.
 * How do you mean? "Part kenyan, part irish, part italian"? Why is it important? Peter Znamenskiy 19:24, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

I think racism should be part of the article. I think that played a big role in his political activism.
 * I think his race should be mentioned for the simple fact that I wanted to know what his race was, but the article didn't tell me. -198.142.113.16 10:20, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

he is American, and that is clearly stated in the article. --LeakeyJee (talk) 08:34, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Americans not a race numbnutz —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.141.91.205 (talk) 02:15, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

Modified Guitar Info
his pawnshop guitar is a St George and is kept in Drop A or Drop B tuning now. the Ovation is called a Breadwinner, not Breadmaker added that the Ibanez is modled after a Vox Ultrasonic and listed what songs these guitars can be found on.

Is the amount of guitar info getting out of hand? I'm just asking. The guy is famous for the strange stuff he does to his guitars as he plays though ...

Tom is most famous for his guitar work. I broke up into sections to be less confusing and added a short part about Killswitching which is, I think, important for Tom Morello as it is sort of his trade mark.

On the subject of the killswitch, I think the info is a little outdated, as I'm pretty sure that's not how he does it on the Strat that's his primary guitar nowadays. 86.1.99.205 22:36, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Considering his politics it seemed significant that there should be a link to Sendero LuminosoNepal Tree 01:11, 29 July 2006 TOM MORELLO IS AN AMAZING GUITARIST, THERE IS NO WAY AROUND IT

bad wording
"Despite his otherworldly guitar sounds, Morello has a very limited supply of effects to choose from" it seems like he has a bunch of pedals, maybe more than the average guitarist. Joeyramoney 17:18, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

He only has 5 or 6 pedals, thats about the average number.

He has very few pedals. He says which pedals he has in a 4 part interview on youtube, and in this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2422408532695863419&ei=-QKbSsjiMYuW-Ab6sODqDw

In fact, he says he has less than the average player. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.64.234.155 (talk) 22:57, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Neutrality tag
What's the prob? Nareek 03:29, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

If there is no further discussion, I'll remove the tag. Nareek 03:07, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

The Nightwatchman
On the Audioslave page, its mentions a solo albums by the Nightwatchman. Has anyone found any information on this? I have serched the web and I haven't found anything on it.

here, http://www.nightwatchmanmusic.com/

It's due out on April 26th, I think. Check his MySpace, the info's there. Stratpod 22:38, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Trivia

 * Trivia should be incorporated into the article or deleted. See WP:TRIV John Reaves 03:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Trivia
 * Morello is a Star Trek fan, having appeared twice in its various forms. (He played Crewman Mitchell in "Good Shepherd", an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and a Ba'ku warrior in the ninth Trek feature film, Star Trek: Insurrection.)
 * Morello is a friend of actor Vince Vaughn, as the latter states in the commentary to the movie Dodgeball. Morello has a minor role in Vaughn's film Made.
 * Morello often wears a baseball cap during live performances. Some sport political messages such as the word "commie" or "UNITE!", a reference to the textile union. Two other commonly worn caps are his hometown Chicago Cubs hat and one with the word "geek" on it.
 * Morello sometimes wore an American Boy Scouts uniform during concerts.
 * Morello's favorite album of all time is The Clash's London Calling.
 * Is a close friend and supporter of Farenheit 9/11 filmmaker Michael Moore. (Moore directed the RATM videos "Sleep Now in the Fire", nominated for a VMA in 2000, and "Testify".)
 * Is a long-time friend and protégé of U2 frontman Bono, who personally sought out RATM to open for U2 during their Achtung Baby tour back in the early 1990s.
 * Enjoys the show Family Guy.
 * Morello owns a 1970 Dodge Demon.
 * His favorite football team is the St. Louis Rams.

Kill Switch Use (changed from Pete Townshend)
Townshend's use of the kill switch should be mentioned in his own article--with a source besides "many live shows"--before it's mentioned in Tom Morello's article. Note that this article makes no claim that Morello was first to use this technique. Nareek 07:40, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Its a great stretch to call it an unofficial trademark of Morello's, when it was a technique used widely before he came to prominence. Aside from Townshend, Kirk Hammett uses the method in his solo for To Live is to Die, and Randy Rhoads is famous for using it too. Bigkev87 16:18, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Hence 'unofficial'. Most younger guitarists nowadays think of it as a 'Tom Morello' thing. Stratpod 22:39, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

You're stretching, as even the term "unofficial" trademark implies invention or extreme innovation, which in relation to the kill-switch specifically isn't really apt. The fragment really isn't necessary for the article. Bigkev87 14:03, 31 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I disagree--in an non-legal sense, a trademark means anything strikingly identifying. It does not mean, as in an actual trademark, that the thing is uniquely identifying. "She appeared in her trademark pink dress" is perfectly idiomatic English--it does not imply that she's the only one in the world (or the first person in the world) to wear a pink dress. Nareek 13:03, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Fair enough, i just feel like the statement, even with the added "unofficial" tag, is misleading to the reader. Maybe some mentions of other guitarists who famously used the effect? Bigkev87 14:03, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

I've always thought it was more of a Jonny Greenwood thing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.141.99.43 (talk) 09:03, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Morello is probably the only guitarist to use the killswitch consistently. Also the most famous.

Wah Pedal and Cite
"He is also considered a pioneer of the wah-wah pedal."

I've never heard anyone refer to him as a 'pioneer' of the pedal, as the pedal was in commercial use before his birth. Also, the citation refers to an interview in which the pedal is never mentioned. POV + incorrect citation. Does anyone have a ref as to who considers him a pioneer? The undertow 12:08, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Gibson Les Paul
"Tom was so happy with the new sound of his Les Paul that he made it his main guitar on Revelations."

Yes, but he hasn't used it on the singles released from Revelations thus far. On "Original Fire" the solo has him slackening the strings with a whammy bar (which the Les Paul doesn't have, but "Soul Power" does) and slapping the strings against the pickups. Also, according to this article, he recorded the song "Revelations" with a Gibson ES-335. - Ndrly 23:02, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

The Original Fire videos show him useing the Budwiser Les Paul, He just used the machine heads in place of a whammy bar to slack them. He maybe have invented this trick on either guitar but the Les Paul has been his show guitar for all of revelations promos videos and more. But that was a very good point as a few of his interviews confused me on this matter

Politics
So, exactly what ideology does Tom subscribe to? This article says he's a Marxist, but: He has described himself as "a socialist", and here says he was the "only anarchist" in his high school. RATM's reading list included books critical of Marxism, including What is Anarchist Communism? by Alexander Berkman, Animal Farm by George Orwell and books by Noam Chomsky. Does anyone have any idea what's going on? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by SwitChar (talk • contribs) 03:06, 8 February 2007 (UTC).

The ideology of a rich kid who went to Harvard and sells records fight'n da power!:)

I know it can be hard to take wealthy celebrities seriously when they "rage against the machine" in which they are seemingly well greased cogs. However, if nobody used their fame as a platform to raise important issues, the sheeple would never even know there are issues. Someone more familiar with Morello's activism should add a section on it. In the meantime, see axisofjustice.org. Juicyjack 20:45, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Tom appeared at Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA on 03/04/2010 for a rally in support of California teachers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rskinney (talk • contribs) 03:29, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

Guitar Style Neutrality?
"Morello is famed for his guitar style, which consists of using so many pedals and effects that it (sic)doesnt really take any skill to play the way he does." This is heavily biased and unqualified, especially given the fact that Morello has obtained critical acclaim for his play style specifically because of his unique use of special effects. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.217.112.201 (talk) 17:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

It doesnt make sense that they mention him as Rolling Stone Magazine's 26th best guitarist all time and then have him criticized after that. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.217.112.201 (talk) 18:16, 3 December 2008 (UTC).

Reference Cleanup
I've noticed that many of the references aren't properly cited at the bottom of the page. I'm not familiar with how to cite content from websites, so I'm asking if someone can take some time and make sure everything's in place. Thanks. Orbital Hitman 16:25, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

"South Africa: Racist Fascism That We Support"
How old was he when he wrote that article? -- Mickeymacaroni 14:21, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Guitar Hero 3
hes a boss in guitar hero 3 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ganon228 (talk • contribs) 20:48, August 24, 2007 (UTC)

there definitely needs to be info about how the player has to battle him in GH3 - and perhaps an included picture to show how his face was scanned in, so he could appear in person.128.227.97.214 (talk) 04:04, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Is his birth date correct?
May 30, 1967. Graduated from college in 1986... This means he was 18 years old which I doubt! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.128.92.57 (talk) 20:47, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Harmonica
he does not play harmonica. I believe he used guitar effects to make the harmonic sound in Gurilla Radio —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.228.135.140 (talk) 05:25, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

He plays harmonica trust me watch this if you dont believe me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJXID06_z3A and half his solo album has harmonica stuff in it  disappearing one.  12:03, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

He plays harmonica in the acoustic version, however on the The Battle for Los Angeles it's something like two guitars dubbed in (one a 5th above the other) with wah and one with a talkbox and him using his killswitch technique. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fadastic (talk • contribs) 08:13, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Tom Morello dead?
I can't find any news on Morello's death. So as such, I have reverted 4 edits by Nicknicknick6996 (Talk | contribs) to revision 180702864 by Yun-Yuuzhan. lightsup55 ( T | C ) 13:58, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Tom Morello is not dead. If so, how did he die? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.253.226.118 (talk) 06:31, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Neutral?
I know that this is an article on Tom Morello, but is it really neutral to mention the "deceptions" of the Bush administration? Maybe alleged deceptions or something neutral. It's not that I disagree, but it is supposed to be a neutral article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pajaeslick (talk • contribs) 00:53, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Nonsectarian Socialist
This article currently cites Tom as a "nonsectarian socialist", but upon reading the citation itself does not provide any direct quotations for evidence of this. Instead, it is stated as fact without reference. Can someone please provide a better source? Thanks. --BBUCommander (talk) 16:48, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Supporting Barack Obama
According to a Rolling Stone interview, Tom is supporting Barack Obama:

om Morello Charts Similarities with Obama, Talks Election 2008

Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello can't help notice the similarities between himself and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. "Well, you know, being the half-Kenyan Harvard graduate from Illinois in his early forties, not running for president this year's election gives me a unique perspective," Morello tells Rolling Stone's Austin Scaggs. "I've always felt more comfortable on the other side of the barbed wire fence, you know, lobbing musical Molotov cocktails at the party."

"If America elects a black president it will be a different country than the one I've seen my entire life and that would be a step definitely in the right direction," Morello added.

A member of Rage Against the Machine supporting a presidential hopeful? Has the band softened on its radical edge? " I don't think it has anything to do with rebelling against a President. It has to do with policy. The Democratic Congress was elected in 2006 to end the war and they rolled over like lap dogs," Morello adds. So who does Morello think will win this election? "In the next presidential election America will get the president it deserves. If after eight years of Bush's foreign and domestic crimes that we elect a Republican president, you know, it seems to me like you should be able to run a barnyard animal against a Republican and win in a ninety-ten split," Morello says. "So if America elects McCain over, you know, the clearly intelligent, erudite, fair-minded Barack Obama, then either way we'll get the President we deserve."

I'm not sure how to link the reference to this, and I'm not sure whether the main article deserves this info. --Torchpratt (talk) 02:02, 17 July 2008 (UTC)

Nature of Morello's wah pedal
In the article, it states that Morello's wah is a run-of-the-mill Crybaby original, yet he has stated before that his wah has a shorter circuit sweep than most Original Crybaby wahs (as his sticks primarily in the mid-ranges). Perhaps this should be noted? 144.134.97.98 (talk) 07:04, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
 * if you have a source then throw this info in --LeakeyJee (talk) 04:52, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Morello performed with Johnny Cash?
In the Unearthed (album) article Morello is listed as a performer in the list of personnel, does anyone have any info or source on this? Roger Workman (talk) 18:51, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

Family Background
The statement about his family background is confusing. This is the current sentence about his mother:

"His mother, Mary Morello, and brother, Zach Mudie Morello who is part Irish and part Italian, are the founders of Parents for Rock and Rap, an anti-censorship group."

The way this is currently worded, only his brother is part Irish and part Italian. If Mary, and by descent, Tom, are also Irish and Italian (hmmm...Morello, whaddaya think?), this statement should be clarified. Maybe something like this:

"His mother, Mary Morello, who is part Irish and part Italian, and brother, Zach Mudie Morello, are the founders of Parents for Rock and Rap, an anti-censorship group."

or preferably tweak the whole paragraph:

Tom Morello was born in Harlem, New York. His mother, Mary Morello, who is part Irish and part Italian, was a teacher at Libertyville High School. His father, Ngethe Njoroge, a Kenyan, was the country's first ambassador to the United Nations.[2] His mother, Mary, and brother, Zach Mudie Morello, are the founders of Parents for Rock and Rap, an anti-censorship group. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.23.137.73 (talk) 05:02, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Sicko?
Why does the article not mention anything about his song "Alone With You" which made its way to the closing credits and the main menu of the DVD of Michael Moore's "Sicko"?Avman89 (talk) 00:09, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Tom Morello's Son
I've just found out that Tom Morello had a son born in late 2009. I'm no editor to wikipedia's pages and i think someone else would be better for the job. Possibly a 'Personal Life' section should be started?

Here's where i found the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTKYj0RVZr8 it's about 2 and a half minutes into it. --92.10.19.154 (talk) 23:34, 30 January 2010 (UTC)Anonymous User.

Intro: Tapping?
The second sentence of this article reads: "He is best-known for his use of guitar effects, his innovative guitar solos, his use of the tapping and his heavy-riffs."

Sorry to be a bit dense here, but I'm a huuuuuuuuuuge fan of ratm and I can't think of one song in which he uses tapping on any ratm, or sssc material or on audioslaves eponymous, so can someone please tell me where he does? And even if he does use tapping, he's hardly famed for it is he? He is much better known for his use of slides/killswitch/wah for scratching sounds (which I suppose comes under 'innovative guitar solos), so shall we delete this line? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.88.0.186 (talk) 21:39, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

Small edit in the AOJ-part
I changed the "yellow shirt" to "yellow sign". This it what the MTV-article states and what can be seen on the pictures and videos of the arresting (no yellow shirt). --84.46.54.173 (talk) 21:18, 27 October 2010 (UTC)

Picture?
His Picture is gone? Where did it go? Was it copyrighted? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.72.172.244 (talk) 00:47, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

resource, The Progressive
A Progressive Interview with Tom Morello by Ed Rampell, in the December 2011/January 2012 issue

97.87.29.188 (talk) 00:19, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

Criticism
Sorry for the anon edit, but the criticism section cites a random dude's music blog. Not sure that's an opinion fit for inclusion.

--24.188.7.16 (talk) 20:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Tom Morello. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20091025152431/http://news.yahoo.com:80/s/afp/usattacksguantanamomusicprisoners to http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usattacksguantanamomusicprisoners

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 09:03, 17 October 2015 (UTC)

Image (again)
FYI, I believe the current picture is slightly misleading- it's a good one, but being of him on an acoustic, should be in the Nightwatchman section. The lede emphasises- correctly, of course- his use of effects on the electric, and the picture should really reflect that. Perhaps with 'Arm the homeless', if possible. But I've looked on Commons and most of the ones of him performing electric are not useful stylistically: head bowed, face unclear, too distant, light dim, etc. So if we could remedy this, that would be great. There is a good 'portrait' - but, ironically, of course, with no guitar at all! Any thoughts, people? &mdash; O Fortuna!   Imperatrix mundi.  19:28, 30 March 2017 (UTC)

needs much work
The lede shows one of my big red flags: beginning the article by using "also" in three consecutive sentences.

Overall, it's severely lacking in citations, particularly Recording career (almost 1/3 of article content). On first glance at least, it's somewhere between original research and some teen journalist's attempt at a bio — in other words, editorializing, no matter how it's sliced.

The very title of Guitar playing technique suggests it's not going to be written by a guitarist; better still, it says little about his "guitar playing technique." In any case, the data within ought to be combined with the far-separate (and almost entirely unsourced) Equipment section.

Morello's wife Denise is mentioned only once, and at that with no backing source. How do we know he actually HAS a family? As this is a WP bio, and not some fanboy blog rave-up, I'll here recommend removing the Personal life section entirely until a credible objective source can be found, out of respect for the subject and his putative family. Weeb Dingle (talk) 05:08, 13 October 2017 (UTC)