Tom Morello interview (Monster Riffs Week)

The Rage Against The Machine guitarist on funk rock riffs and tuning in to the universe

Claire Davies, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 4:59 pm BST

Tom morello, live with rage against the machine

© Paul Hebert/Corbis

Tom Morello is an expert when it comes to riff-writing. When we interviewed him for our Monster Riffs issue of Total Guitar – on sale now – he had so much to say on the subject that we had to leave some stuff out. Well, here's those extra words of wisdom for you to read now: Morello on being influenced by sport and politics, aping the sound of a hippo on guitar, and how collaborating with your band will lead to some of your best guitar riffs
Interview: Matt Parker

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

TG: Do you have any influences, when it comes to writing, that are outside of music

"Some of my main influences as a guitarist are completely non-musical, on both the high-brow and low-brow of the section. On the low-brow level, just being open to the noises of your environment can help. There was a time when I would be practicing hours and hours a day trying to approximate, err, the noise that hippopotamus makes (after a trip to the zoo), or the sound a vacuum cleaner made, or a police helicopter going overhead. That kind of mimicry came from recognising that the electric guitar is a relatively new instrument on the face of the earth and there are no rules about how and when and where it should be played."

And what about the 'high-brow', as you call it?

"On the opposite end of the intellectual spectrum, with regards to guitar playing, some of my main influences on guitar were from the world of politics and even sports. Whether it was someone like Malcolm X, or Muhammad Ali, or even the great American racehorse Secretariat. I take those as influences because they didn't just think outside the box of previous ideas or accomplishments in their milieu; they redefined what it was they were doing. Whether it was Malcolm X who redefined black politics, or Mohammad Ali who came up with a new way to fight fights with attitude and panache, or Secretariat whose skills seemed supernatural.Trying to tap into and use as a North Star, or guiding light, people or even animals who excelled at their profession, it helps you look at your own profession in a different way. There are things possible on the guitar that no one has thought of yet – and I'm looking for them."