Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello isn’t interested in hearing accusations that his teenage son, Roman Morello, has benefited from nepotism to advance his musical career. In fact, the acclaimed guitarist believes his son has the talent to stand alongside some of the best emerging players in the business.
Roman has increasingly become involved in his father’s musical endeavors over the past several years, sharing the stage with Tom and contributing to his latest solo album, ‘Everyone Gets Everything They Want’. Beyond performing on the record, the younger Morello also received songwriting credits on several tracks.
However, Roman’s growing presence alongside his Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame-inducted father has prompted some critics to question how much of his early success can be attributed to his family connections.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Tom was asked to identify the most exciting up-and-coming guitarist currently catching his attention. Rather than naming an outside musician, he pointed toward his own son, taking the opportunity to dismiss the nepotism criticism.
“Here’s the thing: it’s not nepotism when your kid’s that fucking good. [Laughs] There’s a lot of great players out there, but I’ll put my kid up against anybody.
“He has something that I didn’t have, which is an ear. I had to fight forever because I had zero natural ability, so it took me maybe 10 years to find my voice. But Roman Morello has got an ear and has a natural [internal] jukebox.”
Tom also highlighted Roman’s contributions to ‘Everyone Gets Everything They Want’, revealing that his son co-wrote five songs on the album. Their creative relationship apparently involves a fair amount of riff borrowing, with Tom admitting that he regularly listens for ideas coming from his son’s room.
“My son Roman was a co-writer of five songs from this record. I always have an ear to his door and poach his best riffs, so there’s a kinship there.
“He has the Morello DNA and writes riffs that are familiar to me. But his fingers move in ways I’d never think of. So, the riff from ‘Everyone Gets Everything They Want’ is really counterintuitive to me.
“And then there’s another from ‘Soldier In The Army Of Love’, where there are these big pentatonic riffs. You might go, ‘That’s a Tom Morello riff,’ but it’s not. That’s a Roman riff that Tom had some difficulty learning. [Laughs]”
With five co-writing credits on his father’s latest album and an increasingly visible presence in his musical world, Roman is establishing himself as more than just Tom Morello’s son. And according to the legendary guitarist, the younger Morello is already bringing ideas to the table that challenge even his own playing abilities.
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