Moyers & Company — Season 1, Episode 16: Tom Morello, Troubadour for Justice

Episode synopsis

Songs of social protest — music and the quest for justice — have long been intertwined, and the troubadours of troubling times — Guthrie, Seeger, Baez, Dylan, and Springsteen among them — have become famous for their dedication to both. Now we can add a name to the ranks of those who lift their voices for social and economic justice: Tom Morello. Morello is the Harvard-educated guitarist who dabbled in politics, then chose rock music to make a difference. He played guitar for the popular band he co-founded — Rage Against the Machine — and then for Audioslave. Rolling Stone chose his album “World Wide Rebel Songs” as one of the best of 2011, and named him one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. As likely to be spotted at a grass-roots rally as he would at a concert hall, Morello was in Madison, Wisconsin last year, braving bitter winter weather to sing on the steps of the state capitol in support of public service workers.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1On Winner-Take-All Politics
• E2Crony Capitalism
• E3How Big Banks are Rewriting the Rules of Our Economy
• E4How Do Conservatives and Liberals See the World?
• E5Economic Malpractice and the Millennials
• E6Decoding the Campaigns
• E7Where Movies End and Politics Begins
• E8Moving Beyond War
• E9Standing Up For Democracy
• E10Gambling With Your Money
• E11An Optimist for Our Times
• E12The Case for Old-School Faith & Politics