The way corporate media likes to portray America is as a homogenous whole that high-five's each other at the Super Bowl. But what we have is a grotesque disparity between the rich and poor that is only getting wider.
Tom MorelloRead
Then about 12 years ago it dawned on me that folk music - the music of Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs, early Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger - could be as heavy as anything that comes through a Marshall stack. The combination of three chords and the right lyrical couplet can be as heavy as anything in the Metallica catalogue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Folk music can carry deep emotional weight, comparable to heavier genres like rock or metal.
In this quote, Tom Morello expresses the realization that folk music, despite its simplicity and use of basic chords, can convey profound emotions and messages, akin to the powerful sounds produced by rock and metal music. He highlights the artistry involved in crafting lyrics and melodies that resonate deeply, demonstrating that depth in music is not solely dependent on complexity or volume but rather on emotional connection and lyrical content.
Themes
Folk MusicEmotional WeightArtistryLyricsMusical Genres
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the impact of music on culture, this quote can illustrate how different genres can carry significant meaning.
More from Tom Morello
All quotes →Music and the arts feed our souls, but a decent wage puts food on the table. Musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations are a potent force to fight for social justice.
Tom MorelloRead
Of course, music is an art form, and it's not all that competitive. But we don't ever intend to be the second-best band on a stage at any show.
Tom MorelloRead
Paul Ryan's love for Rage Against The Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades
Tom MorelloRead
Music, I think, is best when it honestly explores personal demons, and it stirs around in the silt of the psyche to find out what's really there.
Tom MorelloRead
Paul Ryan's love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades.
Tom MorelloRead
Similar quotes
A work of art is one through which the consciousness of the artist is able to give its emotions to anyone who is prepared to receive them. There is no such thing as bad art.
Muriel RukeyserRead
I was saying as a joke the other day that I love film editing, I know how to cut a picture, I think I know how to shoot it, but I don't know how to light it. And I realize it's because I didn't grow up with light. I grew up in tenements.
Martin ScorseseRead
Profoundness, genius, spontaneity, merit, nobility, ingenuity, voice propriety, feeling, discernment, sensibility, good taste, great tone, rightness, courtliness, vivacity, boldness, style, freshness, harmony, perfection, imagination, purity, correctness. The greatest writer of all times. God's most astonishing creation.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
I am installed in a fairylike place. I do not know where to poke my head; everything is superb, and I would like to do everything, so I use up and squander lots of color, for there are trials to be made.
Claude MonetRead
Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his own tongue
Henri MatisseRead
Music has the capacity to touch the innermost reaches of the soul and music gives flight to the imagination.
PlatoRead