Tom Morello has shared what he feels has been the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s “most egregious oversight”: Iron Maiden.
While on The Eddie Trunk Podcast, shared yesterday (November 12), Morello spoke passionately about the heavy metal veterans being snubbed to this day. Morello’s former band Rage Against the Machine entered the Hall last year, with the guitarist accepting the honour on the band’s behalf.
“I will chew my leg off like a coyote in a trap if I can’t get Iron Maiden in,” Morello declared. “While there are many other deserving acts, Iron Maiden for me is the most egregious oversight in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
He called the band “the gold standard of metal bands”, but added that he knows their vocalist Bruce Dickinson has “said he doesn’t really care.”
“Well I care as a fan. I care very, very much about it,” he continued. “So I’m gonna do all I can to get, [with] whatever limited influence I have, to get Iron Maiden in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
In 2018, Dickinson told The Jerusalem Post that he “will refuse” if the band was offered a spot in the Hall of Fame. “They won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.”
Dave Murray, Bruce Dickinson, and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden perform onstage during the Power Trip music festival at Empire Polo Club on October 06, 2023 in Indio, California. CREDIT: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Power Trip
“Rock & roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland,” Dickinson added. “It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.
Morello knows about the extent of Dickinson’s feelings too: “I’m sure there are some people who are thinking about, ‘What will the show be if one of the headliners doesn’t show up?’” Morello told podcast host, in the event Iron Maiden does get nominated.
Greg Harris, the CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, addressed Iron Maiden’s absence from their list in both 2021 and 2023. “We love that people care; that they care if they’re in or out, and that their fans care,” he said last year.
“Now, the truth is, anybody that’s nominated, the odds are good that they’re eventually gonna get in. In fact, I think it may be as high as 90 per cent eventually go in.”
Rage Against the Machine have reunited twice in their history: the first time in 2007 and then again in 2019. The band’s future is unclear, but several signs have pointed to the band being done once again.
In his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame speech, Morello addressed the crowd: “If you’re bummed out you didn’t get to see Rage Against the Machine, then form your own band, and let’s hear what you have to say. If you’re a human being, stand up for your planet before it’s too late.”
In January, drummer Brad Wilk posted a statement on Instagram that appeared to confirm that the band had ended for good. Bassist Tim Commerford, instead, gave an unsure answer saying he simply waits “for someone to tell me what to do.”
Earlier this month, Morello hit out at Rage Against The Machine fans who “weren’t intelligent enough” to understand their politics.
English (US) · 