Tom Morello performed at Hellfest 2024 this past Friday, and while he was in France for the festival, he spoke at a press conference about the state of the world, calling on metalheads and other music fans to seize their potential as “agents of history.”

Morello began by noting that “there’s really one message that is a thread through all of my music, and that is: the world is not going to change itself. That is up to you. And by ‘you,’ I literally mean you.”

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Continuing, the former Rage Against the Machine guitarist delivered some inspiring words. “Sometimes it seems like this sort of monolithic problem that we’ll never be able to get past… But you are not witnesses to history; you are agents of history,” he said. “History is not something that happened; it’s something you make… Once you have that realization that you do have your hands on the wheel of history and of this planet, and if you wanna make it a more peaceful, a more just, a more equitable, a more anti-racist, a more environmentally sound place, there’s no one to blame if it doesn’t happen but you for not standing up.”

Focusing on the potential for change that everyone has, Morello emphasized the stakes of the current moment. “In part, literally the fate of the planet is at stake over the course of the next few decades,” he said. “So, it’s time for metalheads to get their shit together.”

Turning the discussion to music, Morello revealed that he sometimes feels “stuck” as being a guitar player. “I’m cursed, [but] it’s my calling,” he said. “I didn’t choose it; it chose me. So now I’ve gotta find some way to win to bend this weird hobby that I picked up as a teenager and try to change the fucking world with it.”

But regardless of your current role in the world, Morello believes in your power to change things. “It’s not easy, but wherever you are and whatever your job is, whatever your life is — whether it’s standing up to illegitimate authority in your home, your place of work, your school, your country, or whatever — history is not something that happens. It’s something that we make. So I would encourage you to not despair, [but] to act.”

For more, read a full transcription of Morello’s comments on Blabbermouth.

Meanwhile, Morello still has shows on the books for 2024, including European dates and a concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this September (grab tickets here). This past week, he shared a new single, “Soldier in the Army of Love,” which features his son, Roman Morello.