Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello is an influential musician in his own right but in a new interview with UltimateClassicRock, he talks all about working with legendary Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Morello not only filled in for guitarist Steve Van Zandt during an Australian trek, but he also plays on eight tracks on the new Springsteen album 'High Hopes.'

On playing with Springsteen and company, Morello says, “I try not to over-intellectualize it. My No. 1 job is to not mess it up. The E Street Band is one of the greatest live bands of all time without me in it. So don’t f— it up, first and foremost. And then when Bruce gives me the nod, blow the roof off the joint. That’s the way I look at it.”

He also talks about the very nerve-wracking experience of performing with Bruce Springsteen for the first time, “I rarely as a grown man get nervous before a performance. I’m often excited, but I rarely get nervous, and I was really nervous.“

The guitarist continues, “I was about to play onstage with the E Street Band, and Bruce had modulated the key of the song for the electric version and I thought it might be out of my range, and I was sort of stewing downstairs with a half-empty bottle of Jameson’s Irish whiskey, then went up there and played it with them. It was like, “Holy s—, what just happened in this room?” It was a combustible chemistry, and I’ve had the honor to relive that chemistry a number of times over the years, and that began a musical relationship that has culminated in playing eight songs on this record.”

For Ultimate Classic Rock's full interview with Morello, click the red button below:

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