Tom Morello Names His Four Greatest Musical Failures (+ Why It Was Good for Him)

Though he's one of the most celebrated guitarists in rock, Tom Morello's music career has been met with its fair share of failure.

But in a new Guitar World interview, the guitarist broke down some of the adversity he's faced and how it's made him a better musician in the long run. In fact, he shared what he calls "the four pillars of my career," in which he breaks down how he kept moving forward from his most disappointing moments.

What Was Tom Morello's First Greatest Musical Failure?

The first failure came before Morello ever achieved any sort of fame. In fact, his entire career might not have happened had it not been for one life-changing record that sparked his inspiration to play guitar once more.

"The first [failure] was when I was 13 and wanted to learn Led Zeppelin’s 'Black Dog' and KISS' 'Detroit Rock City,'" Morello began. "I failed and I quit guitar. I told my mom, 'Music is not for me' and the guitar sat in my closet for four years before I touched it again."

He recalled, "After getting a Sex Pistols cassette, which is when I picked up the guitar again, there was a determination to forge my own path without lessons and to find my voice without someone telling me what to do."

What Was Tom Morello's Second Greatest Musical Failure?

His second failure resulted in one of his greatest triumphs as a musician and it involves a now pretty famous guitar.

"Failure number two was when I had this overpriced guitar that I got at a custom shop in L.A. and it was the worst guitar I ever played. It felt and looked the worst and I’d blown a bunch of money," he revealed.  "I spent the next year changing the neck, pickups, electronics and whammy bar and I also had an amp I thought sucked."

There was a specific sound he was trying to get and while he knew what it sounded like in his head, he was unable to achieve it after hours in rehearsal and "gave up."

"I was spending too much time worrying about tone and not creating," he confessed, "So, I marked the setting on my amp and said, 'This is the guitar I’ve got and this is the gear I’ve got.' That was the Arm the Homeless guitar, my 50-watt Marshall half-stack and the Peavey cabinet I’ve used on 22 records."

tom morello, rage against the machine

What Was Tom Morello's Third Greatest Musical Failure?

The third failure is something that's not uncommon, especially with musicians first starting out and being part of the music industry for the first time.

"The third failure was when my band Lock Up got dropped. I moved to Hollywood to be a rock star and make records. I got a record deal and it was spectacular," recalled Morello. "Our record came out and 15 minutes later, we got dropped. I failed my quest."

Of the experience, he shared, "The producer for that record had me tone it down and be smoother. After that, I vowed to never play another note of music that I didn’t believe in and that’s when I started writing riffs for Rage Against the Machine."

What Was Tom Morello's Fourth Greatest Musical Failure?

Morello's fourth musical failure is still a bit of a work in progress.

He divulged, "The last pillar of my career: not being able to keep Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave together. I had these two massive bands with billions of streams and they dissipated."

But, as he added, "That opened a door to some of the greatest musical experiences of my life. A million windows opened for me because those two doors closed, leading to what I'm doing to this day."

READ MORE: Tom Morello Preps for His First-Ever Solo Album

Morello concluded, "So, those four massive failures led to a career I’ve absolutely loved and am proud of.

What Tom Morello Previously Said About His Musical Failures?

Back in 2024, Tom Morello also broached the topic of embracing his failures with Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong

"I was in a band before Rage Against the Machine called Lock Up and I signed a deal with Geffen Records. Everybody back home in Illinois thinks you're a millionaire, [but] you're living in a squat with six roommates and [you're eating] some cheese and ramen," he said.

The guitarist confessed to being young and naive and putting too much trust in what the record company was asking. "They must know," he said. "They have Guns N' Roses on that label ... We were like, they must know. We listened to them and we made a record that I wasn't as proud of as I would have liked."

"We had our 15 seconds of interest from them and they stopped returning phone calls," he continued. "We were summarily dropped and we walked away with about 400 bucks. I was 27 years old. I had failed. I had moved to Los Angeles, I moved to Hollywood, I had my shot at the brass ring. The day that band got dropped, I made a solemn vow that I was never going to play another note of music that I didn't believe in."

"There's a lesson in that that I followed over the course of 22 records. I'm going to play the music I want to play, make the music I want to make," he concluded.

Tom Morello on Tour in 2026 + 2027

In 2026, Morello is now doing things for himself. He just released the new album Everyone Gets Everything They Want and he's hitting the road in support of the record.

Morello's next round of touring comes in March 2027 when he sets out on a run of Canadian markets that kicks off March 1 in Calgary, Alberta. Check his website for dates, markets and ticketing information.

Below, see the 14 biggest rock and metal tours announced for 2027 so far.