‘That Metal Show’ Recap: Tom Morello Lists Randy Rhoads as Favorite Guitarist

Tom Morello returned to VH1 Classic's 'That Metal Show' on the programs' latest episode, which aired Saturday night (Sept. 3). The Rage Against the Machine axeman talked about how he picked up the guitar and then promptly put it down due to a guitar teacher who tried to quell his desire to play 'Detroit Rock City' and 'Black Dog' in favor of learning how to tune the instrument and how to play scales. Thankfully for hard rock and metal fans, Morello was not deterred and didn't give up.

He talked about how "angry times need angry songs" and how through the years, he learned that a rap group like NWA can be as heavy as a metal band like Sepultura.

The hosts joked that there are no "slow songs" or "bathroom/beer break" songs in the Rage Against the Machine arsenal, making it exhausting for fans that explode in the mosh pit. "Rage rehearsals are very athletic events," Morello joked, proving that it's just as physically taxing on the members even during practice. "We never play more than two hours, but we pack about six hours ... a marathon's worth of energy into it."

While studying at Harvard, Morello said that he started a "Headbanger's table" at Harvard and that with a Randy Rhoads poster on the wall, he began practicing up to eight hours a day, learning techniques and how to make his instrument sound like a turntable at points.

If you are a fan of Morello's work in Audioslave -- his band with Chris Cornell and two other members of Rage Against the Machine -- don't hold out hope for any sort of reunion. While the band's split was not a pleasant one, the ex-members are in a good place now. "Chris and I text regularly, but there are no thoughts of doing that," Morello said about his relationship with Cornell and any potential reunion.

King's X's Doug Pinnick was the next guest and he spoke about 30 years of peddling prog metal and turning 61 with the desire of being the oldest living rocker. With Tony McAlpine as the guest guitarist and Morello and Pinnick as guests, Morello joked that it was the African American metal guitarists episode. The guitarists talked about the challenges of being a black guitarist and that before Living Color broke commercially, Jimi Hendrix was the only standard for them to go by. Morello said while he respects Hendrix, his favorite is Randy Rhoads.

It was riff-filled episode of 'That Metal Show!'

Watch a Brief Clip of Tom Morello's Appearance on 'That Metal Show'