Rage's Tom Morello Denies
Chris Cornell Rumors
02.21.2001
FROM MTV.COMLOS ANGELES — There's been a lot of talk recently about former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell taking over the reins of a certain well-known rock band, and thankfully Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was able to clear things up a bit backstage at the Grammys. "First of all, I'd like to make things clear that Chris Cornell is not the new lead singer of the Foo Fighters." Actually, the rumors that have been swirling for the past several days said Cornell would be the new frontman for Rage Against the Machine, who were left without a singer after Zack de la Rocha left in October. Rage guitarist Tom Morello dismissed those rumors Wednesday (February 21) while vowing that Rage will continue. "Chris Cornell is definitely not the singer of Rage Against the Machine," Morello said backstage after his band won the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy for "Guerrilla Radio." Cornell did, however, jam with the remaining Rage members, said Morello, who described the experience as "really groundbreaking." As for the future of Rage, "Our only criteria for moving forward is to do something that's really great, and the chemistry feels fantastic," Morello said. "Depending on who it is, we may or may not keep the name Rage Against the Machine. We've been jamming with some friends, and it's been really fantastic, and the music we've been making the last couple months feels as great as anything we've ever done."
—Joe D'Angelo and Teri vanHorn