“I didn’t even get the question out”: How Peter Frampton convinced Tom Morello to play on his new album
Earlier this year, Peter Frampton released Carry The Light, his first album of all-new rock material in 16 years. Written and produced alongside his son Julian Frampton, the album features guest appearances from Sheryl Crow, Bill Evans, H.E.R., Graham Nash, and Tom Morello.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Frampton reveals how a shared manager and a mutual admiration for each other’s work led to Morello joining the record – and, as it turns out, the Rage Against The Machine guitarist didn’t need much convincing.
READ MORE: “I was scared to death with the situation I was in”: Peter Frampton explains why the incredible success of Frampton Comes Alive was the “scariest thing”
“I’ve known Tom for a while now – I keep bumping into him,” Frampton says. “We’re managed by the same person, and I’ve been a huge fan of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and – rest in peace – Chris Cornell. I’m a big fan of his.”
That connection eventually gave Frampton the opening to ask Morello about joining him in the studio.
“So a couple of years ago, I said to Tom, ‘If I’d a song, would you…,’ and he said ‘Yes!’ I didn’t even get the question out! It was wonderful, and he said some lovely things about Frampton Comes Alive! and how it affected him.”
Morello’s contribution ended up on Lions At The Gate, a protest song about the concentration of wealth and power among billionaires. Frampton says the title was inspired by the huge lion statues he saw outside mansions when he first visited Beverly Hills in the late ’60s.
“To me, that always made me feel like they were showing off their power,” he explains. “Basically it’s a protest song, saying that we’ve got to stick together. There’s safety in numbers, and we’re a band of brothers, and we’ve got to fight this.”
For Frampton, Carry The Light also arrives at an important point in his relationship with the guitar. The guitarist revealed in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with inclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive neuromuscular condition that has affected his ability to play.
Rather than stepping away from the instrument, however, Frampton says he has embraced the “challenge” of continuing to perform as the condition progresses.
“I can’t complain about my life at all,” he told People recently. “Yes, it’s not the most pleasant thing to have. It changes your life. It’s not going to end it, but yeah, it’s a little difficult. But really I’ve gotten used to it, and I like the challenge of being able to do what I do as it progresses.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
