Morello and Mimesis: Genre Signifiers and Political Commentary

Murray, Samuel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1574-4929 (2022) Morello and Mimesis: Genre Signifiers and Political Commentary. In: 13TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM “MUSIC IN SOCIETY”, 7th-10th December 2022, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Abstract / Summary

“Animal, vegetable, mineral, whatever – you name it and the man Morello will take out his guitar and mimic it.” (Guitar World, 2021). While the use of mimesis amongst guitarists is not necessarily an uncommon technique, it is often employed as a musical trick, or a novelty gesture intended to display a virtuosic mastery of the instrument. This paper argues that Morello uses mimesis in a much more nuanced and deliberate manner in order to communicate important aspects of his band’s musical and political identity to the listener.
By analysing musical examples taken from Morello’s guitar playing within the band Rage Against the Machine, this paper investigates how the specific sounds Morello chooses to imitate help situate the band contextually in terms of genre, epoch and geographical location. Furthermore, the role which these mimetic sounds play in reinforcing what LeVan described as the band’s “Militant Poetics” (2013) is examined.

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