Tom Morello Announces Photo Memoir ‘Whatever It Takes’

Tom Morello will provide a pictorial history of his long career in music in Whatever It Takes, an upcoming photo memoir featuring previously unpublished ephemera and photographs from the guitarist’s own archives.

“This is a book about a lifelong mission,” Morello said in a statement. “A mission that more often can be felt rather than articulated. There are clues to the nature of the mission in the guitar riffs, the crazy solos, the lyrics, and in the shared sweat and solidarity of friends and comrades onstage and off.”

Genesis Publications will release the hardback photo memoir on October 13th. In addition to photos spanning from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave to his solo Nightwatchman and Prophets of Rage, Whatever It Takes also collects handwritten notes and setlists. The photographs are also accompanied by Morello’s own commentary, while documentarian Michael Moore, Prophets of Rage bandmate Chuck D and Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner provide introductions for the photo memoir.

Morello added: “I dug deep into my garage and photo albums to find pictures that I hadn’t seen in many years. Some of the photos show history in the making. Some are historically rocking. And some are historically embarrassing.” Morello also discussed the book during his recent “RS Interview: Special Edition.”

In addition to the “bookstore” version, Whatever It Takes is available in limited and deluxe editions, with both autographed editions paired with Little Red Songbook — a booklet of songs and chord charts from the Nightwatchman — and an exclusive 7-inch vinyl disc featuring the title track, “Whatever It Takes,” and a previously unreleased, live recording of “Vigilante Nocturno” from the recent Atlas Underground Tour. The deluxe edition, limited to 150 copies, is bound in “vegan leather” and comes with a lyric print of “Let Freedom Ring” printed on heavyweight paper.

All three versions are available to preorder now through Genesis Publications ahead of Whatever It Takes’ October 13th release.