different view. we are going to help our brothers in need, who we have never met, from halfway around the world. you can make it happen, but you have to fight for it. the comment you made about the president leading to -- how should we say this, man up? that is a kind and generous and charitable way to say it. your sense about what he needs to do in this moment has you singing but this kind of song. >> a lot of us hoped it was going to be a different kind of president. perhaps because he looked and talks like a different president, but for two years i was at scheduling secretary for u.s. senator alan cranston. working in the internal gears of the democratic party, i got to see what a huge influence money has. there is this nexus of moneyed

interests and political power that has swallowed our society hold. the people who pay for it are the people on the bottom rungs of the latter. that is why you see these austerity measures across europe causing such conflagrations from greece to spain to madison, wisconsin. tavis: what do these kinds of songs do? what do they put out in the universe in troubled times like these? >> growing up, music was something that really steeled my backbone for the struggles in my life around issues of race and class. i think they can do the same things now. in our country, there has never been a successful, progressive struggle that did not have a sound track. whether the civil rights movement, workers' rights, women's rights, there have to be songs at the barricades, and those are the kind of songs i try to write. tavis: you would be the first person who comes to mind for who

is on that sound track. if we wanted to play game, we could go back and forth. on the soundtrack of the 1960's, those turbulent times. what kind of artists do you think will historically be looked back on it as being on the soundtrack of these times, other than tom laurell --, rel. -- a other thantom morrell. >> there is a little bit of disillusionment and malaise, but people are coming out of that. artists like steve earle and bruce springsteen, to new bands like rise against. groups like butch riley, and rage against the machine.

rage against the machine chores at a rather gentlemanly pace. we played one door in 2011. -- one show in 2011. tavis: what is this solo thing? what is it doing for you at this point in your career. >> i started doing it almost 10 years ago as kind of an antidote for my arena rock life. i wanted to do something that was exclusively a solo endeavour that was very pure. when you are in a big band like rage against the machine, it is like this big army that goes to war using rock as its cause. with the nightwatchman, it is guerrilla warfare. i like tel mobile i can be, too. for example, when the union uprising was occurring in madison, i saw that one day on

tv. i was there playing to 100,000 people on the steps of the capital the not be the next day. i have two boys under two, and there is definitely a balancing act that takes place. i second job was about to be born the day i went to madison. my wife knew what i was thinking when i watched that protest in madison. we agree that our borders are going to be union men. it is crucially important to be present in the lives of your children. they are my most important cause that i fight for, but i feel an added responsibility that i want to leave them a better world than the one we have now. i don't want to leave this mess around for them to clean up. i want to swing as hard as i can to straighten things out for them. tavis: you went to school where? >> harvard university. tavis: i am curious undertake as to the e. lee culture in our

society. it seems to me that as a guy who came out of harvard, i would think what they would teach you is you should not speak ill of another harvard alum. they taught that, you obviously did not get that lesson. [laughter] talk to me about what you do coming out of that privileged educational background of harvard and cambridge, and so much of what you say is an assault and attack against the elites that run this country. >> there are a lot of elements to harbor. the credo of the university is veritas, which means truth. i went on mostly a full scholarship. my mom was a public house -- public high school teacher. the reason i went there is because they had the most

diverse student body. bashing the leak is what i am all about in my music. they ---in theelte. -- bashing the elite is what i am all about in my music. something is just not right in the water. while it is intangible how exactly we are going to attack it, people are starting to try. >> president obama gave a speech at the congressional black caucus where he ordered that infamous phrase, stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. there has been great debates in the african community and beyond about whether the president went o far.

i got in some trouble by asking rather forthrightly whether this president would ever similarly speak to our jewish brothers and sisters, our hispanic brothers and sisters, gays and lesbians, wall street. he would never utter that kind of speech. i am curious as to whether or not when he says stop complaining, stop rolling, stop crying, whether that is your read, or whether it is the exact opposite, and enough people are not speaking up. >> i think the president should stop complaining, stop grumbling, and stop crying himself. why can he not shut down guantanamo bay? the global economy was torpedoed by the malfeasance of wall street, and not one of those bankers is in jail. i think those animal cages at guantanamo would be better filled with some of those wall

street bankers, and the people who deny us health care. the lack of adequate health care kills tens of thousands of americans a year, much more than 9/11. that sort of party is created by that economic malfeasance of the super rich. it creates devastating impact for the poor and working-class in this country. as someone with experience working in a progressive democratic office, i am not waiting for that. it is the people who watch your show that make it happen. it is people whose names are not highlighted in history books. whether the president is calling out this community or that, that is almost immaterial to me. my music is made for the people who are willing to stand up and change this world themselves. tavis: what is the pain threshold of the people who listen to your music? >> i think people are reaching it now. they are -- the title "world

wide rebel songs" was prescient. i think you are seeing on a global scale people willing to go to varying degrees. as we had more into the election cycle, these issues will bubble to the surface. you will see tens of thousands of people in the streets. tavis: troubled times call for troubled songs, songs that unsettle our souls and spirits unapologetically. tom morello, i am happy to have you on this show. up next, "captain america" star chris evans. stay with us. tavis: chris evans is a talented

actor who menino from "captain america." you can see him in the new drama "puncture." >> my plan has approached every other law firm in texas and they all said no. he is broke. this is a major antitrust case. you know the money and muscle that goes into it. he does not have the money to sit across from the receptionist at some of these firms. my partner and i are the only ones who are willing to take this risk. we believe in this case. we believe in it. >> give me a chance. i will go back to houston and get myself clean up. tavis: you have a real character here, chris.

how did you like it? >> it was great. it was a little intimidating, because it rests in dig it was a real character. his partner, his law firm partner wrote the script and gave us the script. everyone was so willing to share with us whatever they could. that is great, but it is nerve wracking. you have to approach it with a lot of respect. tavis: having done this for the first time, playing a real-life character, would you have referred but you had, relying on family and friends and all partners, to give you a sense of who he was, or preferred to have had him around? which would have been more intimidating for you? >> that is a tough call. a lot of pros and cons. if you have the guy around, they are going to expect a synch with who he is. you will have to match speech patterns and cadence, which

would have been fine. not having him around afforded a little more artistic license. the only problem with that is, the people you are making the movie for or the family and friends. i am just getting stories from them. they are giving me tidbits about who he was and the way he acted. as a result, you cannot match speech pattern and cadence. are they going to see the movie expecting to see mike, when i can only get so close to center from stories. i guess i kind of dogs to the question. -- dodged the question. now that i have done it this way, i am used to doing it this way. i guess i would not change the way i would approach the project. tavis: i should probably ask you to explain what the project is.

what is the film about? >> it is about two houston lawyers back in that 1990's. they took on a case -- hospitals were not using the safest products available for their staff. they ended up finding out that these purchasing organizations with whom the hospitals had contracts with the manufacturers, it ended up being payola. the companies for getting a kick back for the products they would buy from these manufacturers. there was an inventor who created a safety needle. it can only be used once, but it would retract. it was a retractable safety neal. all in all, it ended up costing pennies more to make, but these hospitals had these contracts set up with these manufacturers. as a result, the number is insane. 800,000 accidental needle

sticks a year for the frontline health care workers, nurses and doctors who are contracting things like hepatitis and aids. with every accidental needle sticks, you are looking at millions more dollars in follow- up testing and losses. it would have saved money over time to have switched to the more effective needles, but they had these contracts with these manufacturers. it was pretty correct. >> and you end up playing an attorney. >> myself and my partner took this case on. everyone i spoke to said that mike was easily the most brilliant lawyer, person they had ever met. they said there are some lawyers who are both lawyers and do the research, and some who are courtroom lawyers. they said this guy was a master at both. unfortunately, he also happen to be a pretty bad drug addict. a very high functioning drug addict, but he kept it quiet.

no one knew until unfortunately, he passed away. tavis: when i got the film, i was struck by -- and i talk to actors all the time. i was struck by the complexity of character that you have to embody. this lawyer who was brilliant on one hand an awfully good at what he does in the courtroom. on the other hand, he himself as a drug addict. how much of that was a turn on for you and wanted to play the character of that complexity? >> i read the script, and i just liked the character. whether it was a true story, whether it was a topic that needed to be discussed socially, and something that needed some light shed on it. i will be completely honest, i just like the character of first. we can address an issue that needs to be discussed, there are people dying and that obviously was a motivating factor. i will admit selfishly, it was

more about my connection to the words on the page. tavis: given what you just said about liking the character, how are you making choices these days, balancing out the big blockbuster stuff with this indie stuff for you just like the character? >> you go to these little movies and is a five-week shoot. everyone is therefore no money, and the pace is extreme. you are going through eight or nine pages a day and you have to call on every part of you as an actor to be ready and be prepared. i have been a part of a few that have not gone well. you get a sense of a creative vacancy, the sense that may be the studio might be peaking out a product. i was lucky enough on "captain america" to have one of the best experiences of my life. tavis: as the story goes, you

did not want to do it. >> i had had a bad experience. if anyone has seen my movies of the past, they were not that good. if it was easy to make good movies, there were be more of them. unfortunate, i have been a part of a few that missed the mark. the past 10 years of filmmaking, it always felt like the smaller ones had a better chance. they just did not have the platform. taking on "captain america" -- it came with all those strings attached. i decided to do it, and thank god, because it was so great. now we have "the avengers" coming out. i allot to big budget films.

i allot two marble --i owe a lot to marvel. but there is a difference in making it big movies versus small. tavis: what you learn as an actor, and you now can see here an admittedly, public, and with humility, because i have been a part of films that blocked -- what do you take away from that as a thespian when you do stuff that does flop? >> you look back and say, is there is anything i could have done differently? it is a lot of creative people, and have to know your boundaries. you cannot give suggestions when it is not your place. you are making the calls and i have to run the placys. with "captain america" i never

felt so involved. it felt like a welcome place to give suggestions. anytime i have been part of a film where it did not work out, i look back and say, i should have spoke up. why did i not say anything? you are trying not to step on toes or crossed boundaries. but again, it is a collaboration. tavis: which means it is not all your fault. >> of course. that is why going into it you want to make sure you have people that you work well with. i have taken movies where i had one meeting with the director and it was brief. the new jump on board and you get to the rehearsal process and realize you did not really click. i guess it is just about doing your homework and making sure you know who you are going to be working with. once you are working, try and be involved. obviously it is a fine line, but involved. obviously it is a fine line, but if you have something