Rock ’n’ roll’s relatable Everyman
Foo Fighters’ founder Dave Grohl driven by his belief in the unifying power of music
Dave Grohl has done so much throughout his career — drummed for Nirvana, arguably the biggest band of its generation; led Foo Fighters, one of the most successful acts of the past three decades; sold out Wembley Stadium, twice; played on the White House lawn; interviewed the sitting president of the United States; broke his leg during a show and finished the show with the broken leg; entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with another induction likely on the way; recorded with both living Beatles; appeared on “The Muppets,” also twice — that when you ask him what’s left, he takes a moment.
“That’s one of those things that I think of every morning when I wake up,” Grohl, 52, said.
“What have we not done? What could we do today?”
Over the past 25 years, Foo Fighters have steadily grown from a one-man project into a bona fide rock institution. “It’s almost like we’re farmers, and the field just keeps growing,” Grohl said of the band’s stacking accomplishments. “Then we harvest it, and then it grows some more, and then we harvest it, and it grows some more.”
Though their music has spanned the spectrum of what was once considered “alternative,” the Foos have become comfortably associated with a style of adrenalizing, heavyfooted hard rock, doled out in concerts that commonly stretch past the two-hour mark. While that sound has enabled the band to build a lucrative business — their worldwide tour behind the 2017 album “Concrete and Gold” grossed $114 million, per the industry trade Pollstar — rock hasn’t led the record business in more than a decade. The band hasn’t charted a Top 40 single since 2007.
Yet Foo Fighters occupy a rare space as a band with mainstream appeal, led by an undeniably famous star who does not yet feel like an elder statesman. Blessed with relentless energy and a robust contacts list, they’re called upon whenever rock music with joy and gravitas is required, whether it’s David Letterman’s final late-night show, an all-star Prince tribute at the Grammys, a benefit for musicians financially affected by coronavirus, or the Kennedy Center Honors. No matter where Foo Fighters show up, they always make sense.
This is partly a result of consistency — by sticking around, without courting controversy, and releasing numerous hit songs with staying power, Foo Fighters have become recognizable to multiple generations. Nirvana remains an important band for successive iterations of young people, and Grohl will always be a member. But whereas the rock stars of yesteryear loomed as unapproachable icons, Grohl feels like a relatable Everyman, someone you could actually have a beer with.
And as the years have worn on, and more of his peers have died or receded from the spotlight, he has kept going, a survivor of his old band, his era, and trend after trend after trend. None of which seems to have lessened his indefatigable positivity, all of which he channels into summoning that rock ’n’ roll communal catharsis, whenever required.
The band’s new album, “Medicine at Midnight,” is a subtle but distinct pivot. Without shedding their traditional distorted guitars and expansive howling, the Foos have consciously incorporated dance and funk rhythms into their new songs, influenced by artists like David Bowie and the Rolling Stones who did the same.
Grohl’s long journey through the music industry began in the mid-’80s, when he dropped out of high school to drum for the Washington, D.C., hardcore band Scream. After it disbanded, he was invited to audition for the open drummer slot in Nirvana, then an up-andcoming Seattle-based band. Not long after, Nirvana recorded and released “Nevermind,” an industry-topping smash that tilted the axis of mainstream taste toward angsty rock.
Butch Vig, who produced the 1991 “Nevermind,” recalled Kurt Cobain hyping up Grohl as “the world’s greatest drummer,” and being blown away by the force of his playing in the studio. “But the thing that struck me was he had this unbelievable energy to him — he brought so much life and power to the band, but also some levity,” Vig said. “As the band evolved, and became this massive success, I could see a lot of the weight of the world being internalized in Kurt, and Dave continued to bring a sense of humor and joy to what Nirvana was doing.”
After Cobain’s 1994 suicide, Grohl was offered several other drumming jobs, including a full-time role with Tom Petty, but decided to pursue his own solo project: Foo Fighters, its name cribbed from a World War II phrase for UFOs.
He ended up playing every instrument on what would become the group’s 1995 debut album and recruited ex-Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, as well as bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith of the proto-emo group Sunny Day Real Estate to form a touring band.
Over the next few years, the Foos toured and recorded furiously, releasing several singles that became staples of rock radio: “Everlong,” “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly.” Despite their success, there was little stability: Goldsmith quit and was replaced by Taylor Hawkins; Smear left over touring pressures (he returned in 2005); Mendel almost quit, too. “A long time went by where each album could have been our last,” Grohl said. They nearly split while recording the 2002 album
“One by One,” during which they scrapped the entire record amid an escalation in interpersonal tension.
“That was the first time we’d really hit any kind of roadblock,” Mendel said. When the dust cleared following many heart-to-heart conversations, “One by One” was successfully rerecorded to commercial acclaim, and the band finally emerged as a stable unit.
Above all, Grohl maintains a forceful belief in the unifying power of music — in creating a space where people can come together and scream to feel something. As he explained it, everything the band has done, and continues to do, stems from this very clear purpose.
“I just want to stay alive and play music, especially after Nirvana,” he said. “When Kurt died, I truly woke up the next day and felt so lucky to be alive, and so heartbroken that someone can just disappear. I decided to take advantage of that, for the rest of my life.”