‘Kurt had a beautiful grasp of songwriting’ - Dave Grohl says in new interview

Dave Grohl, an extraordinary musician, and all-round good guy. He spent many a year as best friend to Metal icon Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, a former bandmate of Led Zeppelin legend, John Paul Jones, occasional drummer for Queens of The Stone Age and not to mention frontman of one of the biggest Rock bands on Earth, Foo Fighters. Oh, and he was in Nirvana.

He is arguably one of the most successful artists of modern times. He went from playing 500 capacity shows with Seattle Grunge icons Nirvana to selling out stadiums around the world and headlining some of the biggest festivals on the planet. One festival close to his heart is the UK’s Reading & Leeds Festival, which Foo Fighters are again scheduled to headline on Sunday 25th August 2019.

With over 30 million records sold with Foo Fighters, Grohl still seems to be able to remain one of the most seemingly down to Earth rock stars of the day. He recently spoke to The Guardian Newspaper, detailing a track by track guide to some of his landmark songs throughout his career. In which, he gave a few insights into his time working with Kurt Cobain, QOTSA, and what it’s like to be in a band with a member of Led Zeppelin.


Grohl reveals some of his appreciation for Kurt as a musician when discussing Smells Like Teen Spirit. “Kurt had a beautiful grasp of songwriting in its simplicity and depth”.

“We spoke to each other in the rehearsal room at volume 10 as we were playing. I knew when the verse was coming because I could see Kurt’s foot getting close to turning off the distortion pedal. We would watch each other’s body language and the song built into this crescendo, then exploded.”

“I didn’t think it was the anthem.” Says Grohl reflecting on Smells Like Teen Spirit. “It would be as moving if it were Kurt and a guitar. We were very protective about our music. We wouldn’t pick up instruments and start singing for no reason. We wouldn’t go play shows that meant nothing to us. Every time we played it was blood and guts. To hear that song on the radio is one thing but to stand in front of us as we did it in the room? Fuckin’ A. It was more than sound. You could actually feel it. Wow”

“It wasn’t an intentional battle cry. It was a piece of the puzzle. What teenager didn’t want to start a riot in the fucking high-school gymnasium? We all did. At that point, we just kept our heads down and played shows. Our expectations were not lofty. Fuck no. All I wanted was my own apartment so I didn’t have to sleep on Kurt’s couch any more”

Grohl also mentioned he’s basically best buddies with Josh Homme from Queens of The Stone Age. “Josh is one of my best friends,” he says. “We’re like brothers. We go out and have waffles together. We ride motorcycles. There is nobody I’d rather play drums with. He’s the guy.”

And then there’s being in a band with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. “There are times when you’ve relaxed into a sofa and you’re not thinking about his time in Led Zeppelin. Then you start playing and you’re immediately reminded that you are a musical speck compared to this man. It’s still hard to accept that I got to play in a band with that guy. Technically we’re still a band.”