Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl discussed how the Beatles inspired him to pick up an instrument for the first time.
“I mean, listen, I picked up an instrument because of the Beatles,” Grohl explained. “I learned to play guitar with a Beatles songbook and a Beatles record, I didn’t take lessons — I took lessons from the Beatles. And so that was the seed that grew into this thing now.”
Of course, “this thing” means two successful rock bands and being a two time inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He first reached this milestone with Nirvana in 2014 then with the Foo Fighters in 2021. Another musician achieved this feat: Paul McCartney. In fact, it was McCartney who did the honors of inducting Grohl for the second time.
“And so to watch Paul McCartney induct my band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I can’t even describe it,” Grohl said. “You can imagine the full-circle feeling, but I have no words.”
How the Death of Kurt Cobain Inspired the Creation of Foo Fighters
While Grohl has played with the Foo Fighters for 26 years, he started off as the drummer for Nirvana. Recently, the musician opened up about how impacted he was by the death of friend and bandmate Kurt Cobain.
The Nirvana frontman died via suicide in 1994. After the tragedy, Grohl felt the need to do some self-evaluation–in another country.
“When Kurt died, and it all ended I didn’t know what to do with my life,” Grohl explained. “I couldn’t listen to music anymore because it hurt too much so I tried to escape and went to Ireland to soul search.”
However, no amount of distance could stop the Foo Fighters musician from missing his friend. A chance encounter reminded him that grieving was part of life. Grohl said: “I was trying to figure out my life when I picked up a hitchhiker who was wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt and I thought, ‘Even in this remote place I can’t outrun life.’”
As a result, he decided it was time to let himself move on.
“So I went home and started over with the Foo Fighters. I needed to survive and get on with life,” Grohl explained. Now, he and his new band are going strong. His daughter Violet even joined in the fun. The father-daughter duo recently recorded a song together.
“At 9 o’clock at night, she texts me and is like, ‘Oh my God! Let’s do it right now!’ So, I ran up to my little home studio in my office, and I recorded the instrumental, did the bass, drums, guitar, and stuff in like 20 minutes. Then she came up and sang it,” Grohl said. “It’s the first time she and I have recorded together – just the two of us. I’m so proud of it because I love her very much, and she’s an amazing singer.”
