Dave Grohl is one of those guys that I’d like to appreciate more. He seems like the nicest famous dude ever, and I was the biggest Nirvana fan. Do you remember where you were the first time you heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit”? That song blew my mind. Dave was one third of that groundbreaking band, and he went on to great success in the aftermath. Sadly, Foo Fighters’ music has always smelled like a migraine to me. But Dave as a person? He’s awesome. A big family guy who’s grateful for his success and sees the spectacle of show business for what it is. Dave recently sat down with journo Allison Langson for Australia’s 60 Minutes. I’m not embedding the video because of … butts (but you can see the NSFW clip at the Mail). Here are some interview excerpts:
On rockstar egos:“Any f—ing rockstar who calls himself a rockstar is a complete f—ing a-hole, so there’s no way that I’d say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m a rockstar. I just can’t do that. [Gestures towards his van.] It’s more Scooby Doo than rock ‘n’ roll, okay?”
Was he good in school? “F— no! I’m sorry, I’m going to cuss a little bit in this one.”
On Kurt Cobain’s death: “I stopped listening to music after Kurt died because it was so emotional, just hearing it. I didn’t want to hear it on the radio, I didn’t want to play it, I didn’t want to join another band and then after a while realised it was the one thing that was going to help me through everything.”
On Swaggy: “I actually have sympathy for Justin Bieber sometimes. You just gave a 16 year old a $100 million. What the f— would you do?”
On Mr. Coldplay: “I’ve never said anything bad about Chris Martin. He was the one who contacted us and said, ‘Hey, is it okay if I give Prince Harry your cell phone number?’ I said, ‘Okay … like, of England?'”
Selling out 2 nights at Wembly: “Watching [Nirvana] reach these incredible highs and then just end. To have this second chance was just like, oh my god it’s crazy.”
[From 60 Minutes Australia]
What do you think of Dave’s opinion on self-declared rockstars? He speaks as an insider, so his words carry a lot of weight. I think maybe Mick Jagger has the right to walk around calling himself a rockstar because he’s so iconic. The rest of the frontmen out there? Have a seat.
Hearing Dave talk about Cobain is so sad because (and yes, I’m old) his death impacted Nirvana’s fans so much. Dave eventually realized that he could heal his wounds through music, and he’s forged his own path. Good for him.
FYI, Anderson Cooper also spoke with Grohl in New Orleans for the US version of 60 Minutes. You can check out that interview here.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
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