OPINION: Dave Grohl puts Foo Fighters on hiatus
News about Dave Grohl announcing a time-out for the Foo Fighters went live this morning, leading to immediate reaction, and speculation about the future of Grohl and the band. Reading Grohl’s own statement, it seems that for him and everyone else in the group, the time is right to do this:
Hey everyone…
Dave here. Just wanted to write and thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for another incredible year. (Our 18th, to be exact!) We truly never could have done any of this without you…
Never in my wildest dreams did I think Foo Fighters would make it this far. I never thought we COULD make it this far, to be honest. There were times when I didn’t think the band would survive. There were times when I wanted to give up. But… I can’t give up this band. And I never will. Because it’s not just a band to me. It’s my life. It’s my family. It’s my world.
Yes… I was serious. I’m not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it’s a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It’s one of the reasons we’re still here. Make sense? I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it’s good to just… put it back in the garage for a while…
But, no gold watches or vacations just yet… I’ll be focusing all of my energy on finishing up my Sound City documentary film and album for worldwide release in the very near future. A year in the making, it could be the biggest, most important project I’ve ever worked on. Get ready… it’s coming.
Me, Taylor, Nate, Pat, Chris, and Rami… I’m sure we’ll all see you out there… somewhere…
Thank you, thank you, thank you…
Dave
The news and letter from Grohl is perhaps leading many to wonder why. For any musician, health is important. I’m not just talking physical health, but mental and creative health. That’s not to say that the Foo Fighters have lost their creative edge or they gave up on pushing themselves, but look at Grohl’s rise in success not only for himself, but for the Foo. Up until he joined Nirvana, it was only punk, hardcore, and alternative kids who knew who this drummer from Scream was. He had moved to Washington, D.C. and became the band’s drummer in his teens, and their fanbase was small but loyal. People loved his contribution to their sound, and they toured like crazy. With the alternative music boom of the late 80′s and early 90′s, Grohl would become a focus, but things went crazy when it was announced he would become a member of a band from “the other Washington” known as Nirvana. Kurt Cobain’s death left a void after incredible success with their second and third albums, but Grohl didn’t stop. He was already making tapes at home of his own material, multi-tracking everything, and that would be the Foo Fighters, where the only Foo on the album was him. While attention towards the Foo was focused on “the former Nirvana drummer”, he proved that he could do a lot more. Most drummers don’t get attention from the background unless they push themselves. He not only stepped up to the microphone, but he played the guitar. He was not afraid to play the fool in his videos, and the live band he had chosen would become the Foo Fighters group proper. Since the mid-1990′s, Grohl has been one of the more in-demand drummers out there, and he has always satisfied his muse by getting involved in many projects, including those of his childhood and adult musical heroes.
Page 1 of 2 | Next page