“One of my few regrets”: the album Dave Grohl would have done differently
For Dave Grohl, the transition from sidelined drummer to leader and frontman of his own band was natural in some ways, though difficult in others. For a long while, he had found comfort in his role within Nirvana, confident in his ability to enhance any track that was thrown his way. In Foo Fighters, however, he faced a new challenge entirely—balancing his desire for control with open-mindedness.
Many musicians struggle in some way with collaboration, not just with regard to basic artistic expression and identity but also with streamlining approach, especially when two artists seem to hold clashing views about how things should be done. Others, like Grohl, struggle with their own territorial tendencies, especially when it comes to playing an instrument he knows better than most.
This is especially pronounced when considering the fact that Foo Fighters began as merely a passion project. Journeying through an unexpected wave of self-discovery following the end of Nirvana, Grohl tested the waters with Foo Fighters, creating something that better reflected him as an artist, even if he had yet to land on anything specific. Only this time, he had free reign in all corners.
While this presented many exciting avenues, it also pushed Grohl to share parts of his music that were usually only reserved for him, making him realise his own complex regarding control over the finished result. This was especially prominent in the early days when he was still working out how to manage without stepping on anyone’s toes or being outright mean. A couple of times, however, he slipped up.
For instance, while recording the second album, The Colour and the Shape—the first with Pat Smear, Nate Mendel, and William Goldsmith—Grohl seemed to struggle with Goldsmith’s drumming technique and instead re-recorded over them, suggesting that he remain in the band but only as their touring drummer. What’s even worse is that Goldsmith found out about this much later, understandably leading to dissatisfaction on his end about why Grohl had made such a decision without his knowledge.
Despite the album’s success, Grohl later reflected on this choice, saying that if he could go back, he would have approached the situation completely differently. Discussing his remorse with NME, he also admitted he finds it even more difficult when the situation concerns drums. “It’s hard for me to admit that, yeah, I had a problem with anyone else playing drums on my record,” he said.
Adding: “That was the first time I made a record that I hadn’t played the drums on. So, for me, it was like letting someone go. It was fucking heavy. But when I watched that footage back, it’s a hard thing to admit. I wish I would’ve done it differently, that’s one of my few regrets in Foo Fighters; I wish I would’ve handled that better.”
Although the situation turned out rather prophetic with Goldsmith being replaced by Taylor Hawkins, it also seems strange to consider the fact that someone who had grown used to band dynamics was suddenly unable to step into the role of the forerunner, though perhaps that’s more a sign of Grohl’s own attachment to his own project. After all, it takes a lot to step back and let people do what they need to do, but it becomes near-impossible when, instinctively, it feels unsuited to the overall vision.
