The band Dave Grohl isn’t “physically or musically” capable of playing with
Since his first venture into music with the hardcore punk band Scream at the age of 17, Dave Grohl has honed an impressive and expansive rock career. In 1990, he secured a spot in the grunge trio Nirvana, and the release of Nevermind in 1991 catapulted the band into commercial success and later gained Grohl an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
With the death of frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994, however, the band came to a tragic end, and Grohl was left to reconsider his creative endeavours. After playing drums for Tom Petty on Saturday Night Live, he was asked to join the group permanently. Grohl was also reportedly in talks to replace Dave Abbruzzese in Pearl Jam, but he was keen to defy expectations. Rather than joining another, already wildly successful rock band, he instead formed Foo Fighters as a solo project.
Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut album was released in 1995 to commercial and critical success. For his second release under the new moniker, Grohl recruited Pat Smear on guitar and Nate Mendel on bass. The Colour and the Shape was released in 1997 and featured the band’s biggest hit, ‘Everlong’. Since then, they have released nine more studio albums under the Foo Fighters name.
Grohl has continued releasing with Foo Fighters and has been accompanied by a number of other side projects. Notably, he put out a heavy metal album called Probot, played on Queens of the Stone Age’s 2002 record Songs for the Deaf, and drummed for Nine Inch Nails.
Throughout his career, it seems that Grohl has played with almost every big name in the industry, from an appearance with David Bowie at his 50th birthday concert to features alongside Jack Black in Tenacious D. However, despite his prowess, there’s just one band he once asserted that he isn’t “physically or musically” capable of playing with.
When Rolling Stone asked how Grohl would respond if Canadian prog-rock outfit Rush asked him to play drums for them, he responded, “I would say, ‘I’m not physically or musically capable, but thanks for the offer.'” He went on to praise drummer Neil Peart, calling him “a whole other animal, another species of drummer.”
Though Grohl notes that he knows the arrangements, the drummer suggests that he is “like Meg White to Neil Peart” before exclaiming: “And she’s one of my favourite drummers! She’s my daughter’s favourite drummer too. My daughter plays drums to two types of music: White Stripes and AC/DC. I’m like, ‘That’s exactly what you ended to be doing.'”
It’s almost absurd to think that Grohl is musically incapable of performing alongside any outfit. Widely accepted as one of the most influential drummers of all time, there are few who would be more qualified to appear alongside Rush.
Grohl’s trepidation seems to come from his personal connection to the band – he was a Rush fan from an early age, and listening to the band even helped him learn drums. In an interview with Pulse of Radio, he recalled the transcendental experience of listening to Rush’s 1976 album, 2112, at the age of eight: “It fucking changed the direction of my life. I heard the drums. It made me want to become a drummer.”
Grohl’s extensive and extraordinary career has likely influenced many young, budding musicians to pick up a pair of drumsticks, much like Rush did for him. The Foo Fighters frontman may well be capable of performing alongside his heroes, but it seems his child-like admiration for the prog-rock pioneers overrides his faith in his own drumming abilities.
