The one musician Dave Grohl calls a “genius”
Dave Grohl’s role as rock and roll’s perennial nice guy has taken a bit of a battering of late. However, no matter your thoughts and feelings on his life outside of the music industry, it is difficult to hear his name and not equate it with two of rock music’s most celebrated outfits. As the current lead singer of Foo Fighters and former Nirvana drummer, Grohl’s position as one of the foremost voices in the genre is unimpeachable.
It means that his words are worth their weight in gold and, like all gold, are desired by everyone. He has constantly been hunted as a guest on podcasts and shows during the group’s promotional runs, and when the hype of Hot Ones gathered pace, Grohl was a prime candidate to not only go on the show but share his thoughts on music, too.
Dave Grohl’s long-awaited appearance on Hot Ones didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The sight of the Foo Fighters singer crumbling under the pressure as he climbed his way through the Scoville scale is one to behold. During this perspiring ascent he also made some fascinating revelations, including handing props to one contemporary artist who he called a “genius”.
If you’re unfamiliar with the format of the YouTube show, Hot Ones is hosted by Sean Evans. He welcomes a celebrity guest to eat ten chicken wings that get gradually spicier every time. It’s an interview show with a difference, and the distraction of the heat often makes guests open up in a way they wouldn’t do in a traditional setting.
The reward for successfully finishing the wings is an opportunity to promote their forthcoming project, and if they don’t successfully complete the task, they are put into the ‘Hall of Shame’. Before they got underway with eating, Grohl warmed up by making a cocktail, a recipe that he learned from Pantera, whom he called the “most wicked heavy metal band of all time”.
Grohl was clearly a devoted fan of the show, and he said he’d been waiting years to make an appearance. Speaking about his favourite episodes, Grohl revealed: “I’ve got some faves, I love watching it. I thought Billie Eilish did great; she did a good job. Gordon Ramsay just pissed the whole fucking time”.
He then added: “Actually, I’m a huge fan of Thundercat. His music is fucking… he’s a genius. I really think he’s a genius. I met him for the first time about a month ago at a party, he was on the dancefloor (mimics dancing), and so I went up behind him, started coming up around him”.
“His girlfriend is looking at me, she’s laughing, but, he has no idea who it is,” Grohl recalls while chuckling. “Then finally, I spun him around, was right in his face, and he was like, ‘Hey!!!’. I didn’t say anything about his music, and I said, ‘Dude, you’re the best episode of Hot Ones I’ve ever seen in my life’.”
Grohl then went on to call the multi-instrumentalist the “fucking king”, which only further demonstrates his adoration for him. The former Nirvana sticksman has shared his appreciation for many bassists over the years, least of all Paul McCartney, but very seldom does he offer such a resolute assumption of their talents. Although, it’s unclear what the Foo Fighters singer loves Thundercat for more out of his music or his superhuman ability to eat hot wings.
