Dave Grohl says Foo Fighters honour Taylor Hawkins in “everything they do”
Dave Grohl has paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins in a new interview, declaring that he remains in “everything” that Foo Fighters do.
Hawkins was the beating heart of the band for a quarter of a century following his arrival as their drummer in 1997 until his tragic death in 2022.
At every opportunity, Foo Fighters have honoured the late drummer’s legacy, dedicating ‘My Hero’ to him at live performances, as well as hosting tribute concerts at Wembley Stadium in London and at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, which saw Hawkins’ son, Shane, fill in for his father.
Now, in a new interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, following the announcement that Foo Fighters are set to release their new album, Your Favorite Toy, on April 24th, Grohl discussed why Hawkins will always be a piece of the band.
Grohl lovingly said, “We had Taylor Hawkins as our drummer for 25 years and, beyond being an amazing drummer, he was this incredible spirit. He was this incredible human being and he was our brother. He was our best friend.”
He then said of Josh Freese’s short stint as Hawkins‘ replacement between 2023 and 2025, “So, continuing after Taylor was really complicated, not just for us, but for any drummer that was going to come in to like, you know, fill his shoes.”
Poignantly, the day of the conversation between Grohl and Lowe took place on what should have been Hawkins’ 54th birthday, with Grohl adding, “It’s Taylor’s birthday today. And so, we wake up in the morning and everybody just texts about how much we miss him and how the world’s not the same without him, but we still feel him very much.”
He heartbreakingly concluded, “We always talk about him every fucking day. In everything we do we want to have that energy, we want to have that energy for Taylor.”
It was confirmed last year, following the exit of Freese, that Ilan Rubin, who had previously played with Nine Inch Nails and Paramore, would be stepping into Hawkins’ shoes. The rock legends will be stepping out on the road later this year for a run of stadium shows in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
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