Dave Grohl explains the magic of meeting David Bowie: “There was a sense of feeling blessed”
Growing up, I heard the term “never meet your heroes” more than I would have liked. I was just a kid who loved music, loved football and desperately worshipped my musicians and footballers the same. It always felt like the warning shots were coming from cynical adults, too, ones who had been burned on just one occasion and now feel the need to make sweeping generalisations.
As my life moved forward, I had the chance to meet some heroes. In the random scenarios life throws at you, I shared a handshake with people I held in high esteem. Maybe I’m just on a hot streak, maybe the warnings are all complete rubbish, or maybe, just maybe, if you treat people with respect, they might just do the same back.
Of all rock gods you could rely on to not live up to the old cynical adage, Dave Grohl would be top of the list. Perennially armed with a smile and likely to be found alongside you in some old record store, digging through a crate, he paints the picture of a mega fan who made it into the elite. While some superstars try to deflect praise and paint it off as just the natural byproduct of genius, Grohl takes a different approach. He wholeheartedly believes in the miracles of music, just as we do as fans.
It’s why he doesn’t protect Foo Fighters live shows within an inch of his ego’s life. When a chance to get Led Zeppelin on stage presents itself, he snatches it with both hands. Nothing is off limits for Grohl when it comes to paying respect to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But while at times, he may just feel like a fan, like one of us, the truth is he is anything but. He walks the halls of rock and roll immortality with an access all areas pass and gets a warm invite into the VIP green room, where he has to try and suppress all enthusiastic urges and play it cool among music’s elite. Easier said than done, though.
“When David Bowie walked in the room – and you always felt his presence no matter how far away he was – there was a sense of feeling blessed,” Grohl reflected on his time spent with the icon.
He continued, “He never made you feel intimidated, but you knew he was not just culturally, but also historically relevant. It’s like the first time I saw Bob Dylan perform. I felt like I was seeing something as important as an Abraham Lincoln or a John F Kennedy speech.”
Much to Grohl’s delight, the pair struck up a friendship over the years, and the seemingly immortal hero became just another name in a phonebook. But that perhaps pushed Grohl’s ambition slightly too far, as when he asked Bowie to provide vocals for a 2014 blockbuster soundtrack he was working on, he was faced with the steely reality of Bowie’s personality.
After politely turning down the request to participate, Grohl persisted, thinking he might win him over. Eventually, Bowie broke and cheekily wrote to him, “All right, now that’s settled, then fuck off.” By all means, meet your heroes, just don’t push your luck.
