Dave Grohl’s favourite guitarists of all time: “Musicians right on the edge of falling apart”
To call someone a jack of all trades often seems like a backhanded compliment when you consider that it is often followed by ‘master of none’. However, Dave Grohl defies that follow-up by excelling in most of the musical pursuits he embarks upon, whether behind the drumkit, riffing through a solo on stage, or crafting variant ditties in the writing room. Grohl’s ability to provide the most crystalline rock soundtrack of the 21st century comes with the added sweetener that he is also considered “the nicest guy in music”.
Part of the reason he thrives in all areas is because of the wide scope of his musical appreciation and understanding. He might now specialise in stadium rock, but that doesn’t stop him from delving into the subtle complexity of old AM Radio classics, revelling in George Martin’s production sound with The Beatles and a number of other wide-ranging inspirations behind his work. A devoted follower of “feel” Grohl has often cited Ringo Starr as his favourite drummer alongside John Bonham and this duality speaks to his consummate understanding of music.
However, when it comes to his current musical mainstay behind a six-string, there are two forces that he admires the most: guile and craftmanship. When speaking with GQ, the former Nirvana star declared his favourite guitarist to be Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Grohl asserted: “I love the way that he was always teetering on the edge of total chaos, but he knew how to place every note in a space that really drew emotion.”
More often than not, Page’s contribution to guitar, though rightly heralded, is often seen as an almost entirely solo venture. His work with Led Zeppelin is never underrated, but more often than not, the image of Page is one of a singular entity, standing beneath the spotlight and wailing away to his heart’s content. But he was the solid part of a unit that brought rock music to the masses. He did so with complete and utter defiance.
Continuing, he added: “So when you watch a movie like ‘The Song Remains the Same,’ or any live footage from 1971 or 1973, or 1975, and even the earlier stuff, he’s just going for it. It’s that sort of fearlessness that I respect most in musicians, not perfection or any sort of clean technical proficiency.”
This fearlessness resulted in an unmistakable sound. Inspired by the late great Link Wray, Page was all about cramming a sense of orchestral atmosphere into his work more so than pushing any technical boundaries. “I really like to see musicians right on the edge of falling apart. He did that in the most beautiful way,” Grohl says.
However, there is another contender for the crown, the Foo Fighters man, who was quick to throw into the mix when positing the ever-indulgent question of “favourite” musical entity. And once more, it was a figure who excelled with atmosphere and attitude more so than virtuoso ability. “That being said, there is an instrumental record by an American legend named Ry Cooder. He scored a [1984] movie called Paris, Texas in the ’80s, and the soundtrack to that film is my favourite album of all time,” Grohl continued.
Concluding: “It sort of paints this sort of barren desert landscape, but he does it with a slide guitar. It’s just so simple and emotive, and amazing. So one of those two.” Much like Grohl himself, part of the success of Cooder’s work comes from his appreciation of eclectic influences. The cinematic musician travelled to Cuba and beyond bringing acts like Buena Vista Social Club to the masses which aided an understanding of how geography and culture affect the very sound of music and he poured this into his own desert-encapsulating project.
Grohl is a musical architect like no other. Seeing the pillars of rock, he rightly picked up techniques and practices from his favourite artists and used them to create an unshakable behemoth with the Foo Fighters. He may be a jack of all trades, but he’s certainly mastered more than a few of them.
