The group Dave Grohl called the best rock band in the world: “Nobody even gets close”
Spending time teaching your friends, family, and colleagues about the musicians you hold dear or, more precisely, who you believe deserve more credit, is a hobby of most music lovers. Going into fine detail about how a particular tuning or drum fill has lifted a player into the upper echelons of the cultural hierarchy is a small joy we all can share. There’s probably little use in my trying to introduce you to the iconic drummer, singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Grohl.
Chances are, if you’re even remotely a rock and roll fan, then his name will be forever emblazoned on your mind, for Dave Grohl has been an integral member of not just one but two of the most legendary rock bands of the modern era. Starting out as the thrash and splash drummer for Scream before joining the Kurt Cobain-fronted grunge icons Nirvana, Grohl would start his own group in the wake of Cobain’s suicide and become a singer in his own right, fronting the Foo Fighters.
However, these aren’t the only collaborations in Grohl’s ocker. He has recently worked alongside Liam Gallagher and also contributed to Tenacious D recordings, among many others, including his time as the sticksman for Josh Homme’s band Queens of the Stone Age, a group Grohl once referred to as the “best rock band” during a radio interview.
Of course, as with any such outlandish claim, Grohl does provide a few caveats for his assessment. He refers to the group’s live presence as a significant factor and also that their musicality when on stage gives them the edge over other hardcore and furious groups who can rattle stadiums.
It also suggests that Grohl, therefore, isn’t really looking backwards. Grohl’s known adoration for Led Zeppelin would likely see the British group reign as his favourite rock band of all time. However, even so, Homme must be thrilled to have such a commendation from such a legend in his own right.
Grohl worked with Queens of the Stone Age as part of their breakout album Songs for the DEaf in 2001 and delivered perhaps one of his own finest drumming performances on their song ‘No One Knows’, but it is their live show that seemingly tips the scales for Grohl when picking the best rock band of all time. “When they hit the stage,” Grohl tells his interviewer, “they’re the best rock band in the world.”
“Like, nobody even gets close,” claims Grohl before offering some potential party-starters for consideration. “There are amazing live bands that write powerful songs — Rage Against the Machine — and there are amazing live bands than can make an audience go [nuts] like this — The Prodigy — stuff like that, but, for musicality, and as a musician, you sit and watch Queens of the Stone Age, and you’re like ‘that’s not fair’.”
“What the fuck? Like, everybody in the band is a fucking badass, and they know it.” It’s hard to disagree. The group are a perpetual source of powerhouse rock anthems. With Josh Homme up front, the group have provided searing performances and mind-splitting songs for decades, landing themselves firmly among the elite of the genre. But perhaps what is most fitting here is that Grohl, just like any music lover, is desperate for Homme and his band to get the widespread recognition they deserve and be counted among the best to ever do it.
Watch Dave Grohl and the “best rock band in the world”, Queens of the Stone Age, below.
