The singer Taylor Hawkins wished he could emulate
During his tragically shortened run as Foo Fighters’ drummer, Taylor Hawkins echoed Dave Grohl’s affable personality and brought a unique style to shape most of the band’s most adored hits. Grohl brought Hawkins on board in 1997, three years into the band’s history; beyond drumming virtuosity, the former Nirvana beat keeper could sense Hawkins’ unrivalled passion for rock and roll.
“When he joined the band, his drumming was the least important factor,” Grohl told the NME of his friendship with Hawkins in February 2021. “I just thought, ‘I want to travel the world with this guy; I want to jump on stage and drink beers with this person.’ That was my biggest concern.”
After becoming well acquainted, Grohl and Hawkins realised that their broad and colourful tastes in music were perfectly aligned. Like Grohl, Hawkins’ taste spanned the years and genres, venturing far beyond an anchor dropped in classic and heavier rock genres.
Before joining Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins cut his teeth as Alanis Morissette’s touring drummer. In a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, Hawkins recalled falling in love with Grace, Jeff Buckley’s stellar debut album, while on the road with Morissette in ’95.
“I wish I could sing it like him. I love that guy’s voice,” Hawkins beamed, picking out ‘So Real’ as one of the songs he wished he could have written. “That was my ‘getting some business’ CD back on the Alanis Morissette tour. I’d put that motherfucking CD in, and it was happening. I like it when he whispers, ‘I love you, but I’m afraid to love you’ in this song.”
Continuing, Hawkins lamented Buckley’s tragic death by drowning in 1997, aged 30. “What a fucking bummer he died,” he said. “God, that guy would have made some great music had he lived. I think he was really searching for what his next move was going to be. That first record, Grace, nobody knew about it. It took so long”.
“Now everybody is like, ‘Ah, I’m such a big Jeff Buckley fan.’ People really started loving it after he fucking died,” Hawkins added. “I think [Jimmy] Page and [Robert] Plant were on tour, and they did a couple shows with him. Those guys aren’t scared of anybody. I heard he opened up for them once, and Robert Plant was like, ‘I’m not fucking going onstage.'”
“Some people aren’t meant to be here a long time, I guess,” Hawkins pensively concluded. “It was weird because he was a continuum of his dad, but dare I say it, better. There’s people that would be really upset with me for saying that, like Tim Buckley fans. I’ve listened to him and can’t get into it like Jeff Buckley. That Grace record is just a masterpiece. That’s one of the 10 best records ever, up there with OK Computer and Nevermind and Ritual de lo Habitual. That’s one of the 10 greatest records of the 1990s.”
Following Hawkins’ death in 2022, the surviving members of Foo Fighters arranged two tribute concerts. During the date at London’s Wembley Stadium, Grohl was joined by his daughter Violet for two Jeff Buckley covers, ‘Grace’ and ‘Last Goodbye’.
Watch the performances below.
