“All the right reasons”: the one artist Dave Grohl always looked up to
Dave Grohl always said that it was more important to be inspired by artists rather than be intimidated. Even though it might be hard trying to equal what someone like Eddie Van Halen could do, it’s about finding one’s own voice on the instrument instead of outright copying everything that the other person did. And when it came to the best that rock and roll had to offer, Grohl thought that no one had done more for him as a creative person than what this rustic legend could do.
Then again, Grohl was never meant to be playing loud rock and roll until he collapsed. He had a history of playing some of the loudest music that he could in Scream and managed to become even more chaotic in Nirvana, but when looking at Foo Fighters, nothing was off the table in terms of what could be a hit.
Even though the band’s debut was put together for a laugh, ‘Big Me’ is still a perfect pop song, and when looking at where Grohl would take them on records like In Your Honor, he was never afraid to break out the acoustics and see where things go, especially when working on emotional tunes like ‘Friend of a Friend’.
However, whereas Grohl was still more than happy to make pop songs, Neil Young was the one who only looked to serve himself. Even though he could have made a million songs that sounded like ‘Heart of Gold’ until the day he died, Young was always looking for something much deeper than that, which meant taking his songs into some of the strangest places imaginable, like on the electronic-tinged Trans or trying to embrace the sounds of the 1980s like on Landing on Water.
And while each of those records is certainly an acquired taste, Grohl saw someone who never compromised what they were trying to say. Most people try to roll over and give their audience what they think they want, but the more people try to please the audience before themselves, the more they start to lose a piece of their souls along the way.
That’s not what Grohl signed up for, and out of all his punk rock heroes, Grohl placed Young among his all-time favourites, saying, “I always look at Neil Young as a great example of someone who makes music and lives life for all the right reasons. He’s really the musician that I look up to the most. Of course, he’s had an amazing 40 years, he lives on a beautiful farm with his beautiful family, and he makes records. He’s grown old gracefully. And he’s not done yet.”
Out of all the accolades that Grohl said, though, the most important part is that Young hasn’t stopped. He could have easily retired quietly and kept on living off of his legacy, but even years after being known as one of the godfathers of grunge, he’s still as interested in seeing where his muse takes him as he was back in 1970.
Because that’s what rock and roll is all about. Most people can try to be a pop star for a few years, but the key to having a career is never losing the urge to find a new part of your sound that no one’s heard before and having the guts to share it with the world.
