“No one comes close”: The two musicians Dave Grohl called rock and roll royalty
Rock and roll is not a hierarchy; the genre has always rebelled against authority and traditional power structures, it is the music of the underdogs. Nevertheless, the colossal industry that rock has morphed into since its DIY origins back in the 1950s has seen a select few figures rise in the ranks to the upper echelon of rock royalty. These artists are likely to change depending on who you ask, but Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has his own ideas about the kings and queens of rock and roll.
Grohl has never been one to shy away from discussing his extensive range of influences, taking every opportunity to espouse the joys of his favourite groups. After all, the Ohio-born songwriter has been a disciple of rock and roll since childhood, worshipping the likes of Led Zeppelin and even Rush. With Foo Fighters, Grohl has explored his love of that classic rock sound extensively, developing tenfold from his days at the forefront of the grunge revolution, drumming with Nirvana.
The tastes of the frontman are endlessly broad, incorporating everybody from new wave heroes The B-52’s to bubblegum rock fanatics Kiss. However, there are certain figures within his record collection that stand out among the rest, namely Lemmy Kilmister. The Motörhead bassist and frontman was the living embodiment of rock and roll, consistently living his life on the edge and existing entirely by his own rules and desires. It didn’t hurt that Kilmister was responsible for some of the most important hard rock and metal songs of all time, either.
In his later years, Kilmister forged something of a friendship with Grohl, bonded together by a mutual love of rock and roll. Since then, the Foo Fighters frontman has spoken at length about his deep appreciation for Lemmy as an artist, once claiming, “Until then, I’d never met what I’d call a real rock ’n’ roll hero before.” Going further, Grohl boldly said, “Fuck Elvis and Keith Richards, Lemmy’s the king of rock ’n’ roll. A living, breathing, drinking, snorting, fucking legend. No one else comes close.”
It is difficult to disagree with Grohl, admittedly. Few people lived out the rock and roll dream in quite the same way as Kilmister, who paved the way for widespread ideas of what a rock and roll star should be. Every king needs a queen, and the pages of rock and roll history are certainly not short of defiant female artists who have matched Lemmy’s penchant for living fast and dedicating themselves to the world of rock.
Nevertheless, Grohl’s assessment of the queen of rock and roll is much less flattering than his adoration of Lemmy Kilmister. While working on the collaborative Queens of the Stone Age record …Like Clockwork, Grohl got the chance to work with Elton John. “Elton sat at the piano and worked on [the material] until he got it right, take after take, ever the perfectionist,” Grohl recalled, adding, “proving why he is the queen bitch of rock and roll.”
Although Grohl was fairly complimentary in his description of John’s musicality, and the term ‘Queen Bitch’ actually originates from the David Bowie song of the same name, referring to John as the queen of rock and roll still feels a little uncomfortable. The word ‘queen’ has historically been used as a derogatory term for gay men like John. Still, even without those connotations, a discussion about the upper echelon of rock stars that omits any female presence is still fairly problematic.
Furthermore, if you look into the albums and artists that Grohl has so often cited as his all-time favourites, there is a distinct lack of female representation. Take his list of favourite albums, compiled for Melody Maker, for instance, the only women included on that list are Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of The B-52s, or Kim Deal of Pixies. So, while Grohl’s take on the members of rock royalty clearly reflects his dedication to the male-dominated field of classic rock, perhaps his record collection could stand to grow a little broader.
