Foo Fighters‘ twelfth studio album, “Your Favorite Toy,” was recently released, and it’s difficult to fathom that at one point, Dave Grohl almost gave up on music. The death of his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain took a toll on him, but a fleeting encounter with a hitchhiker inspired Grohl to return to what he loved essentially the most, propelling him into forming the Foo Fighters.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on May 4, where the host asked him whether there was a moment that made him realize he was able to make music again after Nirvana.
Grohl was the grunge band’s drummer in 1994, when Kurt Cobain died, and the band disbanded immediately after. Grohl said he was distraught on the time and had doubts about returning to music. “It made me sad to consider playing in one other band. Losing Nirvana, losing Kurt was a extremely dark, emotional experience,” he said.
He took time to get his “head together” and went to Ireland. While driving on the Ring of Kerry and taking within the stunning coastal views, he passed by a hitchhiker. What was interesting was that the person was wearing a Kurt Cobain shirt. “I assumed, that is the universe telling me, ‘You’ve gotten to proceed. You’ve gotten to maneuver on. You’ve gotten to go forward.’” Grohl explained.
The Frontman Said ‘Hearing Music Hurt’ For A While
Grohl joined Nirvana in 1990, and the band, which also included Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, was at its height when their frontman, Cobain, died by suicide in April 1994. The music industry was stunned, and 1000’s gathered for a public vigil to mourn the singer, who was considered a defining figure within the grunge movement.
Grohl shared the identical story in 2021 during a BBC Radio 4 interview, saying he couldn’t even activate the radio or play instruments within the aftermath. “Even hearing music hurt,” he shared. The months-long slump prompted him to make a journey to Ireland, where he saw the hitchhiker. “I needed to go somewhere where I could just disappear and kind through my life, and check out to determine what to do next,” he added.
Following the encounter, he returned to Seattle and recorded the Foo Fighters’ first songs.
Dave Grohl Was A One-Man Band When Foo Fighters Formed
Grohl already had just a few songs that he had written previously, and he had a probability to play a number of the demos for Cobain, who expressed his approval. He decided to record those by himself, not desirous about what it’d result in. In any case, he wasn’t a part of any band at that time. “But I needed to do it to survive, to get on with life. And I’m glad I did,” he revealed.
Per The Current, Grohl wrote all of the songs, played all of the instruments, and sang on all of the tracks. He recorded the album in about per week with help from a producer. The one other contributor was Greg Dulli, who played guitar “X-Static.” Grohl intended for the project to stay anonymous, selecting the name Foo Fighters to make it appear as if a complete band was behind the recording, adding that he got the name “from a UFO book or something.”
The Foo Fighters’ self-titled album was released in 1995 as demos meant for family and friends, and only limited copies were available. Nonetheless, it spread like wildfire, and its success led to a take care of a record company.
The Former Nirvana Drummer Talks About The Past With His Kids
In 2021, Grohl told PEOPLE that he not shied away from Nirvana music, sharing that he sometimes drove together with his kids listening to his former band’s music. “We don’t really sit across the house, talking about Nirvana all day long, but every occasionally, they’ll ask me questions, and I’ll explain that life to them,” he said.
Grohl also shared that he thinks of Cobain often and even had just a few dreams about him many years after his passing. “I only knew Kurt for about three and a half years, but in that point, we went through multiple lifetimes. Kurt’s songs touched the world,” he explained.
Dave Grohl Heals Through Music
“Music has at all times been the love of my life,” Grohl told Colbert, adding that it pushed him to get through the toughest moments in his life. “I would like to maintain going. I actually have a lot reverence and respect for the past, but I would like to have a future,” he noted.
In 2022, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died while the band was on tour, leaving the members distraught. They took a hiatus, but once more, Grohl went back to music to assist take care of the grief. The frontman said he needed to proceed doing what he loved “since it had saved us once before.”