Dave Grohl Opens Up About Losing Tom Petty

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Musician Dave Grohl has been the leader of the rock band Foo Fighters for 23 years, which is long enough to solidify his status as a living legend in the music industry. In a recent (and wide-ranging) interview with Rolling Stone, the frontman discussed his long and storied career, from his beginnings as a drummer in one of the most influential alternative rock bands, Nirvana, to his latest album and the loss of Tom Petty.

When asked about classic rock acts of the 1960s and 1970s retiring, Grohl reflected on his own place in music history and expressed gratitude that his band is still going strong after all these years, as well pride in their cross-generational appeal.

dave grohl photo
Getty Images | Julien M. Hekimian

“First of all, I can’t believe we’re still a band [after] 20-whatever years,” he told the magazine. “And I can’t believe we’re playing arenas and stadiums. And that it’s gotten to this point where I look out at the audience and I don’t just see Foo Fighters T-shirts anymore. I see people in their sixties and seventies. I see kids that are 10 years old, teenagers, and it seems to me that when we come to town, people hear there’s a rock show and they just come on out. So we’ve gotten to the point where I think that we represent something . . . um . . . general [laughs]. You know?”

foo fighters photo
Getty Images | John Phillips

Grohl, who was on tour when Rolling Stone interviewed him, stressed that despite the band’s huge success and longevity, their careers are only one aspect of its members existence.

“The band is such a huge part of our lives, but not the only part of our lives,” he explained.

The musician seems to have fun incorporating his family life into his music, as his daughters, 12-year-old Violet and 9-year-old Harper, have frequently and even appeared in one of the band’s music videos.

Grohl also addressed the loss of fellow music legend Tom Petty, who died suddenly in October 2017 due to accidental drug overdose.

“I saw him maybe a week before he died,” Grohl revealed. “I saw his last show, and it was wonderful. It was exuberant and beautiful and happy and sounded amazing and the band was better than I had seen them in a long time and…and then he’s gone. It’s hard to believe he’s gone, but fortunately we have his music.”

tom petty photo
Getty Images | Samir Hussein

He went on to give a little insight into his songwriting and music-making process, saying that all the songs from the band’s latest album, “Concrete and Gold,” were written on an acoustic guitar.

He explained that the melody always comes first, telling the magazine, “[The songs] were written on an acoustic and before I even take it to the next step, I make sure that they’d have some sort of melody braided around the riff.”

Foo Fighters are currently on a world tour and have dates scheduled throughout the United States and Canada through Oct. 18.

Maybe it’s time to see them — and take the whole family.

[H/t Rolling Stone]

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About the Author
Kate Streit
Kate Streit lives in Chicago. She enjoys stand-up comedy, mystery novels, memoirs, summer and pumpkin spice anything.

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