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Dave Grohl: The Six-Pack Q&A

8/15/07, 9:12 am EST

Photo: Dave Grohl

Rolling Stone posed six questions to Foo Fighters frontman/proud papa/punk aficionado Dave Grohl. He bowed down to Bad Brains, revealed that Neil Young has a teepee and admitted a weakness for private jets and cigarettes.

What’s the most rock star thing you’ve ever done?
Well, I stopped doing drugs when I was twenty, so I don’t get fucked up anymore. I do love the odd Learjet every now and then. Like, surprising the wife for her birthday and saying, “Hey, I’m going to take you out to dinner, and all of your friends are going to meet us there.” And then we go to Vegas for the night and come back.

What was your favorite record when you were fourteen?
Once I discovered punk rock, I dove headfirst into underground hardcore and American hardcore. But the one album that I listened to the most was Bad Brains’ Rock for Light. I grew up outside of D.C., so we had amazing hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Void. But none of the bands could measure up to what the Bad Brains were doing musically and in concert. As a live band, they were the best in the world. Still to this day, they’re the best band I’ve ever seen live.

What’s on your current playlist?
“Keep the Car Running” by Arcade Fire. That’s a fucking great song. At this point, though, it’s whatever my daughter can dance to. And she has kickass taste in music. She doesn’t go for Wiggles or Barney bullshit. She digs Amy Winehouse and she loves the Cars. I put on a Mastodon record the other day and she started dancing to that. I immediately turned it off, thinking, “I don’t know if I like the fact that you’re sixteen months and into thrash metal. You’re growing up a little too quick for me, honey.”
Who’s the coolest person you’ve ever met?
Neil Young. You don’t get much cooler than him. I remember the first time we played at his Bridge School benefit. On the Friday night we had a cookout over at his house. I remember thinking, “It’s going to be some massive Hollywood catered event.” But we got to his property, which is out in the Redwoods, and it’s this house with a bonfire and a teepee in the back. We walked in the front door and his wife Peg says, “Are you guys cold? There are some jackets in the mudroom. But watch out. There are mice in the closets.” Neil leads a wonderful life with a beautiful family.

When do you think you’ll know it’s time to retire?
Retirement is relative. I’m never going to stop making music. It’s hard for a musician who loves what they do to stop. But there’s more to life than just music. The big picture’s a lot wider than something you can put on a CD.

Are cigarettes still your primary vice?
If I’m in the studio, I smoke about a pack and a half a day. If I’m at home, with the wife and the fam, I smoke about five cigarettes a day. And if I’m at a Sabbath concert, I just fucking eat ‘em.

Photo: Getty 


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Comments

new zealender | 10/14/2008, 7:10 pm EST

fuck all these comments that you bitches are leaving are pig hoarse shit. dave grohls average az taylor hawkins is way better.

Bryan | 6/12/2008, 11:21 am EST

I’m not old enough to know Dave Grohl as part of Nirvana. In fact I dont care if he was. What he and the Foo Fighters do now is elite. The fact the man plays the guitar, sings and drummed for Nirvana shows what a God the man is.

A True talent in nobody’s shadow!!

Amber | 8/30/2007, 2:06 am EST

I love you Dave…You are all i think about.Your wife is the luckiest girl on the planet!I wish i was her,But you was great in the movie(Tenacious d The Pick Of Destiny)Best movie ever.

bukowski | 8/20/2007, 9:36 pm EST

Now it’s Dave’s time to shine! And in my mind, he’s not second to Kurt in any way. Sorry, if that disappoints certain people.

bukowski | 8/20/2007, 9:33 pm EST

I don’t think Kurt was an asshole when he was alive. But killing himself and leaving his daughter behind was a real asshole thing to do! JR, John Lennon wrote 3 minute pop songs. So what’s your point???

pLaNeTcArR | 8/20/2007, 4:11 pm EST

JR was an a$&hole who wrote NOTHING.

JR | 8/20/2007, 10:26 am EST

he was an asshole, not a god.

he wrote 3-minute pop songs.

on~a~plain | 8/20/2007, 5:53 am EST

Kurt was the Rock God. Enough said.

AY7 | 8/20/2007, 1:18 am EST

Wendy,
Nirvana’s music still lives on, whether you like it or not. And it’s highly doubtful that Dave Grohl will be forgotten as part of that history. You might not respect or appreciate it, but the fact remains that others still do.

Satan's butterfly | 8/19/2007, 3:41 pm EST

Dave just came up with a cure for cancer while taking a break between laying down tracks.

good music | 8/18/2007, 5:53 pm EST

grohl should play drums for zeppelin if they tour again.
THAT…would kick ass.

Wendy | 8/17/2007, 11:24 pm EST

For once I’d like to read ONE THING online about Dave Grohl without having to see a bunch of shit about Kurt Cobain. Dave has obviously moved on, why can’t you all do the same?

Lotto | 8/17/2007, 8:40 pm EST

In 1972 the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health.

Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke contains a number of irritants and carcinogens. But there have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana, and in a large study presented to the American Thoracic Society in 2006, even heavy users of smoked marijuana were found not to have any increased risk of lung cancer. Unlike heavy tobacco smokers, heavy marijuana smokers exhibit no obstruction of the lung’s small airway. That indicates that people will not develop emphysema from smoking marijuana.

dear bison | 8/17/2007, 6:46 pm EST

do you enjoy beer too?

VG | 8/17/2007, 5:33 pm EST

He is, but so was Kurt.
~peace~

Bukowski | 8/17/2007, 5:13 pm EST

Dave Grohl is rippin’, rippin’, rippin’! He’s a rock god. Period.

antelope | 8/17/2007, 4:27 pm EST

Agreed - a memorable interview to be remembered. Just like every other single f-ing thing I know.

bison | 8/17/2007, 12:30 pm EST

I enjoyed this Q & A with George Harrison.

Cheesecrop | 8/17/2007, 7:51 am EST

RS - More interviews like this, less crap for 10 yr. olds. Thank you.

dear finding nirvana | 8/17/2007, 3:31 am EST

you’ll have to catch the blue bus

Sierraborn 260 | 8/17/2007, 12:15 am EST

Welp,just goes to prove that when self-cetered people get together to comment on people who are trying not to be self-centered, they just can’t freakin’ get along! I reckon Foo Fighters are really great at Rock n Roll. High or Not. (but I do hope Grohl kicks cigs, cause he’s not gonna be around in the way he is if he doesn’t. The x-rays don’t lie…simple.

finding nirvana | 8/16/2007, 11:54 pm EST

anyone ever see him play stairway to heaven on the tonight show or one of them, funny funny stuff, keep making good music and keep having fun with it, theres not enough of that these days

Chuck Norris | 8/16/2007, 10:07 pm EST

Dave Grohl kicked my ass!

Altered states | 8/16/2007, 2:38 pm EST

sorry about the double post and by the way I opened for bad brains and have seen them live twice they were the greatest live rock band show I have ever seen also!!!!

alterered states | 8/16/2007, 2:35 pm EST

Dave is truly the last of the great rock stars thank god we still have him in the music biz.

killingfloor | 8/16/2007, 2:30 pm EST

The only thing left for this man to accomplish now is write a book on reinvention and present it to Axl Rose.

Michael McKeon | 8/16/2007, 1:16 pm EST

bukowski | 8/16/2007, 3:58 am EST

I heard Dave’s built his own space shuttle, and he and his band will be the first humans to habitate Mars! Is there anything the man can’t do?

Wolfie | 8/16/2007, 11:55 am EST

Dave, can you PUHlease play bass on the upcoming Van Halen tour? I’m soo ready to go on a rice diet.

High as Balls | 8/16/2007, 10:49 am EST

Grohl is one of the most talented musicians out there today - can’t wait for the new CD.

Michelle | 8/16/2007, 10:24 am EST

Man, he’s looking different. I like it though. Cannot wait for the new CD.

Throat Cancer Bob | 8/16/2007, 9:35 am EST

Hey Smurf Boy, Lay off Steve, alright. If I wasn’t hooked up to this oxygen tank, I’d kick your baby blue ass all the way up and down Smurf Village! (Starring Charles Bukowski as “Throat Cancer Bob”)

Papa Smurf | 8/16/2007, 8:44 am EST

Looking forward to the new Foos album. Btw, Steven, marijuana is a drug and very much is harmful. It causes 4x as much damage to the lungs as cigs do. Maybe if you were educated you’d know that.

Throat Cancer Bob | 8/16/2007, 7:17 am EST

A disclaimer: the person being refferred as “bitch” is not Steven, but Bob’s long-time, live-in companion, Rhonda (sorry for the confusion).

Throat Cancer Bob | 8/16/2007, 7:13 am EST

Rock On, Steven! You’re the man! Hey, bitch, what did you with my BAMBU’s? cough cough cough cough cough

Daniel | 8/16/2007, 4:58 am EST

Great interview, Grohl is the leader of all things.

bukowski | 8/16/2007, 3:58 am EST

I heard Dave’s built his own space shuttle, and he and his band will be the first humans to habitate Mars! Is there anything the man can’t do?

Steven | 8/16/2007, 1:36 am EST

That’s because Marijuana isn’t a drug. It doesn’t harm anyone in any way.

burnaway311 | 8/16/2007, 12:53 am EST

its weird cuz i have a chili peppers dvd when they were on tour with the foo fighters and it shows taylor hawkins and dave rolling a joint…circa there is nothing left to loose…circa past twenty…hmm

Bigdave | 8/16/2007, 12:35 am EST

dupacrash, he still plays drums these days. oh you mean if kurt were still alive? There would still be no NIRVANA. and there would defineately be foo fighters. of course there would be Kurt Cobain projects.

Casey G. | 8/15/2007, 10:49 pm EST

You’ve done a LOT for the progression of music. Props.

AY7 | 8/15/2007, 8:26 pm EST

AJ, which rock god are you?

dupacrash | 8/15/2007, 8:23 pm EST

and to think - if things hadn’t happened the way they did he’d still be playing drums.

AJ | 8/15/2007, 8:00 pm EST

Dave Grohl is the rock god’s rock god!

Mike | 8/15/2007, 7:48 pm EST

You worthless little shits think that highly of someone’s drug usage? How pathetic. I do drugs recreationally but I couldn’t care less if the musicians who made the music that moves me do or not. That’s up to them. You all are like a bunch of backwards Christians who don’t like someone who does use them. Fucking wastes. I can’t stand most rockers that are as popular as Dave but since he’s as down to earth as he is, I love him.

T. Rex | 8/15/2007, 7:32 pm EST

Dave, you’re an awesome dude, but what’s the deal with the whole giving up drugs and smoking instead? Cmon, you know cigs hurt you more than a nice joint. Wise up, man. And awesome hair by the way.

Hege | 8/15/2007, 5:35 pm EST

Dave is the man.
can’t wait for their new album.

bob | 8/15/2007, 2:20 pm EST

I totally agree with Grohl that Neil Young is the Coolest!

Liquid Feces | 8/15/2007, 1:02 pm EST

Man, that Neil Young is so cool. He owns a teepee and mudroom. Too cool for me.

Stoner Bill | 8/15/2007, 12:59 pm EST

Hey! What does he mean he stopped doing drugs at 20 and doesn’t get fucked up anymore?!? I looked up to this guy. Now I’m not so sure. I may have to throw away my Foos CD’s. I wants the bands and musicians I listen to to be nice and stoned all the time.

Tequila Mockingbird | 8/15/2007, 12:55 pm EST

Is it just me, or is Dave starting to look like a 1969 ‘Get Back sessions’ Beatle?

Jim | 8/15/2007, 12:50 pm EST

Long live Dave Grohl and the Foos!
It’s reassuring that there’s really good people out there rocking their asses off. Can’t wait for the new CD.

Reefer Dude | 8/15/2007, 12:45 pm EST

Dave Grohl looking like Jesus these days.

Maggie | 8/15/2007, 12:42 pm EST

Lovely, you’re a dipshit.
Dave, you’re cool.

Lovely | 8/15/2007, 12:23 pm EST

KEEP smoking A-hole
enjoy cancer, but YOU are soooooo cool blowing smoke outta YO face
dickhead, OH yeah talent free

yoursocool | 8/15/2007, 11:52 am EST

Me and the hubby LOVE you Dave! Lets get the kids together for a playdate.
Just have the Mrs. give me a call.

Geoalb | 8/15/2007, 10:44 am EST

Dave, you think Neil Peart is the greatest drummer or what. You gotta love ANY Rush concert !

abandonedstation | 8/15/2007, 10:12 am EST

Dave if you’re at a Sabbath show and you’re NOT smoking weed, you’re missing out on 90% of the all-important sludge.

But I’ll forgive you because of the drumming on Aneurysm.

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