Yes, not all of Taylor Hawkin’s teeth are real (blame good rockstar habits); yes, he used to drum for Alanis Morissette before he and Dave fell in love and ran away together; and yes, former Guns’n’Roses’ musician tried to throw him down the stairs because of a “smartass comment.”
We learned all this and more when Taylor and Dave Grohl stopped by The Woody Show Wednesday morning, and the title “nicest dudes in rock” definitely held up (unlike another Woody Show guest that we can’t name except to say hey Frank Oz!)
The guys talked about what it’s like to get on stage every night (“It’s an athletic event…if Dave doesn’t take Advil before the show, his head is screaming”) and the peaks and valleys of being a parent. Grohl is known for taking his kids to school every day, sometimes biking. “I love being a parent,” he says, “my kids are my best friends, and every day I try super hard to entertain them.” Ravey, on the other hand, prefers to be an auntie for their “returnable” attribute. Dave gets it. “It’s like ‘I don’t want to own a bowling ball.'”
As he gets older, Dave says he’s “not into fixing” appearances. For him, going grey is okay. “The coolest rockstars in the world are the ones who let themselves look like cool rockstars,” he says. “Roger Waters from Pink Floyd…Neil Young.” Not that he hasn’t had to make a few repairs. Grohl recently got a gold tooth put in after breaking it eating fried chicken at a sushi restaurant (fun fact) from the same guy who did the Yin Yang Twins’ grills. Because, of course.
On the current state of rock, Grohl says things are “cyclical.” “I get asked all the time, ‘don’t you think rock’n’roll is dead or obsolete?’ It’s just not.”
“When I was eleven all I cared was about rock music. My son is eleven years old and the only thing he likes is hip hop,” says Taylor. But Dave maintains that rock paved the way for grunge which begged for a return to glam rock which morphed into hip hop, and eventually it’ll be taken in a new direction.
The Foo Fighters sign off with advice for aspiring musicians. They say you have to love what you’re doing because “that’s the only reward, because, believe me, you win the lottery if you actually get paid.” Dave’s ultimate advice?
“Write great songs, don’t expect anything, and kick ass live. That’s all you gotta do.”
As anyone who has seen the Foo Fighters live, they know that they are musicians who take their own advice. It’s not lost on them that they’re what they call one of the lucky ones, and somehow, they say each show still feels like the first time.
“It’s still just as scary as it ever is…it’s like being shot out of a cannon naked on acid. Which I’ve only done twice.”