T IN THE PARK
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He’s the nicest man in rook’n’roll and he’s topping the bill at T in the Park with FOO FIGHTERS. In a Scottish exclusive, Dave Grohl lets rip to Mark Robertson about double albums, stage diving and beard maintenance.
After you make a record, how much do you go back and pick it apart?
When you're making the record it's pretty much all that you think about. While we were making
the record it was a solid the or six months of
cigarette alter cigarette in the garage until lottr in the morning. wondering if I was doing the right thing with my life. When you begin a project like this. like a double album. it‘s oyerwhelming because not only is it the sheer yolume of music that you’re trying to accomplish; for me it was keeping it from becoming another Beatles Il’lzitc Album. I didn't want to just walk into a studio and wank some experimental pretentious ‘.\’o 9‘ shit. I wanted to go in and make two great records. It‘s hard enough just going in to make one. so when you make two the headaches are twice as bad and your col‘l‘ee‘s twice as strong. Did making a quiet record and a loud one force you to break down what constitutes a good Foo Fighters song?
.r\bsolutely. becattse we‘ye always had a larger sense ol‘ dynamic than most people think. I
mean. it‘s ottr lilth record. we‘ye been going for
ten years and for every album that we‘ye made we‘ye written twice that many songs. We‘ye always locused on making the rock record. but there was always another side of the band that not many people got to see. Some (it our best songs are the ones that have unconyentional arrangement. learn to I-‘Iy‘. ‘liyerlong‘. or ‘.\'Ionkey Wrench don‘t embody the band for me. There‘s so many other songs that I consider more like the band. and so. when I hear a song like ‘In Your Ilonour' I think that‘s what the hand does best. Iiyen songs on the acoustic record like 'Ra/or' or eyen ’Miracle‘ are just a guitar and a vocal. A second grader could haye written it. It‘s l‘otlt' chords.
So there’s nothing that you’d go back and change?
Absolutely not. The last record. we shuttled that out of the studio belore we were completely happy with it. Albums are more than just collections of songs: they‘re like a diary entry or something tnore personal. With this one I thought ()K. wc‘ye just built our own studio which is fucking amazing. it‘s unbelieyable. This thing is not lcaying the studio until eyeryonc‘s l()()‘ré sold on it. We were changing things down to the last minute. How do you avoid being a rock’n’roll casualty?
I)on‘t I'ucking put any needles in your arms. you know‘.’ To me. that's a big deal. I‘ll drink a whole bottle of whisky with my I'riends on the weekend but I wouldn’t wanna risk music for anything in the world. I love it to death.
You’ve managed to be a very private person in a very public business.
It’s easy. Just don‘t bring a bodyguard and eat at home. And it you‘re gonna go to a moyie premiere. go through the back door.
Do you have any vivid memories of visiting Scotland before?
Yeah. quite a few. Kurt and I did an acoustic show in I‘)‘)l just as Nci't'rmim/ came out. I had a good time that night.
That’s gone down in Scottish music folklore. You bought a friend of mine a drink.
That’s a rarity. You know what I would loye'.’ Rather than people ol‘l’ering to buy me drinks. it someone just came up next to me and said. ‘Will you buy tne a drink'." It would be great. I‘d open a tab for them.
You’re not like the stereotypical rock star. Think about the circus that is the rock'n‘roll business. It‘s ridiculous. I felt that way in l‘)‘)l with Niryana and I feel that way still. I’or me. you get serious when you walk into a studio or onto a stage. But eyerything else is irrelevant. I‘m a high school drop otlt who worked at furniture warehouses when I was young. That‘s what I thought I'd do lor the rest ol’ my life and what was laid out for me wasn‘t much career ambition because I was playing hardcore punk rock. This was the mid-80s and it‘s not like you were gonna become the biggest band in the world. screaming about how much you wanna smash the state. So. when it did happen with .\'iryana it was like. 'Wow. I did win the fucking lottery. I don‘t haye to work any more.‘ You know. and it still l‘eels that way. ljust l'eel lucky.
Talking about ten years and five albums, do you play your own records a lot?
Not really. I‘ll listen to our old records belore we make a new one. just to make sure that I'm not re-tracing any steps. But to me. this whole era/y thing doesn‘t seem like ten years. .\'iryana doesn’t seem like it was 14 years ago. It seems like it was last summer or something. It’s to do with the energy. I’ve seen you play various different sizes of venues and the energy level is never less than 100%.
I think I l‘inally did my last stage diye. at .\'1otorhead’s 3(lth anniyersary show in I.os Angeles. I got so pissed that I went bowling (ill the stage at the end ol' the set and I landed llat on my right cheek-bone. I woke tip the next morning like. ‘Where‘s my cell phone and why 's my cheek bone swollen'."
You’re the only man to successfully assault the British charts and still support a beard and look cool.
Let me tell ya: the heard is back! I’ve had a heard for a while now because I think I‘m l‘unny looking and anything to hide my lace . . . But I‘ve lound that the beard has become a necessary accessory for independent rock bands in America. It‘s becoming an underground thing. I don't wanna seem like one of those little emo kids. I might haye to take the next step . . . to the handle bar. I might have to do the lireddy. lireddy Mercury. But you gotta take care of the beard. You don‘t wanna look like the unahomber.
I’ve one last thing to ask. My friend invented a drinking game one night,
called the Dave Grohl game. She said ‘If you had one person who would walk into a room and you could say, “right let’s get it on,” who would you choose?’ She said, ‘Mine’s Dave Grohl.’
Iloly Shit!
So who would your Dave Grohl be?
Oh. that's a great one. Wow. who could it be”? You know who I‘d honestly have to say‘.’ I'd haye to say Juliette Lewis.
I shall go and tell my friend Lucy and she’ll be really happy.
Yeah. tell I.ucy I said hi.
Main Stage, Saturday.
I If you like the sound of Foo Fighters. then try this . . . Nine Black Alps. NME Stage, Sunday.
Hm THE LIST 19