-Research Paper on David Grohl-

by:Kelvin Li (Biomonky)

All musicians are influenced by outside music, culture, and upbringing, but great musicians end up leaving their mark on people, culture, and the world. David Grohl is one of these musicians; his talent and genius have matured from being a fledgling drummer with the D.C. punk rock group Scream to fronting his current band the Foo Fighters. Grohl has grown as a public figure; no longer is hidden in the rhythm section, but he is under the microscope lens of the public, and therefore subject to intense scrutiny. Dave has shifted away from the shadowing success of his watershed tenure with Nirvana and the tragic death of band mate Kurt Cobain. Unlike Ringo Starr, another drummer who later started his own band, he has exceeded the high expectations of the music community.

Dave Grohl started playing the guitar when he was ten, and he began playing with a cover band when he was twelve. Dave jumped from band to band because he could never find somewhere to fit in. When he joined the punk group Mission Impossible, he picked up the drum sticks because the drummer just "sucked". At sixteen he auditioned to drum for his favorite punk group Scream. Dave easily got the spot; Scream was the point in his life when he became a professional musician. Scream continued to tour until the band began to fall apart in 1990. A close friend suggested that Dave try out for the vacant drumming position in his friend's band, a Seattle grunge group called Nirvana.

Albeit, Nirvana had gone through several drummers already, but they found their permanent drummer in Dave. Krist Novoselic described Dave, "We knew in two minutes that he was the right drummer, he was a hard hitter. He was really dynamic. He was so bright, so hot, and so vital. He rocked"(Azerrad 154). Nirvana recorded their album "Nevermind", and grabbed a distribution deal from Geffen Records. A list compiled by drumlink.com listed the top 50 drummers' albums; "Nevermind" was one of them,

After enduring the dark days of tedious Depeche Mode drum-machine sterility during the '80s, Nirvana signaled a welcome breath of fresh air on its breakthrough album, due to Kurt Cobain's inventive songwriting and the fact that the Seattle trio sounded like (and was) a real band rocking out with a real drummer. While Grohl may not have been the most inventive drummer on record, he did muscle through Cobain's arrangements with a lively, powerful attack, steady feel and studio-smart fills that perfectly defined grunge drumming. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" inspired a new generation of kids to air drum, which isn't such a bad thing.

(http://www.drumlink.com)

Cobain's poetic attack on society was reinforced by a smart beat, pop sensibility, and unconventional construction. MTV avowed,

The revamped trio secured a prestigious contract with Geffen Records, whose faith was rewarded with "Nevermind", which broke the band worldwide. This was a startling collection of songs that transcended structural boundaries, notably the distinctive slow verse/fast chorus format, and almost single-handedly brought the 'grunge' subculture overground. It topped the US charts early in 1992, eclipsing much-vaunted competition from Michael Jackson and Dire Straits and topped many Album Of The Year polls. The opening track, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", reached the US and UK Top 10, further confirmation that Nirvana now combined critical and popular acclaim.

(MTV.com)

Although "Nevermind" was an excellent record, it only gained worldwide success because of the social and economic situation here in America. Nirvana found their footing in the downhearted youth of the recession.

Cobain [lead singer] had unwittingly filled a musical gulf. They took a hardheaded, punk-influenced stance and fused it to a more mainstream, hard rock sound. Somewhere in this mix, Cobain was voicing the emptiness felt by the youth of 90s America. The media would soon coin a catchall phrase to capture this phenomenon: "Generation X".

(Amazon.com)

These American youth were alienated from their parents and society. They were a result of decades of increased divorce rates, two income families, and recession. These flannel-wearing youth were deemed slackers for their resentment of the system.

Generation X has a lot to be alienated about: few good jobs, declining prospects, drive-by shootings, unprecedented levels of teen violence and suicide; Prozac-happy therapy, the haunting specter of AIDS where an act of love can become an act of death; an increasing intolerance in certain sectors toward the poor and homeless, Beavis and Butthead mean-spiritedness sufficing as social commentary, absentee parents trying to make it in the two-income economy. Generation X is the one that will suffer most from present governmental policies of free trade, and 14 years of Reagan-Bush-Clinton economics. Kurt Cobain wailed, thumped and slammed his guitar against these walls of a decaying society closing in around him, and his generation tuned in because they too can feel the noose getting tighter.

(http://www.igc.org/envision/cobain.htm)

Generation X found their poet in Cobain and an outlet for their angst in his music. But admiration was not localized to the alternative crowd, and the grunge revolution quickly spread.

Suddenly it was not just alternative kids who were tuning in, but everyone, including those they positively despised: jocks, misogynistic metalheads, racist, homophobic rednecks. Nirvana were appalled by their broad appeal, and none of their new-found audience seemed to appreciate the degree of hate they inspired in their new idols.

(Amazon.com)

Generation X did not want to pick up where their parents had left off in music as well as occupation, so many chose other professions like computing. They were considered slackers for their non-mainstream lifestyle. They eventually got the last laugh when the Generation X slackers became the great CEOs and Web giants in the late 90's.

Nirvana was originally an underground band, which consisted of normal people. They weren't sold for their looks; they wrote their own music and had their own artistic creativity. Dave Grohl stated the following about Nirvana,

We weren't doing any posing and we weren't trying to be something that we weren't, it was sort of a package deal--you've got good music, you've got normal-looking people, just like Bruce Springsteen can sell out the Enormodome in New Jersey because he's a fuckin' average Joe. I think it had a lot to do with something like that, maybe-people seeing normal people and appreciating that.

(Azerrad 230)

Many people were sick of seeing glorified beauty, and were looking for a glorification of the ugly much like what was shown in the artwork of Picasso or Goya. People needed someone or something to mirror their inner gloom, but they weren't finding it in the music that was available at that time. Dave Grohl affirmed:

Nirvana helped music break free from the Madonnas and Whitney Houstons "If you looked at the top 10 in the year before "Nevermind", there was rarely any rock music in it except for bad heavy metal shit that no one could relate to. When our music came out, I think it was a combination of stoners, skaters, of derelict kids who saw a group of derelict kids playing music that sounded like we were pissed. And I think a lot of people related to that.

(Azerrad 230)

Mainstream music included the hair bands of the 80's, pop music, new wave, and heavy metal. The rock of the 80's was choked with hair bands like Poison and Skid Row that were screaming about sex in the middle of the AIDS crisis. Their performances were more about gimmicks and flowery props than actual music. Not only was their music extremely ostentatious, but it also didn't fit the times. The moment the music video for Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" aired on television, a musical revolution erupted. Nirvana trampled over existing rock bands, and forced some musicians into unemployment. Independent bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were signed onto record labels in order to compete and ride the wave of grunge music.

Today, music business is often termed "Post-Nirvana". Nirvana's impact was such that nowadays, industry pundits talk about the "post-Nirvana music business." One impact, as Matt Lukin puts it, is that after Nirvana, "The underground isn't as underground as it used to be"(Azerrad 232). In the years before the release of "Nevermind", bands often sacrificed their artistic talent to sign with a major record label. However, many bands unwilling to sacrifice their art signed with independent labels. These independent labels catered to different niches of music and were friendly to bands, but they did not have the vast power or influence of a major label. After Nirvana, major record labels went looking for artists signed to independent labels offering contracts as well as more respect for artistic creativity.

After the release of "Nevermind", Dave Grohl and his friend Barrett Jones recorded 10 tracks on which Dave played all the instruments. He called the demo "Pocketwatch" and used the pseudonym "Late!" instead of his real name. Only a few copies were made for friends and family. Dave was embarrassed about his frail voice and did not share his tape with his band mates. Dave continued touring with Nirvana, and kept recording material on his time off.

Nirvana died on April 5th, 1994. Kurt Cobain shot himself after a drug binge. His wife Courtney Love read his suicide note at the funeral. The world was stunned that their grunge icon had killed himself. Dave was shocked as well, and he was not willing to return to music. A letter from 7 Year Bitch, a band who had also lost a band member, finally persuaded him to return to music.

In the fall of 1994 Dave and Barrett Jones went into the studio for a week and recorded a fifteen-track demo. Twelve of the tracks eventually appeared on the Foo Fighters self-titled album. Dave played all the instruments except for back up guitar on one song; he sometimes recorded full songs in fourteen minutes. He wanted to release it on his label and call it "Foo Fighters" so that it sounded like a group instead of just a solo project. Dave didn't even want to put his name on it, because he wanted the world to judge his work on the music instead of his name. Dave Grohl said the following in an interview in 1995,

I didn't really even think about it that much. There were maybe 4 people in the world that had heard the tapes. I wouldn't give them out to people, and I was almost embarrassed to let people hear them just because I was singing. That was strange enough for me that I tried to keep it within my wife, my family and the guy who recorded it, Barrett.

(Triple J interview 1995)

Word of Dave's "solo" project got out, and people were scouring to find Dave's older material. Jenny Toomey, who owned Simple Machines Records, had made copies of Dave's older 1990-1991 "Pocketwatch" demo. Simple Machines was not able to satisfy the overwhelming demand for "Pocketwatch".

Dave decided that if he wanted to release his "solo" project "Foo Fighters" he needed a band. He recruited Will Goldsmith and Nate Mendel from Sunny Day Real Estate, and ex-Nirvana band mate Pat Smear. Dave did not have high expectations for his creation, however the rest of the world expected Nirvana. On July 4th 1995 "Foo Fighters" was released. The Foo Fighters self-titled album was a solo demo tape, and as a demo tape it enjoyed gradual success. Foo Fighters was certified Platinum early in January 1996(foofighters.com). Dave's whiny voice and punk rock scream, combined with a simple construction and a fast alternative beat, was a winning combination. However as anticipated, the media constantly compared and contrasted his work to Nirvana. It was going to be difficult for Dave to break free of the Nirvana image. On February third 1995, aware that the eyes of the world were on him, Dave and the rest of the Foo Fighters played their first show. The Foo Fighters toured the world in '95 and '96, and enjoyed radio hits like "This is a Call", "I'll Stick Around", and "Big Me".

Although it was easy for Dave to play the guitar, it was difficult for him to stand in front of an audience and sing. Although Dave's frail and limited voice has grown over the years, yet he still fears performing and is insecure about his voice. In the Foo Fighters, he wasn't behind everyone slamming away at his drums; he was right in front facing the audience.

The music community doubted his ability to play guitar; they said that he would only be remembered as the drummer from Nirvana, just like Ringo Starr would only be remembered as the drummer for the Beatles. However, Dave has become a proficient lead guitarist; he won the Gibson Guitar Award for the male best rock guitarist in 2001.

Unfortunately, Dave was a perfectionist - he worked hard and long hours, and he expected a hundred percent from everyone, but many of his band mates were unable to meet his expectations. During the recording of "The Colour and the Shape" the Foo Fighters' second album, William would record the drum tracks and Dave would argue with him. At night Dave would return to the studio and rerecord the tracks the way he wanted. Although he did not want William to play his drum arrangements, he found William's style too conservative for the music he was writing. Dave earned a reputation of being hard to work for. Dave affirms on a radio interview, "Being in a band is hard, it's like being in a relationship with three women, and a puppy, you got to clean up the crap"(K-Rock Interview 2001). Taylor Hawkins replaces William Goldsmith before the second album is released. Pat Smear, the original guitarist, left the band in 1997 due to the strenuous touring schedule, and was replaced by Franz Stahl. Upon recording the third album "There is Nothing Left to Lose" Franz Stahl left the band and was replaced by Chris Shiftlett.

Dave loves making music; to him music was supposed to be fun. Unlike Kurt Cobain, he wasn't driven by his inner torment. Many Nirvana fans expected Dave to write morose and pessimistic music. However, Dave's ebullient personality bubbled through in his songs. He writes music for himself more than the fans, and he doesn't care about winning awards; his music is his child to the world. However, it was his discretion whether or not the world was allowed to share in his music. Dave discussed writing music at an interview in 1995,

There's a part of me that wants to make music that has absolutely nothing to do with the confines of pop structure. I don't want vocals or drums on it; I don't want it to have a beginning and an end; and I don't want anyone else to hear it. I just want to make music for the sake of making music. If I make music for the rest of my life for myself, and no one else hears it, I'll still be content, because that's what burns inside of me. I sometimes feel like what we're doing right now as a band has tapped into maybe like eight percent of what I'm capable of. I really think I'm capable of doing so much more than being in a rock band. But who knows? And do I want anyone else to be hearing it? I don't really know.

(Triple J interview 1995)

An integral part of making music today is performing and touring. Dave felt an ever-growing responsibility to his audience both as a performer as well as a role model. He began to feel more responsible for putting on a good show. The music was important to him, but so was having fun. Dave alleged, "With Foo Fighters, I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable. But still just getting up knowing that you have that responsibility for the next hour and 15 minutes to entertain these people, that's what's buried back in the rear in my brain. I just know that I have a responsibility and I don't handle responsibility well"(Triple J Interview 1995).

As a result, Dave used his influence to aid causes. In 1996 and 1997 the Foo Fighters played the Tibetan Freedom Concert. Dave volunteered to do a public service announcement to raise awareness about the persecution of the Tibetan people by the Chinese Government. Without freedom of Press or Speech, the Tibetans were subject to the atrocities of the Chinese government; Dave felt that he had an obligation to speak for them.

In 2000, Dave was arrested on a DUI charge in Australia. Dave had a few beers at the concert, and was riding back on a motor scooter to the hotel with his fellow band mate Taylor Hawkins. Dave was stopped at a random checkpoint; he blew into the Breathalyzer and registered .09. He went to court and his defense was, "four beers, felt fine, very sorry". He said that he wasn't used to Australian beer and it's higher alcohol content. Although the court did not buy his defense, he was polite and funny and had his fine reduced. He was fined 400 dollars and three-month revocation of his license. He however appealed the decision on the grounds that the bad record might restrict his band from playing at future venues in Australia, but the appeal was denied. Dave was aware that people expected better conduct from him, and that he let a lot of people down. On the foofighters.com postboard, Dave wrote this letter to the fans apologizing for his actions.

...So, people, I guess if there's anything to learn here, it's don't drive after a few beers, even if you feel entirely capable like I did," he continues. "Don't underestimate the definition of a 'Motor Vehicle,' and always let Gus [Tour manager] drive you home. Sorry if you all think I'm a dork. Believe me, I feel like a total dickweed, but you gotta kinda laugh. Ever see that scene in Dumb and Dumber where they take the mini-bike to Aspen? Picture that, but here down under.

(foofighters.com)

Dave knew that he had to take responsibility for his actions because he was a public figure, and he had influence on society.

Because Dave is a musician, strangers and fans have tried to dissect Foo Fighters Albums and songs to get into Dave's head. Dave rarely talks about the personal meanings of songs; he never wants to play the drama card. "My Hero" from "The Colour and the Shape" was thought to be about Kurt Cobain. The song "Stacked Actors" off "There is Nothing Left to Lose" was about the phoniness of Hollywood, fake boobs, and the rock star turned movie star; possibly the song was a shot at Courtney Love. However, Dave would never admit what or who the songs were really about. In a Cdnow.com interview Dave was asked about his Ex-Girlfriend's new album, which was entirely devoted to Dave…in a bad way.

Cdnow: Well, speaking of pinpointing specific anger, have you heard the upcoming Veruca Salt album?

Dave: No, I haven't actually. But I've heard it's pretty great.

Cdnow: It is, but it's curious, because there's quite a few not-so-subtle references to you and your relationship with [Veruca Salt lead singer] Louise [Post] on it.

Dave: I know [laughs]. I've heard.

Cdnow: Does that bother you at all?

Dave: You know what? The most important thing to me is to make music. All that other stuff is so irrelevant. And anyone that knows me knows I never play the drama card. Never. I might write songs about things I'm angry about, and I might express some of my stuff in my songs, but will I talk about it in interviews? Fuck no. Will I talk shit about people in interviews? Fuck no. Never, never. Well, I used to, kind of, but ... [laughs] But it's so irrelevant, and to me, it's just boring. And it's the kind of thing that makes me reconsider popular music.

(cdnow.com)

The second Foo Fighters Album "The Colour and the Shape," which was released in 1997, was of only moderate success until the second single Everlong was released. It was a song that had a bearing on many lives. At a radio interview in 2001 Dave conversed with a DJ about the song "Everlong"

While we were doing that [recording the 2nd album], I was going through all this personal crap, and I started writing it ["Everlong"] while we were recording the other stuff. And we took a break from recording. I went home and did a demo of it…I came back and played it for everyone, and I was like what do you think, you think we should do this? Everyone was like yea that sounds cool lets do it. It just came out of no where…Honestly I believe that it doesn't have anything to do with the language or the lyrics or anything, it's the sound of the song and the feel of the song that can evoke emotion or passion in someone, like when you hear a movie score, there's music that's just sad music. It doesn't matter what its called or what it says, you just hear it, the combination of tones and notes, it just sounds sad because it touches something inside of you that makes you feel it. (K-Rock interview 2001)

Apparently, "Everlong" had touched Howard Stern and David Letterman. The Foo Fighters made their network television debut on the David Letterman Show in 1995. Since then they have appeared on David Letterman eight times. In 1997, to support their new single "Everlong," they performed it on Letterman. "Everlong" became David Letterman's favorite song; Paul Schaffer (musician on Letterman) often played it going into commercials.

In 2000, David Letterman left the show to under go quintuple bypass surgery. On his big comeback show, he requested that the Foo Fighters be his musical guest. Letterman introduced the Foo Fighters,

When we started talking about doing the show when I came back after the surgery, [was asked] well what do you want for music? I want something peppy, these guys were on the show, oh I don't know four or five years ago and they played this song, it's a great song, and Paul plays it every now and then, I love the song, and I love the band, and I said what about those guys, what about Foo Fighters? And they are touring South America? That's what we heard... they canceled the tour to be here tonight. (Letterman 2000)

The Foo Fighters played a rocking rendition of "Everlong", some fans deemed it the best performance that they had done on television (foofighters.com). The Letterman comeback show was the fourth most watched show in the history of late night television; it attracted over twelve million viewers (foofighters.com). It was a night that both the band and Letterman will never forget. In the following appearance by the Foo Fighters, David Letterman graciously thanked them for being there for him.

A couple of months when I came back from a massive heart attack, the first day back these guys were on, and they were booked all over South America, they were doing a tour of the entire country, uh continent of South America, and they heard that I was back. And they said the heck with you guys we're going home. And they blew off millions and millions of dollars, and they told me later frankly they just don't care about the South Americans, but it meant so much to me to have those guys here that night.

(Letterman 2000)

Letterman's company Worldwide Pants asked that the Foo Fighters' song "Next Year" be used as the theme song for a new show called Ed. The Foo Fighters graciously accepted the honor. "Everlong" brought Howard Stern, a man all about manliness, to his knees. In 1998, Dave played an acoustic rendition of Everlong on the Howard Stern show. Howard was deeply touched; he professed that very few bands had music that touched him, and that the Foo Fighters was one of those bands (foofighters.com). Early in 2000, one of Howard's guests did a parody of "Everlong Acoustic"; Howard scolded him and told him not to mess with things that he did not understand. In May 2000, Howard invited the Foo Fighters onto his show and he requested to sing along to "Everlong". Although Howard came off sounding like big bird and was ridiculed for being sensitive and sounding "gay"; it was a moment that he will always cherish.

The Foo Fighters are best known for their funny and innovative music videos. They make videos that were "parent friendly"; they provide entertainment without resorting to sexually explicit images. The 1995 Foo Fighters video "Big Me" directed by Jesse Peretz spoofed the wacky Mentos commercials. A Mentos researcher confirms, "Alternative rock band The Foo Fighters did a video for their song "Big Me" that is a parody of several Mentos ads. The attention hasn't hurt Mentos sales; they've doubled since the campaign started, according to parent company Van Melle of the Netherlands" (cumberlink.com). The "Big Me" music video won Best Group Video at the 1996 MTV's Video Music Awards. The Foo Fighters' video for "Learn To Fly," also directed by Jesse Peretz, was about two drug smuggling maintenance people [Tenacious D] who accidentally hide drugs in the coffee machine. The band dressed up as the stereotypical crew and passengers - the small guy stuck between two fat people, a dumb stewardess, a homosexual steward, a crying baby, and of course themselves. The passengers and the pilots were served the tainted coffee, and they lost control. The Foo Fighters (who do not drink the noxious brew) land the plane and save the day.

In the late 1990's the rock phenomenon subsided while hip-hop, teen pop princesses, and boy bands held their place in the charts. The rock bands that were successful like Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Korn were not pure rock, but were hybrids of rock and hip-hop. Many rock enthusiasts awaited Dave Grohl's third album to save rock from being adulterated. For the third Foo Fighters' album Dave moved out of LA and back to Virginia, where he and the band built a studio. Dave wanted low-tech, so as a result all the equipment they used were circa-1971. They did not use any digital recording equipment, they hung K-mart sleeping bags on the walls for sound buffers, and they did not hire an acoustical engineer. "There is Nothing Left to Lose," gathered high reviews and several hit songs, and snagged a Grammy for best-rock album of 2000. A week before the Grammies Dave made an appearance on Craig Kilborn. During their interview they conversed about winning Grammies. Dave: We never win anything

Craig: Well you won a Grammy

Dave: Nirvana won a Grammy

Dave: [Sarcastically] With us we kind of fly beneath the radar, and that's what makes us so cool. Honestly we never win anything.

(Craig Kilborn 2001)

Although Dave was not expecting to win anything or even come close to the acclaim of Nirvana, the award was justly earned. Dave did not stem the flood or popularity of hybrid rock, but he proved to the rock world that quality old-school rock music could still prosper.

What's next for Dave and the Foo Fighters? Right now they are in the process of writing and recording their fourth album. As on "There Is Nothing Left to Lose", they are recording in the studio in the basement of Dave's Virginia home. However, Dave has expressed in interviews that he does not want to be in the Foo Fighters forever. Although he loves music, he also wants to have a wife and some children someday. Being an influential musician Dave is constantly scrutinized. The public eye can be unforgiving, as it was for Kurt Cobain. People, other musicians and society often influence musicians. David Grohl has left his mark on people, culture, and society. His work will forever influence the world.