It’s pleasantly surprising that Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl hasn’t disappeared following Taylor Hawkins’ death. The music icon almost disappeared after Kurt Cobain’s death, and hardly wanted to hear music after the tragedy. In 2001, Hawkins almost died of a drug overdose, and Grohl planned to leave music behind completely if his bandmate didn’t pull through.
Hawkins died on tour with Foo Fighters in South America on March 25, 2022. Grohl and the band took time off, but it doesn’t look like his best friend’s death has put Grohl in an early retirement, thankfully.
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins | Newspix/Getty Images
The singer-songwriter didn’t want to listen to the radio and put away all his instruments after Kurt Cobain died
Grohl was only in Nirvana for four years. The grunge band only released three studio albums, but they took fans and the music industry by storm. Cobain never wanted to be famous, but his songs resonated with a whole generation. Suddenly Nirvana was sucked into a tornado.
However, it all came crashing down, and the roar of the storm stopped when Grohl got the call that Cobain had died. It was like flipping a switch. Nothing felt the same to Grohl anymore, including music.
He told Sunday Morning that he was lost. “I went through a really dark period where I couldn’t really even listen to the radio because it broke my heart just to hear music,” he said.
Grohl told BBC Radio 4 (per Ultimate Classic Rock) that he put away all his instruments. “It was that way for a few months,” he said. “I was still in Seattle, and I just felt, ‘I gotta get out.’ I [had to] go somewhere where I could just disappear and sort through my life, and try to figure out what to do next.”
Grohl chose to escape to a place he loved that was remote, Ireland’s Ring of Kerry. However, the singer-songwriter found that even in the remotest places, he couldn’t escape the pain of losing Cobain. As he drove through the Ring of Kerry, Grohl encountered a hitchhiker. As he slowed down and passed, he saw that the man was wearing a Nirvana T-shirt.
Grohl couldn’t outrun this thing. So, he went home with the plan to start over, and that’s when he founded Foo Fighters.
Dave Grohl almost gave up music when Taylor Hawkins almost died in 2001
Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for Grohl to start Foo Fighters. Eventually, he made an even greater friendship with Hawkins. Grohl asked Hawkins to join Foo Fighters because of their emotional connection, not Hawkins’ drumming skills. Grohl just knew that he wanted to be friends and bandmates with Hawkins.
However, while on tour in 2001, in Foo Fighters’ early days, Hawkins overdosed on heroin. He was admitted to a London hospital and spent two weeks in a coma. The experience freaked Grohl out.
“I’ve seen so many people just lose it all with drugs and die,” Grohl told the Guardian. “So I freaked out.” Grohl stayed by Hawkins’ bedside for the entire two weeks. At 18, the Foo Fighters frontman had seen a friend have a heart attack after taking too much coke. Then he’d watched Cobain overdose on heroin in 1994.
Hawkins’ overdose and subsequent fight for his life put Grohl over the edge, and he was prepared to leave it all behind if Hawkins didn’t pull through. He was sick of losing friends.
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“When Taylor wound up in hospital I was ready to quit music,” Grohl said. “Because, to me, it felt like music equalled death. I started praying. I’ve never been to church in my life, and I’m walking back from Taylor’s hospital to our hotel every night, praying out loud in the streets of London.
“I don’t even know if I believe in God. But I felt like, y’know, this is just not right, y’know, what kind of God would let this…”
Thankfully, Hawkins pulled through and survived. When he woke up, he turned to Grohl and, as the band did, told him to “f*** off.”
Thankfully, Grohl hasn’t disappeared following Hawkins’ death
Days after Hawkins’ death, Foo Fighters canceled all upcoming tour dates. Then Grohl and the band entered a months-long grieving period. Fans thought this would be when the drummer lost his will to keep rocking. It seemed as if we’d lost Grohl and Foo Fighters forever. How could they continue without Hawkins?
However, Grohl surprised everyone when he came out to join Paul McCartney on stage in Glastonbury in June 2022. It was Grohl’s first performance since Hawkins’ death. Around this time, Foo Fighters announced the all-star lineup for Hawkins’ tribute shows in LA and London in September.
Since then, Foo Fighters and Grohl have slowly come out of their hiatus. On Dec. 31, 2022, the band said they plan to continue without Hawkins.
“As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish the most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us,” they wrote on Instagram.
They added that Foo Fighters was created “to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life.” The band rose out of the ashes of Nirvana. Grohl found a way to continue in music then, and he’ll find one now.
They concluded, “We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again – and we will soon – he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”
Now, Foo Fighters have begun to release some show dates. They will play at Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club’s new venue, The Atlantis, on May 30 and Sea. Hear. Now Festival on Sept. 17. Meanwhile, Grohl barbecued for over 24 hours for a homeless shelter in February. There have also been rumors that Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron will replace Hawkins, although Cameron has denied them.
So, Grohl and Foo Fighters have kept busy, and it has given fans hope. However, that doesn’t mean the grieving period is over. Hawkins’ loss will never fade, but at least Grohl and the band are working through it and healing. It’s inspiring.
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
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