I Hate Dave Grohl
 
I went to Perkins today with my family.  While there my son started asking me for words for his kid's menu "mad lib," including my favorite band.  I of course said the Foo Fighters because they are the band I hate the most.  These things are always unexpectedly funny (imagine really going to a Foo show where this happens).  So here it is (I wrote in some of the harder to read words; crayon isn't the best writing instrument). 
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Here's a little video about the making of Nirvana's album Nevermind.  There's a couple of cool things about it.  First of all, they discuss choosing Butch Vig to be their producer.  Butch Vig is also producing the new Foo Fighters album which I mentioned in my last post.  According to fooarchive.com they have started a few weeks of rehearsing in preperation for recording with Butch in September.  So in the video you get to see this guy in action and hear what he has to say about Nevermind.  The second really cool thing is that at the very end of the video, Butch shows the various tracks for In Bloom and you get to hear Dave's harmonies right along with Kurt Cobain's vocals.  Cool to hear Dave's pre-Foo vocals and what his voice sounded like then.  Apparently he used to be really self-conscious about his singing ability, so it was interesting for me to hear something from early on and see  what his voice sounded like.  Maybe he hadn't developed his trademark scream yet.  Maybe he was a little off-key in spots.  Maybe his voice was high and whiny.  Nope.  None of those things.  Turns out his voice sounded great all along.


I hate Dave Grohl.
 
 
Chris Shiflett, guitarist for the Foo Fighters,  recently discussed the new Foo album with Spinner.com.  Here's an excerpt from  that interview:

"What can we expect from the new Foo Fighters record?

It's a little too early to know exactly. We've just been learning songs and making some demos. Pretty much everything we've learned so far has been pretty upbeat and rocking and I think it sounds pretty good. I've read that Dave (Grohl) said It's gonna be the heaviest Foo Fighters record ever and I think it'll definitely be a lot more rocking than the last couple. Butch Vig (who produced Nirvana's 'Nevermind') is gonna produce the record. Dave built a studio at his house and we'll be recording it there. I believe the tracking room is in fact his garage! I should probably sell it as going back to basics. The truth is it's gonna be a world class studio. We'll have a bunch of good gear. But we'll definitely be going back to basics."

The part I'm excited about is that this confirms the kind of things I've read from both Dave Grohl himself and Taylor Hawkins.  Dave is excited about recording with Butch Vig again, who was the producer of Nirvana's  Nevermind album and helped make that album sound so  big and great.  I'll be  posting more about Butch Vig in the next week.  Taylor has also said (I'll have to paraphrase from memory here) that the new songs are shorter, harder and more back-to-basics rock and roll.  That's what  I'm talking about! 

I want a short, muscular, LOUD Foo Fighter's album.  Kind of like what Pearl Jam just  did with  their Backspacer album.  Except with the Foo Fighters I expect it to be catchier.  

To check out the full Chris Shiflett interview go here:
.http://www.spinner.com/2010/07/23/foo-fighters-chris-shiflett-new-album-details/

 
 

Hot off the presses!  A week from now, this entire show will be broadcast on PBS (July 28th, check listings).  However, here is Dave's "standout performer" performance from that concert.  Enjoy it a week early people!
 
 

I know there are some "jam" jokes I should make here, but I won't.  Partly because it'd be too obvious and mostly  because I can't think of anything. 

Dave Grohl and Alain Johannes were invited onstage at the end of Pearl Jam's set at Werchter 2010 (Belgium) recently to help out with the MC5 song Kick Out The Jams.  Alain got to play guitar.  Dave got to bang a tambourine (Hey, mister tambourine man!  Play a song for me!).  Okay, just got to say a few things.  First of all, this is my favorite MC5 song (by far).  Second, I actually used to cover this song in a former band of mine, but that was a long time ago.  Third, Pearl Jam are one of my top five favorite bands.  In fact, I had a dream once where I almost got to play with them.  At the local civic center (kinda wierd).  Mike McCready gave me one of his Orange amps.  Or was it Stone Gossard?  I don't remember, it was a dream and it also was a long time ago.  The point I'm trying to make here is that I literally have dreamed of playing with Pearl Jam.  Dave Grohl on the other hand actually gets to play with them.  Probably whenever he wants.

I hate Dave Grohl.
 
 
Look, I have four arms!
Look, I have four arms!
It has been some time since I’ve posted anything here, but there is a very good reason.  It’s taken me this long to collect enough cans to pay off the Them Crooked Vultures show I went to.  The total cost for my wife and I to go to the show is as follows:

     Concert Tickets: $96.00
     Hotel: $75.56
     Gas: $29.79
     One Concert T-shirt (see picture above): $25.00
     One Concert Beer: $7.50                                                   
     Total Cost:   $233.35

That’s two thousand three hundred and thirty nine cans that Dave Grohl cost me!  The sad part is, I'd do it all over again.  I hate Dave Grohl for making me a poorer man.
 
 
Okay, so this isn't my headline or article (I wish it was).  Check it out though, for a thought provoking piece by Steve Almond, author of the new book "Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life".  I have this book on hold at the library and right now it's status is "IN TRANSIT" so I should be getting it soon.  Here's the link:

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/06/03/dave-grohl-is-more-talented-than-kurt-cobain-discuss/

Other places Dave was in the news this week:

Paul McCartney Rocks the White House: A review of the concert at the White House.  My favorite part: "The standout performer, however, was Dave Grohl, who broke from the Beatles-heavy repertoire with a Wings hit that he's covered before, “Band on the Run.” I mean least favorite part.

See a little video of the end of the event below where a bunch of celebrities sing with the President.  And Paul McCartney.

Dave is also featured as one of RollingStone magazines Drummers in the Solo Spotlight photo feature.  RollingStone has recently "updated" their website by making it really, really slow, so that's a nice little benefit they've added.
 
 
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You've got four days left if you want to listen to Dave Grohl narrate the John Bonham Story on the BBC. It's available on their website for internet streaming.  Enjoy.  (Or don't.  It's up to you.  I'm just providing the opportunity and the reminder.  No skin off my back if you don't.  Really.) 
 
 
Dave Grohl will be taking part in a concert honoring Paul McCartney in the East Room of the White House (I was just there.  It’s a big room.  And yellow).  It will be hosted by President of The United States Barack Obama and the concert will air on PBS on July 28th, 2010 at 8pm.  Sir Paul is being awarded the 3rd Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress.  Other performers besides Mr. Grohl are Elvis Costello, Jack White, Jerry Seinfeld, Emmylou Harris, Faith Hill, Corinne Bailey Rae, the Jonas Brothers and Herbie Hancock.  I think it would be cool if Jack White and Dave Grohl got in a fight.  Actually not, but my two heroes in the same place at the same time might be a little too much the East Room of the White House can handle.

Dave Grohl will be narrating the John Bonham Story on BBC 6 Music (radio) on May 31st, 2010, 3pm BST.  That's tomorrow.  If you get the BBC and like John Bonham’s drumming and the sound of Dave Grohl’s voice, you might want to listen to it. 
 
 
I had a dream about Dave again about a month ago.  It was so insignificant I didn't think it even warranted a mention.  But then I thought better.

In this dream, he and I were in the same bar but he was in another room.  Someone had apparently told him about my website ihatedavegrohl.com and so he came over to me.  I was standing next to a bulletin board littered with band flyers and notices and there in the middle of it all was a flyer for this website.  He looked at the flyer, looked at me and said, "You're hair is getting a little long there buddy!"  then he ruffled it.  What was THAT about?!

I hate dream Dave Grohl.