Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl took time out to talk about his second Rock Hall induction, when the Foos enters the Hall on Saturday, October 30th at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. This year’s class marks the second respective inductions for both Dave Grohl and the legendary Tina Turner.
Coming six years after he was first inducted with Nirvana, Grohl talked about it being more of a celebration this time around, telling Rolling Stone: “Nirvana’s induction was obviously bittersweet. But we were honored to be there, mostly to honor Kurt (Cobain)’s amazing music. This will be a different vibe, for sure.”
He went on to say of the Foos’ history, “If there’s one common thread that’s run through the last 25 years of being in this band, it’s that everything just falls in our laps. It really does, like having the band begin with a simple demo tape, which was finished right around the time Sunny Day Real Estate was breaking up, and Pat Smear hearing the tape and offering his service.”
Grohl credits the band’s success on pretty much staying independent of the big time machinery that boxes in so many bands: “It’s funny. There’s never been a boardroom full of people discussing any career direction or decision. It’s the same f***in’ eight people for 25 years that follow our gut instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, we just don’t do it. It can be something as ridiculous as a music video or something as important as knowing when to say no. . . We’re blissfully unaware of a lot of what’s going on in the industry and popular music because we built this little fortress around us where we have our own studio and our friends produce our records.”
Grohl went on to say the band is more than ramped up and itching for the chance to hit the road again: “Oh, yeah! We’ve been getting together for the past six or seven months, rehearsing and playing and recording and filming. We’re ready to go. . . It was finally being able to share it with people again. We’ve been playing for our road crew for the past six months. I’m so f***in’ sick of it.”
FAST FACTS
- The inductees for the 36th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are: “Performer Category” — Foo Fighters, the Go-Go‘s, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, Carole King, and Jay-Z.
- The 2021 Musical Excellence Award will be given to LL Cool J, Billy Preston, and guitarist Randy Rhoads. This year’s Early Influence Award inductees are Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron, and Charley Patton.
- The 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 30th at 8 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio — with a radio simulcast on SiriusXM’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Radio channel 310. The Induction Ceremony will be broadcast on HBO and streamed on HBO Max at a later date.
SIDE NOTES
The list of artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice is:
- Jeff Beck – The Yardbirds (1992); Jeff Beck (2009)
- Johnny Carter – The Flamingos (2001); The Dells (2004)
- Eric Clapton – The Yardbirds (1992); Cream (1993); Eric Clapton (2000) *** THREE TIME inductee
- David Crosby – The Byrds (1991); Crosby, Stills, & Nash (1997)
- Peter Gabriel – Genesis (2010); Peter Gabriel (2014)
- Dave Grohl – Nirvana (2014); Foo Fighters (2021)
- George Harrison – The Beatles (1988); George Harrison (2004)
- Michael Jackson – The Jackson Five (1997); Michael Jackson (2001)
- Carole King – Gerry Goffin & Carole King (1990); Carole King (2021)
- John Lennon – The Beatles (1988); John Lennon (1994)
- Curtis Mayfield – The Impressions (1991); Curtis Mayfield (1999)
- Paul McCartney – The Beatles (1988); Paul McCartney (1999)
- Clyde McPhatter – Clyde McPhatter (1987); The Drifters (1988)
- Graham Nash – Crosby, Stills, & Nash (1997); The Hollies (2010)
- Stevie Nicks – Fleetwood Mac (1998); Stevie Nicks (2019)
- Jimmy Page – The Yardbirds (1992); Led Zeppelin (1995)
- Lou Reed – The Velvet Underground (1996); Lou Reed (2015)
- Gregg Rolie – Santana (1998); Journey (2017)
- Paul Simon – Simon & Garfunkel (1990); Paul Simon (2001)
- Ringo Starr – The Beatles (1988); Ringo Starr (2015)
- Rod Stewart – Rod Stewart (1994); The Small Faces/The Faces (2012)
- Stephen Stills – Buffalo Springfield (1997); Crosby, Stills, & Nash (1997)
- Sammy Strain – The O’Jays (2005); Little Anthony & The Imperials (2009)
- Tina Turner – Ike & Tina Turner (1991); Tina Turner (2021)
- Ron Wood – The Rolling Stones (1989); The Small Faces/The Faces (2012)
- Neil Young – Neil Young (1995); Buffalo Springfield (1997)
CHECK IT OUT: Nirvana’s complete 2014 Rock Hall induction: