Dave Grohl is at war with a child. Having been called out by a 10-year old drummer named Nandi Bushell (who we wrote about before when she was still just a 9-year old drummer), Grohl has taken the bait and decided to engage in a knock-down, drag-out drum battle against her.
In Grohl’s defense, it was the kid who started this whole thing. Two weeks ago, Bushell posted a typically joyful, energetic video of her playing Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” on her YouTube channel. “Dave Grohl, I challenge you to a drum-off,” she says before playing along and bookending her performance by screaming a triumphant, “Checkmate!”
Grohl, refusing to let this child get the best (the best, the best) of him, tweeted out a video of him playing “Everlong” (which he says he hasn’t played since he recorded it in 1997) and saying that he’s received hundreds of texts telling him about Bushell’s performance. He compliments Bushell’s drumming, says he’s flattered that she’s been playing his parts, and then throws down the gauntlet by performing Them Crooked Vulture’s “Dead End Friends.”
Though he signed his tweet “Your friend in rock,” there’s no mistaking the severity of Grohl’s challenge. Bushell is the younger generation, coming to overthrow the old. Her delighted video response may be adorable, but don’t get too distracted by both parties’ friendliness. The drum battle has become a drum war.
Bushell also said, in a tweet of her “Everlong” video that her dream is to “jam with Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, and all the Foo Fighters” so maybe, whenever we get live music back, the beef between grown man and child can be squashed once and for all with collaboration instead of competition.
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42 Comments
Oh oh next do the opening of Hot for Teacher!
I started playing drums this year at age 40, and if you give me another ten years, I MIGHT be able to do what this kid is doing, if you let me do all the sticking first, and then do all the footwork separately.Look forward to it!
Needs more cowbell.
That little girl is so badass. She’s going places.
There is a tendency with stuff like this to assume that there’s pushy parents behind it, forcing their kids into social media stardom for the cash. However she’s clearly having so much fun in basically every video she posts we can probably rule that out.
You’re on to something there.Not only is she having fun, she’s actually a good drummer. It’s not a cute video the parents posted for their 15 minutes of fame, she’s actually committed to drumming.
If there’s a little bit of cynicism there it’s in calling out Dave Grohl, someone perhaps more likely than many others to play along.
I’m normally cynical about these sorts of videos but, with how awful the world is right now, I’m going to let it slide. I think Dave Grohl is a good role model for kids interested in music. There aren’t many musicians like him anymore.
I’m not really familiar with drum kits at all, but her sounds/looks kinda cheap. She made them sound great though! Good for her.
Unless you have professional recording equipment, it’s basically impossible to make drums sound “right” – consumer-grade microphones are designed to record human speech, and percussion is waaay outside their parameters.
The awkward adultness of the actual posts makes me still think that a bit. Someone else is clearly running that account. But I hope she genuinely enjoys the drumming and wants to be saying and doing what she is, even if it’s not quite her own words perhaps.
I would hope a ten year old isn’t running her own social media account TBH.
IIRC (i’m not a twitter user), people under a certain age aren’t allowed to post on there themselves. It’s similar to instagrams TOS.
There have always been musical prodigies throughout history; Mozart, Quincy Jones (played trumpet w/Dizzy’s band at 15), Pat Metheny (started guitar at 12, virtuoso by 17), Stevie Wonder…the internet and ‘15 minutes’ (versus 10,000 hours) has helped to enhance the cynicism.
She’s already better than Lars—can actually keep a steady tempo.
Tough but fair.
Ouch. Who are you, Some Kind of Monster?
I’m an Invisible Kid, falling through the grid.That’s why I’m so mean.
Play Moby Dick!
There is something ridiculously wholesome about her playing and it brings a smile to my face.
Which then turns into a jealous frown because I could never beat this song in Rock Band on either regular OR pro drums. (Something about the hi-hat runs throws me off.)
I think I did with Dead End Friends, though.
This…is what we needed today.
This is very cute, but c’mon Dave, give her a harder song than that. She can play “Everlong,” she’ll eat that song alive. Although maybe throwing “No One Knows” at her would have been mean.
Been there, done that:
holy shit!
My thoughts as well. I’d say Everlong has the higher difficulty level. This should be a piece of cake, but maybe that’s all part of the plan
SONG FOR THE DEAD
feh…what else has he got to do.
I misread the title as “Dave Grohl Battles a 10-Year Old Girl” so you can imagine my disappointment.
YYZed or GTFO.Seriously, though, great stuff. Between her and Yoyoka, that 10-year-old Japanese drummer who did RATM’s “Bulls On Parade” (among many other songs), rock music still has a very bright future.
It does?I hate to break the news to you, but rock and roll died as an art form in 1980. By 1980 we had metal, rap, techno, punk, new wave, all of it. Most of the 90’s scene was rehashing the 60’s and 70’s. I can’t think of a popular rock act who’s members are under 40.Is King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard popular?
She is wearing SCRUNCHIES on her FEET. That alone makes her one of the coolest drummers ever.
Both her and Yoyoka are both basically barefoot. Is that a thing in drumming? No shoes?
I’ve met drummers who don’t wear shoes, but I think this has as much to do with them being small children playing at home.
I feel like Yoyoka would win this competition, if she were invited to play:
Yeah, but I bet she can’t do YYZ. Neil Peart stands alone.
10-year-old Yoyoka: “Hold my Sapporo…”
Good God, that kid’s a monster; and a cheeky, spazzy, cutie pie on top of that! I hope the future is good to her.
Bushell also said, in a tweet
of her “Everlong” video that her dream is to “jam with Dave Grohl,
Taylor Hawkins, and all the Foo Fighters” so maybe, whenever we get live
music back, the beef between grown man and child can be squashed once
and for all with collaboration instead of competition.
I think it’s definitely going to happen. Foo Fighters have brought people up on stage to play with them before, several times.
This is great. But it makes me sad because it makes me think about Letterman’s last show. And then I’m reminded of Craig Ferguson’s last show and that makes me sad too. Letterman last show/Foo Fighters:Ferguson’s farewell:
Can Gwarsenio and the Two Minutes to Late Night crew get her on one of their at-home cover songs?
I’ve really needed this whole story.