When he’s not hanging out on Sesame Street, Dave Grohl continues to write enduring mainstream rock music for his totally uncool band, Foo Fighters. Never mind the fact that a long-haired Grohl was once the drummer for legendary grunge rockers Nirvana, or that he regularly shreds with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones via Them Crooked Vultures. Forget the fact Grohl compiled a heavy metal album under the guise of Probot. It’s time to fess up: Foo Fighters were never cool.
Well, that’s what Grohl will tell you. On a recent episode of Whitney Cummings’ Good for You podcast, Grohl owned the kind of distinction most bands dread. “You know the whole dad rock thing?” he said. “We’re totally dad rock.”
“First of all, we are all dads, and you’re right, we’re a rock band… Look, I’m 50 years old, I have fucking grey hair,” he said. “But you know, the thing is, I have never considered our band cool, and I like that.”
Grohl went on unpack how 1999 single “Learn to Fly” was more indebted to AM Gold soft rock than the nu-metal dominating the airwaves at the time. “We’ve just never been hip or cool; we just really haven’t,” he continued. “I think that the reason why we’re still here is because we do kind of disconnect ourselves from the popular stuff that’s going on, but also because, what the fuck do we care? I just want to fucking play music.”
Foo Fighters are currently recording their follow-up to 2017's Concrete And Gold, which he describes as “fucking weird.” Dad weird, probably.
[via iHeartRadio]
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72 Comments
Dad rock is just popular music that everyone and their dad listens to. I don’t see why this would be a problem. It honestly makes perfect sense. Throw in RHCP too.
I can’t stand RHCP though. I like a lot of FF’s stuff but it tends to be the radio songs. The rest of the albums tend to be a little off
That’s exactly how I feel too. I probably know 10 FF songs, because those are the ones I hear on the radio, even then, i’ll let it play through. If I hear a RHCP song, I change it immediately.
Color and the Shape is one of my all-time favorite albums, and I enjoy the hell out of Nothing Left to Lose. I haven’t enjoyed a full album since but the Foos are always good for a couple right bangers each disc!
I love RHCP and really don’t get why AVClub is so salty towards them. They were hardly the worst thing of that era and don’t deserve to be thrown in the Bizkit tin as simply immature trash.
I don’t know why the general AVClub audience hates them. I definitely don’t consider them trash, I just got tired of hearing them everywhere. You can’t go anywhere without hearing one of their songs in my area. KROQ did a list of their most played songs ever and three of them were RHCP, just to give you an example.
I can see getting sick of most of their BSSM singles, as it was their breakthrough/biggest album. But they’ve definitely grown quite a bit since then, and Dark Necessities was great. I also wish By the Way had more singles
I’m gonna second that. In my area as well, and that’s like, western canada, they must be the most overplayed band. I think one of the reasons is that they hit this intersection of fit into almost every format. So the alt rock station plays them. The buttrock station plays them. The soft rock station plays them. The classic rock station ends up playing them. The “we play EVERYTHING” station plays them. So, yeah, I can live without ever hearing Scar Tissue again.
So, yeah, I can live without ever hearing Scar Tissue again.Add in Under the Bridge, Californication and Parallel Universe.I think you nailed it though, they hit that sweet spot.
The AV Club crowd hates them because they are what the British would refer to as ‘laddish blokes.’ They have dicks and they’re aren’t (or at least weren’t) afraid of people (and women folk particularly) being aware of it. And this can lead to some admittedly dickish behavior now and again, which for some is a pop culture death penalty.
“ding ding dang dong ding ding ding dang ding dong” is a pretty good summart.
I wouldn’t ever lump them in with Limp Bizkit, that is just cruel.My beef with RHCP is their music is mastered to hell and back, brick-walled to the point it’s unlistenable. Even before Californication came out and even regular people were saying, “Why’s this sound like shit?”There are noise rock bands whose music is purposefully loud and distorted that are less distressing to listen to than some of RHCP’s music.
He thought ‘Learn to Fly’ was cheesy?!What about this one? (love both of these btw)
I’d like to think that’s how Pat Smear always acts.
Unless you watch that awful Germs movie where he’s apparently a streetwise kid from the Bronx.
Big Me is far too loveable to be cheesy.
While I haven’t finished the article yet, you might want to do your own writeup/coverage of Hallmark’s inadvisable “Hanukkah. I’d probably note the Hallmark house tone, as that first premise would work well as a madcap or awkwardness (Always Sunny, Seinfeld) comedy.
Also Hannukah sucks. If they want to do something closer to a Xmas movie where the family all gets together for a long drawn out holiday, do something for Passover.
See, our family has a much bigger, more drawn out Rosh. Passover tends to be smaller because some of them work on the days of the Seder and don’t take off so they don’t travel in. We actually go to services both days of RH so people tend to come to town and stay both day or longer if it is like this year and mon/tues and they will come in on Saturday.
That’s pretty funny. The description says that drama insues because the Jewish guy doesn’t know how to celebrate Christmas. Has he been living on the moon? Is there some sort of secret ritual that only Christians know of when it comes to celebrating Christmas.“And now is the time in the ceremony where we honor St. Nicholas with the blood of newborn infants.”
I’m Jewish, so I wouldn’t know.
Shhhh, don’t let the non-gentiles in our our secret rituals!
The secret ritual is only for the good ol’ goys. Sorry for the inconvenience, Jewish fellers.
My poor dad. My mom is going to watch them, because even though we are Jewish she watches every hallmark movie. And we have seen the OG Hanukkah attempt – loving Leah a bunch of times. So curious what she is going to think about this.
No shit.Sound City was the most boomer fucking shit I’ve seen in awhile. I came out of that documentary saying “Ok Boomer” even before Ok Boomer was even a word.If Dave Grohl was a filmmaker in Africa he’d be angry at Wakaliwood for using affordable DSLRs instead of overpriced Panavisions.
Is that you, Dennis Miller?
Grohl is Gen X
Millennials
Gen X are the real boomers.
Boomer is a mindset though.
(Long-suffering sigh on behalf of everyone else in Gen X)
Yep. Always lumped in with whichever group people want to bitch about… or ignored. But it’s fine. Whatevs.
Oh well, whatever, never…
I’m firmly millennial and hate boomers as much as the next guy, but the phrase is already dead. And I’m seeing it being used on people who are under 40. Our generation murders trends before they can become truly effective, which is why we are doomed to having a 120 year old Nancy Pelosi as president.
Millenials are killing Millenial slang.
Ok Boomer is two words. Derp.
This is correct and there’s nothing wrong with it. I’ll add Queens of Stone Age to this, who I actually enjoy more now, and more than Foo Fighters, than I did when they first came out.
Queens of the Stone Age are on the cusp. I listened to them a lot 12+ years ago but I don’t think anyone over the age of 35 knew they existed. Though, I supposed most of their fans are probably fathers now.
I didn’t like them when they first came out, 98′ ish it looks like, but sorta recently I had on a Butthole Surfers station and thought huh I appreciate them more now. Then the thought that hm I’m getting old. To add apparently the lead guy is married to Brody Dalle now (since 05), well then. I did like The Distillers back then and still do.
I had to go back and check, apparently I’ve been listening to them since around 02, when Songs for the Deaf came out. I guess I didn’t realize it’s been that long. I’ve been noticing that too, though. Hearing a band I didn’t particularly like decades ago now, at this point in my life and I appreciate it more. Actually, I’ve noticed that for more than music. Cars for instance. I was so anti-Honda when I was in the drift scene I wouldn’t be caught dead in one. Now if I see a 99 Civic, or a 96 EG6, I appreciate it more.
They actually just separated like this week
QofTSA were cool for a while, back in the day. Certainly had more ‘danger’ than FF ever did. But both bands are great.
It’s a bit more moody than Foo Fighters who are usually more optimistic sounding. Easier to listen to and less moody than say She Wants Revenge, who was a little later, but still mainstream.
I have one Queens of the Stone Age albumI have all of the Foo Fighters
Throw Red Hot Chili Peppers in there too.
Please don’t.
“Classic Rock” and “Dad Rock” are only partially overlapping categories. “Dad Rock” is like “dadcore” fashion, it implies certain things beyond an age group.Like, Camel or Naked City are never going to be Dad Rock because they just don’t have enough aggressively beige conventionality to them, where the Eagles or Oasis were Dad Rock right from album one.
they had their five years and nowwho cares?
love that the learn to fly video has jack black in it. haha!
Concrete & Gold was kind of weird and it was really refreshing so I’m excited for this next one.
everyone should see foo fighters live at least once.
i’ve always associated the term “dad rock” with people who are aging out of their idealized “young rock and roller” years so they try to re-assert their inner youthfulness by pretending that bands that came around when they were teenagers are now “too old”. meanwhile actual teenagers still wear classic rock t-shirts because they know they are young and don’t care how they relate to older groups.
I still consider dad rock to be more of the classic rock variety of the 70’s and 80’s.
i think wilco were one of the first bands i heard that term applied to, so i might have a different perception attached to it. also 70s dads are nearing grandad status now if they haven’t already got there.
I mostly associate the term “dad rock” with people who are trying, for some reason, to dictate what is and isn’t cool, as opposed to just enjoying the music they enjoy and letting other people enjoy what they enjoy. Anyone who likes or doesn’t like a band because of how cool they ostensibly are is an idiot.
it’s strange that ‘poptimism’ is a thing at the same time as ‘dad rock’. you’d think we could all get over the idea of a ‘guilty pleasure’ by now.
Ok boomer.
by radiodad
I’m actually a millennial, who grew up listening to Dad Rock with my Dad Rock loving Dad on my local Dad Rock FM radio station. When I mock dad rock, I’m mocking my own 13 year old self who thought he was born in the wrong generation and that music used to be so much better. Really, I was uncomfortable with looking outside my comfort zone. So for me, dad rock is rock music for dads of all ages who like music that makes them feel nostalgic. The dad rock of the future will be Arcade Fire or whatever band makes me nostalgic for Arcade Fire when I’m a dad.
I was a huge Nirvana fan back in the ‘90’s and I remember at the time there were always rumours that Dave Grohl was constantly writing songs for the band but that Kurt would always shoot them down. At the time it kind of came off like Kurt being an unreasonable control freak but then a few years later when the Foo Fighters started releasing albums it immediately made total sense. The Foo Fighters have always been radio-friendly pop-rock. Dave has historically been sort of sly about his intentions (as in the ‘90’s you weren’t allowed to openly care about making money) but lately he’s been quite open that he really always just wanted to sing arena rock anthems while making a boat-load of money in the process.
Fair point. But they’re also one of the last major rock stars that don’t feel 1000 years old or went disco
Every Foo Fighters album after The Colour and The Shape sounds like Van Halen with Sammy Hagar: “rock” songs made to be soundtracks to commercials.
I love how much Dave Grohl loves music. I just wish his music was as eclectic as he is.
Does Dave Grohl shred though?
Does a band need to have a certain percentage of their fans actually be fathers before they can truly be considered Dad Rock?
Foo Fighters should be filed under “Soundtrack to the corporate sales meeting montage before the CEO comes out”.
Dave Grohl is the best kind of cool, “I don’t give a fuck what you think” cool. Plus the guy knows how to be a rock star. What would you do if you were a rock star on your birthday? Get Paul Stanley to come out and play Detroit Rock City with you, of course!
Also cool: Not inviting Gene Simmons.
If you’re gonna dad rock, might as well go all-in. One of his guitarists is already wearing a sport coat for crying out loud.
They’ve been dad rock for quite some time, but I remember thinking they were pretty cool back in the self title and Colour and Shape time.
this is what i’ve been saying for fifteen years they SUCK they have FOURTEEN albums and play NINE SONGSthey SHOULD be able to play a DIFFERENT SET EVERY NIGHT
I was just about to ask if, in twenty years when we’re all middle-aged, “dad rap” is gonna be a thing……but I just looked it up and, apparently, it is. Specifically, it is used mainly to describe pre-SoundCloud hip-hop, and specifically the prevailing rap styles of the ‘90s through the early ‘10s. Just like how the rise of the “Seattle sound” turned older rock bands into “dad rock”, SoundCloud rap marks the point at which the more traditional styles of rap music were no longer dominant within youth culture, and instead became nostalgic for their older fans. I’m thinking of the scene in Us where Gabe is blasting “I Got 5 on It” and his kids just roll their eyes.I think we’re on the verge of a wave of nostalgia for ‘90s and ‘00s hip-hop, just like how “classic rock” really became a thing in the ‘80s and ‘90s once the genre had changed so much that older fans couldn’t get into the newer acts. Expect a lot of “old-school hip-hop” stations, playlists, and retrospectives in the next ten years. Hell, we’ve already had biopics of N.W.A., Tupac, and Biggie…
I recently found out that literally every band I have on my phone is featured on Apple Music’s “Dad Rock” playlist (I’m 23), so I’m in no place to judge.