Smells Like Alternative

FYI: Foo Fighters

by acostill on July 6th, 2007

Seems like a good time to throw some Foo, since Dave Grohl and company are touring a bit this summer, recording a new album and releasing a 10th Anniversary edition of The Colour and the Shape on July 10.

• Dave Grohl founded the band 6 months after Nirvana Kurt Cobain had committed suicide, however, Dave had been working on future Foo Fighters material while still in Nirvana.
• In fact in 1992, Dave’s demos were released as a tape entitled Pocketwatch under the pseudonym Late!; including the songs “Color Pictures of a Marigold” (which Nirvana would record and rename “Marigold” and use as a B-side) and “Friend of a Friend” (which would finally surface on Foo Fighters 2005 In Your Honor).
• Dave wrote and performed every track on the Foos self -titled debut album, except for part of “X-Static” which had guitarist Greg Dulli.
• The original Foo lineup included Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and former Sunny Day Real Estate members Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith.
• Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic was originally offered a position in the band, but he and Dave did not want Foo Fighters to be the new Nirvana.
• The Foo Fighters first tour was opening up for Mike Watt; Dave, Pat Smear and drummer William Goldsmith also joined Eddie Vedder during Watt’s set.
• Besides Dave, bassist Nate Mendel is the only original member of Foo Fighters.
• The band has gone through 3 guitarist: Pat Smear (who was an un-official Nirvana member), Franz Stahl (who was another bandmate of Grohl’s in his pre-Nirvana band Scream) and current member Chris Shiflett (who joined in 1999).
• Current drummer, Taylor Hawkins, was the touring drummer for Alanis Morrissette.
• Taylor Hawkins has taken lead vocals on the songs “Cold Day in the Sun”, “Have a Cigar” (Pink Floyd cover) and “I Feel Free” (Cream cover).
• The song “Everlong” was inspired by Dave’s girlfriend, and Veruca Salt vocalist, Louise Post. It is believed that during the instrumental breakdown that Dave whispers three different sources that include a technical manual, a story about a technician’s father and a raunchy love letter written by Post.
• Prior to Taylor Hawkins joining the band, Grohl played the drum tracks for the band’s second album, The Colour and the Shape.
• A foo fighter was used during WWII to describe UFO’s, other aerial mysteries or secret enemy weapons in Europe and the Pacific.
• In 2005, the band Foo Fighters played a show at Roswell, New Mexico’s Roswell Industrial Air Center. Dave Grohl also also named his record company Roswell Records in honor of the famous alien crash landing site.
• The band has contributed several songs for movies and/or soundtracks including: “Breakout” - Me, Myself and Irene, “Win or Lose” - Out Cold, “The One” - Orange County, a re-recorded “Walking After You” - The X-Files: Fight The Future, the acoustic version of “Everlong” - Little Nicky, “My Hero” - Varsity Blues and Not Another Teen Movie, and “Have A Cigar” w/ Brian May of Queen - Mission Impossible II.

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POSTED IN: FYI, Foo Fighters