Dave Grohl is one of the most respected musicians of the 21st Century. His career began in the early 1980s punk scene, and he then established himself as one of the greatest rock drummers of his generation. He survived the chaos of Nirvana to establish his own songwriting voice as singer and guitarist for Foo Fighters. With hits such as ‘Everlong’, ‘Learn to Fly’, ‘Times Like These’ and ‘Best of You’, the band have become a dominant force in modern rock for three decades. Outside of his band, Grohl is the ultimate rock and roll hype man, playing in side projects with famous friends, and boosting the profiles of undervalued underground acts and up-and-coming artists.
Yet Grohl’s music is strangely underappreciated. Diehard alt-rock fans dismiss it, while critics are often more interested in his tragic backstory than his songs. This book is the first to cover the entirety of Foo Fighters’ discography, as well as Grohl’s various experimental side projects. By reviewing every song in depth, it reveals that his band have produced far more impressive and varied music than is often imagined, and that there is far more to Grohl than his reputation as ‘the nicest man in rock’.
Ben L. Connor is a freelance writer who specialises in alternative rock music of the 1990s and 2000s. He has written two books for the On Track series: on Pearl Jam and Jack White and The White Stripes. He caught the bug for music writing in the 1990s when he decided to own every one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 200 ‘Greatest Albums of All Time’, which led him to the world of record collecting and pop music archaeology. When not writing about music, he works as a teacher of psychology and sociology. He lives in Canberra, Australia.
