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Artist Dave Grohl was “blown away” by the collaboration with

Artist Dave Grohl was “blown away” by the collaboration with

Few modern rock stars can claim to have had as dramatic an impact on current alt-rock trends as Dave Grohl. Not only did he help shape the influential sound of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, but through his unwavering admiration for other stars and friendly collaborations with legendary musicians, he also helped ensure that the spirit of rock’n’roll prevails well into the 21st century.

Grohl’s famous friends include Paul McCartney. The two first met in 2001 at the Royal Albert Hall after Dhani Harrison asked Grohl to perform at the Concert For George, a tribute to his late father George Harrison. Since then, Grohl and McCartney have maintained a close friendship and have performed together on stage on several occasions.

It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of Grohl’s career when McCartney inducted the Foo Fighters into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and then performed with the band in a celebratory performance. In return for the honor, McCartney invited Grohl onstage to play “Band on the Run” at his Glastonbury Festival appearance the following year.

Grohl’s career has been marked by moments of pinching himself. Another of his greatest heroes was the late Prince, who covered “Best of You” at the 2007 Super Bowl. “All the years I spent alone in my bedroom practicing to Beatles records, sleeping in cold, polluted dwellings on winter tours of Europe, pounding on my drums until my hands literally bled… in this moment, it all paid off,” he wrote in Dave’s true storiesThe pair then jammed to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” in an empty LA Forum.

When Grohl isn’t hanging out with some of the 20th century’s biggest pop stars, he’s been in his more associative realms of post-punk and alternative rock. Even here, he’s had a few exciting flings, including with Bob Mould, frontman of Minnesota hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü. Although the band never achieved the fame of Nirvana or Foo Fighters, they’re a cult band with a loyal fan base, of which Grohl is a part.

Grohl became an avid fan of Hüsker Dü in the early 1980s. “I was a huge fan of Hüsker Dü. Their album Zen Arcade is one of the most underrated American rock’n’roll records of all time. And it wasn’t until recently that I realized how much I’ve ripped Bob off for the last 16 years,” Grohl said in a 2011 interview with Mojo.” I met (Bob Mould) for the first time last summer and said, ‘You know I’d be nowhere and nobody without your music, don’t you?’ and he nodded very politely and said, ‘I know.'”

The two got to know each other well and Grohl floated the idea of ​​collaborating one day. “We exchanged phone numbers and became friends,” he added. “I had this song that I imagined would be a duet between us and he obliged. What an honor to share a moment like that with one of your heroes.”

It was the song “Dear Rosemary,” which the Foo Fighters had recorded for the album “The 2011.” Wasting light. Grohl wrote the dark, brooding track with a vocal collaboration in mind and couldn’t believe his luck when he managed to get studio time with Mould. Despite his legendary status at the time, Grohl had butterflies in his stomach. “When you meet someone for the first time that you’ve idolized your whole life, you’re just nervous,” he said. “I felt that way with Bob. You don’t want to come across as an awkward superfan, but that’s inevitable. But then that first impression wears off and you realize he’s just a nice person.”

In 2011, Foo Fighters released Back and fortha documentary that followed the group’s writing and recording process as they worked with producer Butch Vig on Wasting Light. In a clip from the documentary, Mould can be seen behind glass recording his vocals for “Dear Rosemary.” “When you meet someone who helped you become the musician you are, I think it’s very important to acknowledge that,” Grohl says in the commentary. “Bob’s voice is so distinctive and for him to come to my house and do that on my damn record… it blows my mind!”

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