Krist Novoselic: How I Met Dave Grohl, the Biggest Guy in Rock and Roll
Something dawned on me when I was reading Sunday's New York Times: Dave Grohl is the greatest rock musician in the world today. Don't believe me? The man is dominating November music releases. Here we go: Nirvana's Reading DVD, Foo Fighters' Greatest Hits, and new work with Them Crooked Vultures.
Dave Grohl, right, with his Them Crooked Vultures bandmate: John Paul Jones (left), and Josh Homme. Krist Novoselic is a regular contributor to Reverb.
Since we are talking about drummers and this November's rock music releases, I would be remiss not to mention Chad Channing and his work on Nirvana's Bleach re-issue. It's good to see Chad get his due as a drummer. His great work speaks for itself. There was a time between Bleach and Nevermind when Nirvana was drummerless. And the story has been told about how Dave joined Nirvana because the band Scream was stuck in North Hollywood.
I remember going to the airport and picking this dude up. He was easygoing--just like some guy named Paul McCartney told the Times. He brought up his drum set--a yellow TAMA with a 26" kick. The man understood John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and Dale Crover (the Melvins), and this kick proved it. We wasted no time and rehearsed the next day. I knew Dave was coming, so beforehand I'd found a rehearsal place in Tacoma's north end.
It was a productive session, but the next night Kurt and I just messed around at practice for some reason. We all left together, and I could feel that Dave was a little distressed. That shows his serious work ethic. Don't get me wrong, Nirvana had a good work ethic, but perhaps Dave was feeling a little remorse at that moment for betting it all on these two guys from Washington.
We got into the groove again and played most nights. We already had songs like "In Bloom" and "Polly" from the session we did with Chad. They were well developed and benefited from the recording we did with Butch Vig in Madison, Wisc. There's a heavy version of "Polly" that shows what the band did with the tune with Dave on the drums. But on Nevermind, that's Chad, recorded in Madison, on the crash cymbal.
Kurt loved writing songs. He was always compelled to create, and the new tunes just kept coming. We kicked around this Pixies-like riff, and the tune "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was born. The band started playing shows, too. Along the way we became a tight unit. And playing together was as easy as it was fun.
For me, the years 1990 to 1994 seem like 10 years. So much went on, and of course so much went wrong. But life went on after Nirvana. I love the Foo Fighters. Dave kept that work ethic and focus, and that's why he's the greatest rock musician in the world today.
32 comment(s)
Sam Ostle says:
You know what Krist, I was just thinking exactly the same thing last week. If God came down from the heavens and demanded to meet the greatest rock musician on earth today, I think sending Mr. Grohl would definitely be a unanimous decision!
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 17 2009 @ 2:08PM
Jared says:
Hello Krist - I agree with you 100%. Im going to the TCV show tonight at the wiltern in L.A. & i am so jazzed to get to see dave behind the kit live again - the first time since i was at a nirvana show. The guy bleeds talent which is exactly what nirvana fans needed after kurts passing.
Jared
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 17 2009 @ 3:19PM
Liam says:
Just got the Bleach reissue double LP - forgot how good it feels to get some new Nirvana material in my ears. It's got to be a good feeling that something you did 20 years ago is putting a smile on peoples faces all over again! Nevermind 20 year anniversary reissue with some unreleased material?? I sure hope so.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 17 2009 @ 5:19PM
captain underpants says:
awesome post and a great read. krist and dave for president + vice president, 2016.
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 17 2009 @ 6:06PM
Annalisa says:
Hey Krist, V. interesting read, thanks! I wasn't a Nirvana fan in it's day but can now absolutely appreciate Dave's contribution to the band's music. He has had a huge impact on my life with his songs & various other talents, as he has on countless thousands of others worldwide and that he has been able to do that and still keep his head is just one of the things that makes him so special, imo!
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 18 2009 @ 3:01AM
Anonymous says:
GEEEZIS F'N CHRIST KRIST! After last nights TCV show everyday life seems drab and pale in comparison. How the hell is dave 40 yrs old and can still play the skins like that? Hes like a fine wine, he only gets better with age..if thats possible? Josh Homme and of course JPJ also blew me away. I dont think ive been to a tighter show in my life, seriously. You need to catch them when they roll through seattle. Its great to have GOOD FUCKING MUSIC AGAIN!
Jared
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 18 2009 @ 10:09AM
Mariaah M. says:
You know, Krist, I was very, very young when Kurt went. Try younger than 10. So as a die-hard fan of Nirvana and all things Nirvana, I resented Dave for his musical endeavors post-Kurt. Now that I'm not 8 years old anymore, I have grown to appreciate his musicianship and great talent. Though never a hardcore fan of the Foo Fighters, I've admitted to myself that Dave is indeed one of the greatest, most integral musicians of my time. I'm really glad to see your appreciation on this letter. Not to mention the due respect to Channing.
You're the man.
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 18 2009 @ 10:23AM
andrew says:
Dave Grohl is the greatest rock musician in the world today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. the only reason anybody cares about his derivative music is because of nirvana, who were so over rated. not one solid albumn. foo fighters represent the middle of the road. which is where any popular music must live.
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 19 2009 @ 8:26AM
doug says:
ah, people like andrew must love the Internet for giving their narrow little minds a wider audience
well said, Krist, and I concur. but not only is Dave Grohl the greatest rock musician, he has to be one of the busiest, and definitely has the most fun doing what he loves. the look on his face during performances says it all.
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 19 2009 @ 9:07AM
Mauro says:
Hola Krist, sin duda dave es gran baterista, muy interesante tu bloque de opinion, sigue adelante, siempre estamos pendientes de todo lo q hacen los ex-nirvana
te extrañamos kurt obain.
Mauro de Ecuador.
VIVA NIRVANA...............
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 19 2009 @ 10:38AM
nik says:
Dave Grohl is the last great rockstar. From his early days of Scream all the way up to Them Crooked Vultures. I possess almost everything that man has ever recorded on. Scream, Nirvana, Mike Watt, Tony Iommi, Probot, Foo Fighters, Jackson United, Nine inch nails, Queens of the stone age, Juliette and the licks just to name a few. As a fellow drummer, like Grohl was influenced by Bonham, I was influenced by Grohl.
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 19 2009 @ 1:58PM
Annalisa says:
Well said Doug. Seems there always has to be at least one Dave/Foos hater who feels the need to crash the party. It's just attention seeking, and it's sad that the TCV Forum has been so polluted by Andrew's kind.
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 19 2009 @ 7:26PM
marvin says:
sin duda, Dave es el mejor Rockero hoy en dia. Soy gran fan de los Foo Fighters.. saludos desde Guatemala
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 19 2009 @ 9:37PM
Dreamer says:
I don't want to compare what Kurt might have done in his later years with the way Dave Grohl has morphed into the all purpose, rock-n-roll renaissance man. And I don't want to consider Dave's rise as an "upside" of Nirvana's end. No amount of music is worth that loss.
But Dave's built one of the most remarkable careers in rock.
Far more people HAVE world-dominating talent then manage to make a LIFE with it. Against the odds, Dave rose from a ruin and built the best life he possibly could have.
Here's to you, Dave. And here's to Krist too. Thanks for sticking around. Looking forward to the next column!
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 20 2009 @ 1:14AM
Tender says:
In Bloom cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEbbz9yadY0
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 20 2009 @ 5:45AM
andrew says:
i love that because i don't think grohl has any talent it is all about me wanting attention and trying to "ruin the party". foo fighters are crap. their music is cookie cutter. i never post comments. these jokers just piss me off.
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 20 2009 @ 8:05AM
federica says:
I miss kurt,I miss him badly,even though I'm only 23,even though I've never met him,even though I've never been to a nirvana show I miss him and that's why it kinda hurts me...
but I love music,I love true people,I love pure hearts and kurt was all this and much more...it is really hard for me to find the same magic as the one coming from him and nirvana in any other bands nowadays...
I don't know if dave grohl is the biggest guy in rock & roll today,but undoubtedly he traced his own remarkable path through the years without ever lacking in energy and passion.this is the very sense of rock & roll,isn't it?humanity and spontaneousness...this is what kurt taught us.
federica,from italy
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 20 2009 @ 4:15PM
Ben Levy says:
Stories like this make me feel like I know Dave even though I've never met him. Smells Like Teen Spirit was one of the first songs I ever really liked. To find out years later that there was one man connecting bands like Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and Tenacious D was truly amazing.
Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 21 2009 @ 12:16PM
Carol says:
I have no words... It´s so good to read it... I´m so happy for being your fan, Nirvana´s fan, Foo Fighters´fan... Thanks for everything!
Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 21 2009 @ 6:41PM
Eugene says:
Nirvana is overrated? My arse!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpCPkNcwH3s
Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 22 2009 @ 10:18AM
Miko says:
shame the new generation aren't stepping up to the plate!
Posted On: Monday, Nov. 23 2009 @ 12:42AM
danandcan says:
If i could have invested in Dave like the stock market i would have over a decade ago before he was the huge rock star of today and now i would be saying TOLD YOU SO
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 5:36AM
Ligia Guido says:
Hey Krist,
Thanks for that words. You are so kind with Dave and Kurt and this is so beautiful for us, our fans around the world.
Thank you so much to show us after years, you know each other, that you are still friends and great friends!
It´s beautiful to see your love for Dave and Kurt. Really thank you for that.
I love you, as I love Kurt and Dave. And this is forever :)
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 24 2009 @ 6:59AM
Steven P. Servis says:
Krist,
Dave Grohl definitely carried the rock torch through this decade.
I watched Story Tellers: The Foo Fighters, and I don't understand why Dave doesn't mention Nirvana.
There's so many unanswered questions; I find myself coming back to the story of Nirvana,trying to fill in the holes.
Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 29 2009 @ 10:12PM
Ali says:
maybe andrew just wishes he was named the best rocker in the world, who knows. while he sorts out his issues, i'll say this..i saw dave live 2x with tcv..was amazing! i'm 23 and the foo's and nirvana are my fave bands of all time...always will be. dave, krist, kurt..all amazing, love u guys!
Posted On: Thursday, Dec. 3 2009 @ 8:38PM
Dakota says:
Hey I'm just going to say that
nirvana is my favorite band from the 90's and foo fighters is my favorite band now days. There is hardly any rock bands left that play with feeling.
Posted On: Sunday, Dec. 6 2009 @ 5:36PM
Universal says:
I hope I read this yourself. I am looking for a way to verify as it were the writing on a wall I found in my house. It is dated 1991-it is signed Kurt Cobain. There are several pictures on the walls around it. I just don't know if it is real. I would like to send you a pic of the writing and art. If it is what it appears to be--My rental just became worthy of ownership and my wall of preservation. If you are willing to help me with this, please email me so that I can send the pics. Thanks and to all the doubters...I am damn serious.
Universal
Posted On: Sunday, Dec. 13 2009 @ 1:24PM
Steven Servis says:
I can't believe how many of us Nirvana fans are under 30.
In all likelihood, people our age should not have been old enough to have appreciated Nirvana when the band was active.
Today I'm 25 years old, and my first exposure to Nirvana was through Weird Al's parody of Smells Like Teen Spirit. I was somewhere between 6 and 9.
I didn't actually become a Nirvana fan until I was was 17, when my friend lent me the MTV Unplugged album because I had grown bored of all of my CDs.
I was amazed at how Nirvana perfectly blended the different aspects of Rock that I loved but was previously unable to find within one band.
It seems to me that there are more 20 something fans of Nirvana than there are 30 somethings. I believe the 20 somethings are a true testament of the quality of the music, while many of the 30 somethings dropped off when the Grunge fad died.
When I mention Nirvana to some of the older guys I know, they usually respond with, "Oh, yeah, Nirvana, I remember them."
The thing is that they remember when Nirvana was part of their arsenal of music as a teenager, but they really never cared enough to look into the story of Nirvana. When Nirvana wasn't "new" anymore, a lot of those older guys stopped caring.
I think the big question that many of us 20 something fans who are familiar with the Nirvana story are wondering is where does our money go when we buy a Nirvana album?
I have not bought a Nirvana album since I read Ian Halperin's book Love and Death. I realize that Ian is an opportunist, but at the same time, I don't want to give money to someone who is capitalizing off someone else's talent to say the very least.
Speaking of Halperin, I had totally forgotten about him until I was in Wal-Mart a few days ago, and I saw a book on Michael Jackson. Guess who it was written by? I actually didn't recognize his name until I looked at his credentials on the back of the MJ book and saw Love and Death.
If I could bet a Million that his next book will be on Britney Murphy, I would.
So my question is this: the last I heard there was a law suit between love and the remaining members of Nirvana. If I remember correctly, it was settled out of court. So if I buy a Nirvana album, where is my money going?
Posted On: Sunday, Dec. 20 2009 @ 11:05PM
Kirk says:
I couldn't agree more with you Krist. The creativity he exudes is unparalleled in music today. I love Nirvana, (my favorite band, hands down) and am glad to see how well Dave has moved from that sound to make his own brand of music. Also I want to complement you on your talents with the bass. You have some funky ass rhythm! haha
Posted On: Thursday, Jan. 7 2010 @ 2:38PM
Timmaaa says:
Krist, I am totally and completely in agreeance with you. Dave has accomplished a hell of a lot and it's all of a stellar quality. On a slightly different note though, Nirvana was the absolute perfect unit in my eyes. I still am overcome with many emotions, especially an emormous sense of wellbeing when I listen to Nirvana tunes. I identified so greatly with your music as a young man, which was something I believe I was searching for without even knowing it until I found it. So thankyou for contributing to something that I believe to be truly special Krist, immense respect, Tim.
Posted On: Tuesday, Jan. 12 2010 @ 7:44PM
Timmaaa says:
Krist, I am totally and completely in agreeance with you. Dave has accomplished a hell of a lot and it's all of a stellar quality. On a slightly different note though, Nirvana was the absolute perfect unit in my eyes. I still am overcome with many emotions, especially an emormous sense of wellbeing when I listen to Nirvana tunes. I identified so greatly with your music as a young man, which was something I believe I was searching for without even knowing it until I found it. So thankyou for contributing to something that I believe to be truly special Krist, immense respect, Tim.
Posted On: Tuesday, Jan. 12 2010 @ 7:45PM
david says:
hi Chris! very very enjoyed to guess ya smile while you're talkin bout nirvana era,even if it went wrong at last,there is some good in: being concsious of the importance of good mood'ness and positivity in life to keep on standin
congratulation for all!!!
ps:give a smile in your heart to your friend for me, I'd love to joke wid'him so much cos I know he was a clown like certains close friends we all have!!! love!
Posted On: Friday, Jan. 15 2010 @ 2:28AM