How Dave Grohl Went From Nirvana’s Drummer to Foo Fighters’ Frontman (2011)

Dave Grohl recounts how he transitioned from a drummer in Nirvana to a frontman for Foo Fighters.
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[@vamp9190]

When he says "all these albums...are on my label and I just license them to Sony BMG...and so we own our whole catalogue." Smartest thing I've heard in a long time. The fact that they kept the rights is brilliant. Good for them!

[@richardarnott4369]

One of the Record Company execs Dave has dealt with for years suggested it to him when the bidding war for Foo's first album was getting out of control.

[@CAINE1984]

When you have that leverage, you can do it. Poor starving kids just trying get made aren't getting that deal unfortunately.

[@deadshrew6803]

All his music is just about making money.

[@garse70]

Yup.

[@BedosCollectibles]

lol...the conversation had my interest the whole time, but the last statement was the best. Good for Dave and his band members indeed!

[@davelate4148]

After the first Foo album Dave has shared most songwriting credits and royalties with all of the members...... that's how you keep a band together for 25 years......

[@bobabooey4537]

Most of....LOL

[@davelate4148]

@@bobabooey4537........ yep.... including whole albums....... there were 20 songs on their greatest hits album and 18 of them were credited as band written

[@1Deep43VA]

@@bobabooey4537that’s more than anyone else has ever done. You don’t see Ozzy doing it, especially for the people that actually WROTE the songs.

[@ColinStevenJohnson]

@@davelate4148The Boss too in that regard. 🎼🤘🏿🎼

[@blah163]

Important note: Dave wrote and performed every song and every instrument on the first record. There's no reason for him to share royalties with anyone.

[@Stevesautopartsify]

Unbelievable that Dave struck gold twice and tragically lost close band members twice!

[@alexandreavelar9696]

Maybe every blessing comes with a price... makes me wonder...

[@kenwolf6334]

That's Rock and Roll.

[@HalConick]

That’s life.

[@sp3ck4]

@@alexandreavelar9696 Great song lyric!

[@noahmosher6543]

Not too late to go for the trifecta.

[@lethrneck4]

the first FF album is all Dave, he had no band yet...singing, drums, guitar , bass...one of my favorite albums too!

[@ArtificialJetleg]

Second too

[@thebradelonge5758]

Is that true?

[@lethrneck4]

@@thebradelonge5758 yes Grohl played all instruments and sang on the first album…once it got some notice he formed a band to play

[@AV.36]

​@@lethrneck4Yep, true of every song except X-Static. That has the guitarist from the Afghan Whigs on it.

[@inutero10]

@@thebradelonge5758thier best by far

[@studiomogura]

The most important part of this clip is when Dave says he owns his own catalog.

[@lalosalamanca2770]

I guess havin a big bank account helped him a lot (no enviousness here, Grohl deserved each penny)

[@mikecumbo7531]

Dave had the freedom that most bands don’t. He had a name and money in the bank. Sony obviously took a percentage to cover making and distributing the CD’s or albums. Did Sony have to spend any money on marketing? I wonder if he sells his catalog for a big paycheck in the near future?

[@deanl0]

@@mikecumbo7531 For sure It's all about money for him ,

[@jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj178]

Agreed. It ended just as it was getting interesting.

[@liquidsnake6879]

Dave had already done his own music before Nirvana even ended, he has an album called Pocketwatch under the pseudonym "Late!" which he released on a tiny label back when he was still in Nirvana. The Foo Fighters were in many ways just an extension of that

[@adiemissworld]

No

[@johncarolina4950]

@@adiemissworldyes

[@Ample17]

Maybe! (I have no idea)

[@newman447]

Thank you for the heads up 👊💥💥💥💥💥💥

[@sunriseeternity300]

The Melvins were a very highly respected band on this side of country.

[@Plumpy4]

still are, they are still touring and hell they still deliver!

[@HalConick]

Melvins all but print money by way of merch and touring, while not having to deal with the downside of fame and being recognized at every turn. Melvins got it made.

[@angusbaumann5930]

Yeh, when Howard dismisses the Melvins… I know they’re not Nirvana, but really

[@123612100]

​@@angusbaumann5930if nirvana wasn't huge stern wouldn't give a shit about them.

[@spamwagon]

@@angusbaumann5930 There would be no Grohl in Nirvana if not for King Buzzo...

[@ErikBlanc]

new episode The Assassination of Kurt Cobain - Final Days & Kurt Cobain Rome Crisis - explanation Audio. #usa kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3rTgIBoiJqpaaM #Kurtcobain I

[@ProfessorKenneth]

Dave is brilliant, one of my favourite musicians. He struck gold two times and in the process lost two best friends /bandmates.... really strange concept. Daves enthusiasm about music is so inspiring 👍🏻🎸

[@howardstern]

Stream the full interview now on SiriusXM 👉siriusxm.us/Grohl-Hawkins-HS11

[@yellowstoneisthecoolestparkeve]

I saw Foo Fighters in Oslo october 95. We were 400 in the audience at a 1000 capacity venue. This was before Big Me became an MTV hit

[@keithvlombardo]

Proud a ya!

[@huubdrums]

You are so cool 😂

[@yellowstoneisthecoolestparkeve]

all the losers think this is me being proud. The non-losers appreciate rock history anecdotes

[@MicrophonesInTheTrees]

So there weren't 1000 Nirvana fans that wanted to see Dave's new band?! BS! I saw them at Reading '95, which I understand was their 1st UK show, a month after the debut came out. They were headlining the 2nd stage (small tent) and it was a CRUSH. People were climbing the tent poles.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

Big Me is still one of their best songs

[@jonathanedward1987]

The part of the loaning the songs to Sony is brilliant. Dave got good business sense on top of being one of the best rockers in the world.

[@pippalewisNYC]

That final line. The entire interview was awesome but then he drops the last line. Unexpected and cool!

[@integral]

Love Howard's interviews with Dave but there is always a touch of sadness knowing that Taylor is gone.

[@anonymissed3611]

Jabbed and gone..

[@_west33...]

He moved on.

[@_west33...]

​@@anonymissed3611 dealing with Satan.

[@_west33...]

​@@anonymissed3611 this

[@kanelitwiniec]

The last part....about owning label and leasing music to SonyBMG is smart business. Of course Grohl has leverage. ❤️❤️

[@xpicklepie]

His first go with Nirvana probably taught him something.

[@yesand]

@@xpicklepie A fist go is a great teacher.

[@Jack_all]

Dave Grohl is the Keanu Reeves of Rock and roll.. Talented, humble, everyone likes him

[@bernardwalker7422]

Brilliant observation. Couldn't have said it any better.

[@gracelynne3918]

Ha! Uh...no.

[@exexalien]

@@gracelynne3918 William Goldsmith, is that you?

[@dcassis3051]

@@exexalienhahahaha

[@Jamesp1972]

humble haha

[@ericrossetti2602]

His humbleness is one of his greatest qualities ❤

[@johng2880]

Also his humility.

[@Lloyd_Christmas11]

Humility*

[@lew115]

Also his musical ability.

[@Jamesp1972]

don't be fooled

[@moo-moonorenz9732]

Also his sense of humor

[@johnconway9882]

Howard Stern interview: 25% Guest, 75% Howard

[@erichinton5774]

Great way to look at that. And God knows it's true 😊

[@josephanthony392]

Yep there's that of course 😊

[@rbeforme]

From the hater's perspective, absolutely

[@jeffbrown8117]

And people love going on his show so…

[@cindyland6273]

HS has Total Control. Even when he is a guest on another talk show, he Hijacks the interview. Gotta admit Stern is mesmerizing.

[@AveragePicker]

Howard Stern, perplexed by how one can play drums and learn guitar.

[@NelsonMangandhi]

Haha he just cant see how someone could possibly learn two skills

[@johnconstantine7442]

He dumbs it down for his audience.

[@Twobarpsi]

I play guitar, then learned drums.

[@boxychubbo6922]

And calls him a great guitar player, great being a bit of an exaggeration.

[@Antyvas]

Musical Multi-tasking

[@galaga8834]

Dave Grohl is an icon and you can just tell a fantastic human being.

[@lightsacco]

yep !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@berluskazza1]

Why? Im serious

[@Antyvas]

@@berluskazza1 Seems fairly humble.

[@berluskazza1]

@@Antyvas i think so

[@adamsmith307]

@@berluskazza1fantastic human beings generally don’t coerce people into taking medical experiments.

[@Optimalworld]

The grunge era was sic. Dave is legend without a doubt. Rip Taylor 🙏🏽❤️

[@balthazarification]

I love dave grohl-so much admiration.From one iconic band to another and he's very, very business savvy and immensely creative.some people have it all.

[@Paumanokcom]

"He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright."

[@redrn01]

Dave is legendary. Such an accomplished musician & great human.❤😊

[@Technickcall]

2:51 thanks for that Howard

[@kieferclarkf1674]

He was clarifying that Dave was talking about Foo fighters and not Nirvana.

[@MVuke84]

RIP Taylor Hawkins. You lived life to the fullest. All while wearing the biggest smile a person can have. 🙏

[@mattwatts33]

Imagine being 24 and having 15 million.

[@chachifeere]

Ya back in early 90s to

[@SOLDOZER]

I would have partied $13 million of it away.

[@pncelex2928]

If I were 24 I would buy 10 lambhorginis, try to impress 100 women, buy a megamansion, and be bankrupt in 3 years, lol

[@v4v819]

and 15 million back then was closer to 100 million in what you could buy... You could buy mansions for a few million back then same ones that sell over 25 million now, given a prime location!

[@adami2140]

He continued to make alot of money from Nirvana until now, way more than 15 mill.

[@loristewart800]

RIP Taylor!

[@thedalillama]

He was fully vaxxed

[@MichaelHill-qc4yc]

Is his net worth technically $0 now?

[@Cream1968]

Rip Taylor..one of my favorite comedians!

[@burtburt2263]

Yes, since it transfered to his widow/children...She receives his royalties...

[@thepatsyfamily]

$15 Million in the early '90s would be equivalent to $33-35 Million today.

[@CarlosGomez-ov7qq]

also, the Nirvana records keep selling for years

[@SOLDOZER]

And he's still collecting checks from it I bet.

[@manager4409]

in the 90s a 100k a year salary was a lot of money, upper-middle class basically. now it's living paycheck-to-paycheck in a city.

[@ripperonitoni2990]

You are very clever

[@85geoffm]

I don't think he was worth that much. It was probably less than $10 million.

[@dmblum1]

I saw Nirvana in what I believe was their second to last concert before the end - it was in Grenoble France, in a tiny venue. Very intimate - you could get to about five people away (no seating) from the stage. There’s no way they were making much money from that last European tour.

[@thomaskiser3886]

Bet they were paid a lot to play there!

[@KippinCollars]

Kurt Cobain said he made $1 million in the year Nevermind came out. He made most of the money in the band, and that was the year they sold the most records. Dave said they didn't tour much, so I also doubt he was worth $15 million.

[@j.p.f.4007]

They clearly stated the money came from album sales and not touring.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

I guess he was worth more dead?

[@SodiumWage]

The key takeaway here is how smart Dave is.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

And how lucky

[@marsoblivi0n945]

No

[@andresbarriga5305]

@@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra Not really. He's a really good drummer. It's amazing.

[@WewbaccaTheChookie]

1:14 - 1:21 Laughing because “Melvin” revelation goes totally unacknowledged! 😂😂😂

[@goodpainlive1]

it's amazing that stern asks everyone about money but when you ask him he says next question.

[@mikemiller659]

net worth is $690 million.

[@DylanLovesBrenda]

They’ve been together a long time ❤❤❤ so awesome

[@ModusOperandom]

"Damn...I wish I was in Nirvana..." - Taylor

[@darrenwoolley8433]

Love Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins so sad that Taylor's gone RIP.

[@WoodenChickenHead]

UP THE VILLA!

[@DrMic2112]

I just love the fact that the Nirvana drummer was/is a huge Rush fan!

[@bobgil3464]

Yea Limbaugh was the best.

[@DrMic2112]

@@bobgil3464 Genius.

[@deskpilot1856]

Taylor wasn't on the album, but he was the drummer for Alanis Morissette's tour supporting Jagged Little Pill. He may not have had Nirvana money, but he wasn't flipping burgers when he joined Foo Fighters.

[@dc37wwe2kmods]

Kurt would have been very proud for Dave :)

[@rockturtleneck]

That's a great example of money being able to buy happiness. Good for Grohl and the FF's

[@a.p.6350]

👍

[@ericphilen3433]

🤦🏻‍♂️

[@nachobroryan8824]

Kurt Cobain is a great example of it not being able to buy happiness.

[@rockturtleneck]

@@nachobroryan8824 Touché

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

There are no shortages of examples on how money can buy happiness.

[@BuddhaChew]

OWNS EVERY SONG IN FF CATALOGUE!!!!!!! DG is a business GENIUS!!!

[@hky1095]

Does Howard Stern do any research on his interviewees? Can he make it through without steamrolling every answer.

[@yodaisgod2]

Tell me you’ve never listened to Stern without telling me you’re never listened to Stern. 😂

[@Gibberish1983]

It’s his trademark. It wouldn’t be HS if he didn’t do it.

[@davediamond9436]

unless you are the guest groupie, stern ask questions most of us want to know....

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

I doubt Howard Stern does research on anything lol

[@yodaisgod2]

@@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra he does a fair amount of research if you actually listen to his interviews.

[@SHB1975]

Smart, motivated, talented. Good luck to him, entertains and inspires 👍

[@CoyoteCrush]

I think hes talking about Aaron Burckhard pulling up in the monster truck. Nirvanas very 1st drummer. I could be wrong though.

[@surferdude420]

I think it was Dave Foster.

[@keithvlombardo]

Hey there’s a 1 in 5 chance heh?

[@Cloud007.]

​@@keithvlombardo 1in 3 as it wasn't Dale or Chad.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

Monster truck rawr!!!

[@Michaelm-ij9pn]

"When I think of Nirvana, I think of Nirvana money." Shocker.

[@claudiogallucci563]

Chad is a GREAT drummer . He played in bleach and did a few songs on nevermind including IN BLOOM obviously he is on outtakes and incesticide he should have been in rock and roll HOF

[@freddybeer]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, that isn't Grohl playing drums on In Bloom? The album version on Nevermind??

[@drugstorecowboy6540]

totally agree...

[@crabkilla]

I don't know if it was Chad, the drum kit, the producer or a combination of all - but the drums were way too muddy in that album

[@ThingNumberTwo2]

@@freddybeer Nevermind is entirely Grohl except for Polly; the cymbal crashes on Polly were Chad because that version of Polly was recorded the year before when Chad was still in the band. Chad did not play on the Nevermind version of In Bloom, but he played on a demo of it recorded in 1990.

[@astonnorthfield5113]

Chad would receive some royalties at least

[@StabStabStabStabby]

Most musicians can play more than one instrument. I'm not sure how that perplexed Howard so much.

[@JoeBlow-Knoxbaddrivers]

Im totally not musical so its nice to hear someone explain to me. Dave explains how he does music in other videos. Its just not obvious to everyone... hope that translates.

[@laurens_livemusic]

Finally an honest interview with an honest answer!

[@kimakotrotman6860]

Taylor is just grooving there.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

He was always chill

[@kimakotrotman6860]

@@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra I would think so, but his autopsy tells another story.

[@2confrontational]

Miss you Taylor ❤

[@terric703]

Oh, that Melvins drummer is fantastic!

[@rray3630]

for REAL

[@canadude6401]

Dave Grohl begins as drummer, then frontman dies He then becomes frontman, then drummer dies.

[@budthebusker]

Amazing 3 minutes without swearing ....

[@Danny-fs1hk]

3:01 music business master class

[@sethaldrich6902]

Dave is so awesome and smart too!

[@radiospank]

Yea Dave doesn’t care about the money by splitting song writing credits because he owns the label and make probably a ton on that. So believe he’s not hurting. Still respectfully including his band tho in writing

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

Funny how rich people don't care about money

[@TheGrandmasterMan]

On the other hand, if someone says 'let's not talk about the money and focus on the music'....you know you are getting shafted.

[@herseem]

Several musicians (including Brian May) have said that disagreements over songwriting credits is one of the biggest reasons bands break up, and that it solve a lot of arguments in Queen when they decided to share all song-writing credits. I think you'll find that it's common in many long-lasting bands.

[@fabiana3747]

Dave is a great drummer and the Melvins are insanely good!

[@nunestunes]

The Melvins are great

[@Wargasm54]

Imagine being in two of the biggest bands of all time. Grohl has got to be worth 100’s of millions at this point.

[@chelton87]

The Melvins are a great band too

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

In lots of ways as good as Nirvana was

[@fcamiola]

Dave also champions the GREATEST band of all time: Cardiacs. He became a huge fan over the past few years.

[@metaphoria3]

The Melvins drummer is one of Jack Endino’s favs

[@therespectedlex9794]

I've heard of the Melvin's but not Jack Endino.

[@metaphoria3]

@@therespectedlex9794 I recorded at his studio says he has unreleased Nirvana tracks

[@dennisd9554]

My favorite band, Foo Fighters. Not just because of the music. Saw them at Fenway for the C&G tour. Got this beautiful t-shirt, the burgundy one with the sword and wings. It's my favorite shirt. Soft, fits well, durable. And is was only $24! Imagine that. 24 bucks for a great band t-shirt.

[@emmyjayj6]

American dollars?? That's expensive for a Tshirt!!

[@ifishforfoodnottrophys7483]

Brah that’s cheep you usually buy concert shirts at 35 to 45

[@tlwn5196]

There's more places on earth than the US.

[@rickn9392]

yea, but he did say 'bucks' which is synonym of US Dollars @@tlwn5196

[@govinda102000]

David Lettermans fav band and fav song Everlong.

[@jakeellman7447]

And now Dave is worth 330 million

[@wvusmc]

Kurt got 75% of the royalties and the other 25% was split between Krist and Dave.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

He wrote the songs, he deserved it

[@SM_8506]

That’s kinda stingy lol he could have taken 50% and each of them got 25% I still think that band got ruined because of his wife. If he lived the band would have broken up anyway because of financial issues.

[@lobotomyscam1051]

@@SM_8506 Neither Grohl nor Novaselic are greedy bastards. Of course they sued Courtney and her hole, she didn't deserve every penny the band could generate for eternity.

[@dudaz_music]

Actually that’s pretty generous of Kurt. In the songwriting world you can only get credits if you write any lyric or melody/chord progression. For some reason drums and bass aren’t automatically credited

[@deedubs602]

God I miss the Taylor and Dave show. They were such good friends.

[@baldcupcake3354]

@@juanchojathey’re still good friends, but Taylor has to make an impossibly long commute from outside the mortal plane of existence in order to hang out.

[@gregdahlen4375]

dave wearing the flannel shirt a little funny, representing the loggers up in washington

[@KeizerHedorah]

Howard = "este how did you do it vato?" Dave = "I jus did it essay"

[@Srvtecej]

Maybe my favorite music personality of all time. You just want to hang out with Dave.

[@GiaCherubini249-v9t]

Well there goes my hero

[@corabernal6432]

Good idea keeping control of your music ❤🎉😎🤟

[@jimcobain4381]

1:50 “we sold a lot of records “ 😀😂

[@Nasaupdateinfordata]

How that funny ffs we sold a lot of records 😃😂 That Not even funny buddy

[@1spankytc]

Seen the Melvin’s at strummers in Fresno ca

[@eroknrwton]

Ladies and gentleman…foo FIGHTERS!

[@controlpadblues]

I read this in the correct voice, fyi.

[@JackSmith-kp2vs]

@eroknrwton Ah later with Jools Holland

[@atwistoflemon666]

@@JackSmith-kp2vsNo it was SNL!

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

FOO fighters

[@JackSmith-kp2vs]

@@atwistoflemon666 it ‘twas Jools Holland! 😂

[@Jasoos_Jasonda]

Dave Grohl was a guitarist before he was a drummer… the guitarist position in Nirvava was already occupied

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

His real talent was always drumming

[@sadmachines6991]

He kept saying "we" own the catalog, "we" license it... "Let's" not make it about the money " no Dave. "I own the catalog", "I" license it out, "I" make 90% of the money"

[@bradc32]

good on ya Dave

[@czarinacourtneyal-marmont4699]

Poor Taylor…DG must be a mess over losing him. Rest in Beats!

[@steveportch1318]

Foo was great at ACL yesterday!

[@Spirofett]

What a winner, made his own label and licenses the songs. They have to pay him for their cut and not the other way around.

[@markreardon6663]

Steve Vai talks about this as well. He says it is the only way to keep control of your music and make money.

[@dontbeshady411]

Howard is lucky Dave graced him with his presence. Listening to recent howard stern makes me wonder if he was ever a good broadcaster.

[@brucecampbellx]

Dave got the money smarts.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

He was also very lucky

[@OkieGrower75]

RIP Taylor💚💚

[@scott6828]

He made the transition because he's a professional musician.

[@plsavage]

He's way above average smart and very level headed...that's how he did it

[@penguinista]

Indeed. And also very nice.

[@donaldxavier2056]

I love that Dave will pull people from the audience at shows and let them play songs with the band.

[@astrix1014]

15 million just in case you can’t be bothered to watch it 🤣

[@Illumignostic]

Dave: “let’s not talk about money…my lawyers will make sure I get the lions share.”

[@Frisco-tj4tu]

The Foo Phizers

[@stevethegrumpyoldman938]

Dave and Taylor are the Best! No Freakin Doubt!

[@laztavus]

every time I see Dave I think of Christopher Walken saying foo Fightas

[@MrDrHook]

I just had to do it our loud

[@chiganuggoo9929]

3:07 The single most important industry tip new bands need to heed.

[@SOLDOZER]

If Dave owned the music Id say Taylor was doing OK.

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

Burger King logo? Seriously?

[@partlycurrent]

Oh he was doing more than fine!

[@Antyvas]

Your name and avatar just made me hungry. Thanks...

[@nachomartinne]

02:14 "DAMN" ahahaha. Taylor forever

[@redlobster4841]

"Nobody tells us how to do stuff"🏆

[@CompassIIDX]

Except Big Pharma. 💉

[@jlouis4407]

Dave was always a guitar player, Pat heard his play and told Kurt “he’s better than us”

[@relientkenny]

RIP Taylor

[@topcatcoast2coast579]

The Melvins are the best and my favorite Grunge band.

[@ericponce8740]

Since Kurt Cobain was the main song writer, he was the wealthiest member of Nirvana.

[@RichV20]

Werent they all co-writers. I dont know if Kurt made much more money.

[@dr.mark.b.hubble]

@@RichV20 The split was kind of lopsided. Kurt got 75%, while Cris and Dave split the other 25%. So, if Dave had 15million and that was only 12.5% of what Nirvana was worth….😳

[@myahollandia3552]

Just love ❤️ dave