A Dave Grohl Birthday Six-Pack

A Dave Grohl Birthday is a cause for a rock and roll celebration. So let’s crack a six-pack of fave Dave moments.

 

I love Dave. I started high school literally 3 weeks before Nirvana released Nevermind, so, like many Gen-Xers, Dave’s drumbeats were part of the soundtrack of my youth. And when he dropped his debut Foo Fighters album in the summer of ’95, I literally drove home to Massachusetts from a family vacation in Maine to buy my copy on cassette. It’s still my favorite Foo album of the lot.

 

Years later, I’d have the pleasure of interviewing Dave and the late Taylor Hawkins backstage before a show in Worcester. I had each of them choose their favorite Foo songs from each album they’d released at that time. I gave Dave an earful about how he’s always down on his debut album in interviews and scolded him a bit because it’s my favorite. He was, as you’d expect, a good sport about it.

 

A Dave Grohl Birthday Six-Pack

That’s the thing about Dave: he’s genuine. I’ve seen and heard takes accusing him of overexposing himself. Those takes aren’t just cynical, they’re wrong. The man does the things he does because he’s passionate about music and passionate about giving back and passionate about life in general. Given the losses he’s endured–especially in recent years–it’s a bit of a miracle that he is the way he is.

 

So let’s celebrate Mr. Grohl. I was originally going to lean into my usual six-pack bit and share my six favorite songs of his. Instead, I’ve curated a mix of songs and moments. Because he inspires both in the music he makes and the way that he moves through the world. Happy Birthday, David Eric Grohl. Long may you rock…so long as you have a fresh pot.

• "Marigold"

  I can remember digging deep into all things Dave at the height of my Nirvana and Foo Fighters obsession. “Wait, he recorded an ep as Late! in ’92?” That he did. It contains the first iteration of “Marigold,” which would pop up on Nirvana’s With The Lights Out boxed set and Foo Fighters Skin And Bones live album.

• I'm OK, Eur OK

  MTV carried a 1995 Foo Fighters gig at Brixton Academy in London in 1995, branded as I’m OK, Eur OK. This was the classic lineup of Grohl, Pat Smear on guitar, Nate Mendel on bass, and William Goldsmith on drums. The latter two being ex-members of another fave Seattle band of mine, Sunny Day Real Estate, I was enthralled.

• "Everlong" (Acoustic)

  In the quarter-century-plus since its release, “Everlong” has become the Foo’s signature song. Back when the song was a new single on the radio, Dave laid down a now-legendary acoustic version on the Howard Stern Show. This one’s for you, Pixie.

• The "Low" Video

  “Low” was a single from 2002’s One By One. The music video featured Dave Grohl and Jack Black as two good ol’ boy buddies throwing down in a cheap motel room. There’s arm wrestling, there’s drinking, there’s rocking, and there’s cross dressing. It’s a wild ride and doesn’t get as much love as it should in the pantheon of outstanding Foo Fighters music videos.

• Fresh Pots!

  Dave’s always good about helping his rock & roll friends when they need someone to sit in on the kit. Such was the case with Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup featuring Josh Homme and John Paul Jones, back in 2010. Dave has a drinking problem. A coffee drinking problem. And he’ll tell you about it.

• Boston Calling 2023

  Seeing the Foo Fighters with my 14-yr-old (a fellow Foo fan) at Boston Calling in 2023 was a live music highlight not just from that year, but from my life. Read his review below, then check out mine.

  Read a Boston Calling 2023 Review by Adam 12’s 14-Year-Old