Dave Grohl has been one of the most beloved and respected figures on the international music scene since his recorded debut with the alternative rock band Nirvana on 1991s generation-defining Nevermind.
Grohl had taken centre-stage with his incumbent rock band Foo Fighters’ 1995 self-titled debut, the first of 10 albums in a massive 12-Grammy-winning streak, most recently including the No 1 charting Medicine at Midnight.
He has travelled the planet doing the thing he loves most – playing rock n roll marathons for tens of thousands of ecstatic Foo Fighter fans, but when the pandemic necessitated going into lockdown, Grohl took stock of how he might use this moment of pause.
Channeling his creativity into writing and using his remarkable skill for storytelling, in May 2020 he wrote a moving reflection for The Atlantic on missing the thrill of live music during the Covid era that went viral.
Then, ending a longstanding self-imposed exile from social media, Grohl’s new Instagram account @davestruestories was born. This new platform became a way for Dave to share his extraordinary (and funny) stories with fans and fellow music nuts and now, Grohl is set to build upon that momentum with his first book, The Storyteller (Simon & Schuster).
It’s as much a celebration of music as it is about the moments that have moulded him into the man he is today. From hilarious childhood mishaps, touching family moments, leaving home to see the world at eighteen, to spectacular stories about Nirvana, Foo Fighters, David Bowie, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, playing drums for Tom Petty on Saturday Night Live, performing at the White House, and even swing dancing with AC/DC, with all love, laughs, loss and embarrassments along the way. It’s a fascinating look at a life lived loud.
“There is a common thread that runs throughout everything that I do: storytelling. Whether in song, documentary film or on the page, I have always felt compelled to share moments from my life. This inclination is a huge part of what excites me creatively but also as a human being,” Grohl said.
In March 2020 realising that his day job with the Foo Fighters was going to go on hold, he started an Instagram account (@davestruestories) and decided to focus all of his creative energy on writing some of his stories down, something he loves doing but never really had the time for.
“I soon found that the reward I felt every time I posted a story was the same as the feeling I get when playing a song to an audience, so I kept on writing. The response from readers was as soul-filling as any applause in an arena. So, I took stock of all the experiences I’ve had in my life – incredible, difficult, funny and emotional – and decided it was time to finally put them into words.
“From my early days growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, to hitting the road at the age of 18, and all the music that followed, I can now share these adventures with the world, as seen and heard from behind the microphone. Turn it up,” Grohl added.
Grohl has also directed the eight-part HBO docuseries Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways, which premiered in October 2014 and went on to win two of the four Emmys for which it was nominated (outstanding sound mixing for non-fiction programming and outstanding sound editing for non-fiction programming).
Described by Grohl as a love letter to the history of American music, each episode chronicles the creation of one song on Sonic Highways album, each written and recorded in a different American musical landmark — Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
“I don’t think I have ever seen such universal excitement in a company during an auction, with so many of my colleagues sharing their very personal memories of Dave and his music as we put our bid together. But, in the end, what really sets this book apart is the sheer brilliance of the writing: this is a rock memoir that will set the standard for a generation to come, as he truly is THE storyteller,” Deputy Publishing Director, Non-Fiction Ian Marshall, who negotiated the deal to publish the book, said. (IANS)