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taylorhawkins · 11 months

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Alright. I’m saying it just this once because the comments on my videos/comments I see elsewhere/anons etc never seem to end...

Did Dave Grohl work Taylor Hawkins to death?

Shall we dive in? Let’s dive in.

This whole theory/idea comes from the May 2022 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine which was supposed to be a tribute to Taylor, but instead, ended up being a hit piece on Dave Grohl. The article claimed that many sources, including Matt Cameron and Chad Smith, said that Dave "forced" Taylor into playing these 3 hour long shows and he couldn't do it, begged him to stop, that it fell on deaf ears, etc... and then he died. From exhaustion. This is what Rolling Stone ever so lovingly printed about the Foo Fighters not even 2 months after they lost their brother/best friend (and made Matt Cameron deal with on the anniversary of Chris Cornell’s passing)… But - let's gather the facts here.

IMMEDIATELY after this article came out, both Matt Cameron AND Chad Smith came out and said that their statements were completely and totally skewed.

Chad Smith: "Taylor was one of my best friends and I would do anything for his family," Smith says on social media. "I was asked by Rolling Stone to share some memories of our time together, which I thought was going to be the loving tribute he deserved. Instead, the story they wrote was sensationalized and misleading, and had I known I never would have agreed to participate. I apologize to his family and musical friends for any pain this may have caused. I miss Taylor every day."

Matt Cameron: “When I agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone article about Taylor, I assumed it would be a celebration of his life and work. My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative I never intended. Taylor was a dear friend, and a next level artist. I miss him. I have only the deepest love and respect for Taylor, Dave and the Foo Fighters families. I am truly sorry to have taken part in this interview and I apologize that my participation may have caused harm to those for whom I have only the deepest respect and admiration."

Now, why would such a thing happen?

Because that's what Rolling Stone magazine does. They can't print the truth, because the truth is too fucking boring. This is their history. In 1997, they wrote a piece titled "Eddie Vedder: Who Are You?", in which they not only interviewed his high school bullies who sat there and said "oh, he lived in a nice house, his step dad couldn't possibly have been abusive!" and Rolling Stone AGREED with this, but they took those little interviews and formed an entire narrative about how Eddie is a master manipulator that has faked his entire persona throughout his whole life, and that he used his image as a "tortured soul" to “propel himself to fame”, just so he could “become the face of the 90s”. That he had a great upbringing, and is faking it all for the grunge. As if he knew that would happen and did it on purpose. Yes. They wrote this. I am not joking. They were not joking either. This is the same magazine we are talking about. That is some next fucking level conspiracy bullshit.

This is the same magazine that harped on Layne Staley and Kurt Cobain's drug use, despite being asked not to (not because they didn’t want to tarnish their images, but "because kids will think heroin is cool and it's not"). Rolling Stone printed cover after cover about them with titles like "the needle and the damage done" beside a photo of a distraught-looking Layne... instead of focusing on their music. Their music doesn’t matter. The gossip is what matters.

They even say it in their own documentary. “What's the story? What's the gossip?” No what’s the truth. The truth is far too boring. The truth doesn’t get people to gasp and click or grab the magazine off the shelf and pay for it. That’s why they do this.

This is the same magazine that had to pay out $1.65 million dollars in a lawsuit because of their defamatory articles. And yet? NOBODY lost their jobs. There were no warnings. They paid the money, and that was that. They can keep doing what they do. And people keep believing it their BS.

Here's the thing that's so odd: this article oddly parallels the article about Eddie Vedder I mentioned earlier. There's a tyrant leader of the band that forces everyone to bend to his will, and everyone is afraid of him. Nobody can say no to him.

Let me tell you why that's bullshit.

This frankly is a grotesque infantilization of Taylor Hawkins. Believe it or not, Taylor was a big boy who could call the shots in his own life. He was not a child at risk of getting beat over the head if he stepped out of line. Taylor's net worth in March 2022 was $40 MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS + written into ongoing royalties. I'm sorry, but this grown man was not beholden to an abusive boss because he was stuck living paycheck to paycheck. If it was that bad, he had the means to split.

(by the way, here is where I address the “dAve’S nEt wOrTh iS sO mUcH HiGhEr bEcAuSe hE’s gReEdY” - is it because of greed? or is it because HE WAS IN FUCKING NIRVANA? and also QOTSA????)

But was he exhausted, and just put up with it because he didn't want to leave?

Was he exhausted? Only Taylor knows that. But, we do have some concrete facts here. How does an exhausted person behave?

Do they get off the road with Foo Fighters and then immediately jump back on the road, or immediately get into the studio, with Chevy Metal, or The Coattail Riders, or NHC, or Birds, or just under his own name (see the Kota EP), or Nighttime Boogie Association? That's SIX side projects. Do they start taking on a bunch of other major commitments like recording with Ozzy, finishing a Dennis Wilson track, recording with Elton John, with Miley Cyrus? Shit, does that person fucking mountain bike EVERYWHERE, every day?

Not only that, but when he did jump back on the road or into the studio, HE TOOK DAVE WITH HIM. Chevy Metal live shows? There’s Dave. Dave with CM in Sydney. Dave. Look! More Dave. I could keep going. Taylor’s solo album parties - guess who joined? Multiple tracks on Get the Money feature Dave either singing with him or playing drums. Dave's not even a frigging member of these bands. Have you ever been in a relationship with a person that abuses and takes advantage of you? I have. Multiple times. You don't drag that person along with you at every opportunity, I can promise you that lmao. It's more like, I got some not being around you to do today, but I digress.

But let's go even further. Let's say Dave weaseled his way into all of that because he's a sneaky bastard and had to keep tabs. lmao

Do we really believe that NOBODY would say ANYTHING? "Oh, Chad and Matt did!" Chad and Matt not only called Rolling Stone out but they BOTH continue to hang around Dave. (Chad even joined a skit they did to introduce Josh Freese). Alison Hawkins put out a statement about how much Taylor LOVED "every single moment of his 25 years with the band". Would you say that about your husband's band if they killed him? How many of Taylor's friends continue to stay close to Dave and the Foos? His children? THE REST OF THE BAND????? Everyone just blows over the fact that Nate Mendel knew and loved Taylor as long as Dave did. Chris Shiflett knew and loved him since 1999. Pat Smear too - and this is the 3rd bandmate Pat has lost. Rami Jaffee knew and loved Taylor for years. ALL OF THEM witnessed EVERYTHING because they were all together through ALL OF IT. Do we really believe NONE OF THEM would have come forward? None of them would have stepped away from the supposed selfish murderer?? They can afford to. So can Josh Freese who was also buddies with Taylor. It's almost a year and a half later and nobody said ANYTHING? Not a soul? Not even anonymously?

No. Because Rolling Stone lied to you. Dave didn't overwork him. Dave did not "kill" his best friend. Dave cannot even keep it together without crying, after all this time, just mentioning his name. You just look at recent photos of him and you can see he took it HARD. You cannot fake that. This is the same guy that sat at Taylor's hospital bedside for 2 weeks praying for him to wake up from a coma in 2001 and refused to leave and broke down talking about it 10 years later. The same guy that said the happiest days of his life were the day Taylor woke up and the days his kids were born. And y'all really want to say he would've just blown past Taylor's pleas to play shorter shows because it was killing him? Or ignored the warning signs of exhaustion? Or anything else?

I've also heard he "killed Taylor" by "human sacrifice" to that I say what kind of crack are you fucking smoking? Straight up. For what? They were already one of the biggest bands. Because they made a stupid horror movie (I won’t watch it, but still) and Taylor gets killed in it, so now we are going to run rampant with the conspiracy theories that it was "a warning"? News flash: The WHOLE BAND gets murdered in that movie. How come they’re not all dead now if that’s the case?

I've also heard that Dave "forced him to take the covid vaccine and that killed him". Chris Shiflett addressed this with a simple two words: "Fuck you". And again, Taylor is not a damn toddler. If he didn't want the shot, he didn't have to take it. Nobody "made him" do shit. That whole thing about them mandating vaccines at their shows was a lie, too - which has perpetuated this argument that Dave made the whole band take it. There’s that big angry boss man again. That’s not what they did. They came through my city a month before Taylor died. There was NO vaccine requirement - because the venue didn’t have it in place. THE VENUES are the ones that called for that. Not that it really matters, but it’s just another lie that spread like wildfire.

But Dave is greedy! He replaced Taylor and now they're trying to get back out there like nothing happened!

If this is your argument, you aren't paying attention to their shows. They honor Taylor at EVERY SINGLE SHOW they have played since his passing. Dave sings Cold Day in the Sun and can't get through it without crying. They put out an entire album about him (save for some songs about Virginia Grohl) with some of the most heart wrenching lyrics you will ever hear about how missed he is.

When you're a musician, that is in your blood. You CAN'T just stop. Imagine not being able to do the thing you love most anymore in the midst of the most painful time of your life. What is going to carry you through? Music is what does it when it's part of you like that. Josh Freese is not a "replacement". Those guys - Dave, Pat, Nate, Chris and Rami - have been together almost 30 years (Rami not as long but still). It's not about the frigging money. It's them attempting to heal together.

Should they abandon each other and everything they have created together and look back on it with sadness at how it was all wiped out in an instant? Or should they let Josh Freese be the glue they need to move forward and keep playing to heal together and keep Taylor's memory alive at every show?

Finally - you don't look at someone the way they looked at each other if you don't love them or trust them. Straight up. All it takes is a quick google search to see that.

I also find it funny how Rolling Stone attempted to create a new narrative last October as if their first one didn't work. "Oh, it was an overdose". Oh, actually, it's none of your damn business.

Call me an idol worshipper or an elite sympathizer of evil (I'm literally a Christian) or a blind sheeple/obsessive fangirl too stupid to see The Truth, idgaf. Been called it all before. Stop beating down someone that is grieving the loss of their best friend. Open YOUR eyes.

Dave Grohl did not overwork or kill his best friend. I'm not having this conversation anymore.

#big sigh #foo fighters #taylor hawkins #dave grohl #rolling stone magazine #nate mendel #chris shiflett #pat smear #rami jaffee #taylor hawkins tribute #text #rant

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catherineparrish · 3 months

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Foo Fighters @ Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand 20/01/2024

Photo by Danny Clinch.

Cussing and cigarettes, Jack Black, and 35,000 people’s love for rock and roll—Foo Fighters return to Auckland, New Zealand after six long years.

Riding the success of their 10th studio album, Foo Fighters were forced to delay their late 2022 tour to Australia and New Zealand when drummer Taylor Hawkins suddenly passed earlier in the year. There was some speculation that the band might retire after 25 years, but after a year of grieving (particularly for frontman Dave Grohl, whose mother also died in 2022) Foo Fighters announced that step-in drummer Josh Freese (The Vandals, Devo) would permanently be joining the band.

In what was their first show of 2024, Foo Fighters return exclusively to New Zealand and delight fans with one of their most dynamic performances to date. Although the set was evenly paced, sprinkled with new songs from last year’s studio album Here We Are (2023) and old classics to get everyone out of their seats, an almost 3 hour set was bound to have more than just a couple of highlights.

“Who came out and saw us when we played at that old speedway? That show was so loud it caused a seismic event,” said Grohl, referring to the volcanic-like tremor caused by the stamping feet of thousands of fans at Western Springs in 2011. “When I think about New Zealand, I think about an audience that can trigger an earthquake.”

It wasn’t the only time Grohl expressed his fondness for New Zealand, noting that he always has a great time whenever the band tours. Whilst Grohl shared stories with the crowd, the band teased snippets of songs from multiple artists (Metallica, The Ramones, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails) throughout the set, and even surprised everyone with a special appearance from actor and singer Jack Black for a cover of AC/DC’s Big Balls.

But in amongst the party, there were sombre moments too, like an acoustic stripped back version of My Hero and a tribute for Hawkins that the band perform every night. “This was the first song we wrote together and his favourite,” Grohl told the crowd before performing Aurora. A few times the lights were dimmed and the stadium lit up like stars as the audience held their torches to the sky, providing the perfect atmosphere for the warm summer’s evening soundtrack.

When the crowd weren't swinging their arms in unison over their heads, they were screaming and thrashing their heads at the peak of all the fan favourites, from The Pretender, to Monkey Wrench, to Best of You and their faithful encore Everlong. It's hard not to admire such a resilient act as this band who can seemingly overcome any obstacle thrown their way. Welcome back, legends.

Review by Catherine Parrish.

#foo fighters #live review #music review #live music #auckland #new zealand #new zealand concerts #dave grohl #pat smear #taylor hawkins #josh freese #nate mendel #chris shiflett #rami jaffee #mt smart stadium #catherine parrish

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