One of many knocks towards the Foo Fighters has been that they’re not harmful or consumed with drama.
However that’s been very a lot by design. Dave Grohl had no intention of reliving the trauma that adopted the demise of Kurt Cobain. Foos guitarist Pat Smear was not solely a touring guitarist with Nirvana again in 1994, however in 1980, he’d been a member of an LA punk band known as The Germs. The evening earlier than John Lennon was shot, singer Darby Crash died of a heroin overdose.
There was some hazard/drama in 2001 when drummer Taylor Hawkins ended up in a two-week coma after a heroin overdose in London — an incident that he stated scared him straight — however outdoors of that, the Foos appeared to have been squeaky clear. With everybody united within the aim of turning into the largest rock band on this planet, unhealthy behaviour that risked sabotaging every part was not tolerated.
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Foo Fighters cancel upcoming tour dates after demise of Taylor Hawkins
However then Taylor Hawkins, essentially the most beloved member of the band subsequent to Dave Grohl (and Dave’s greatest good friend in the entire world), suffered some sort of cardiovascular occasion in Bogotá, Colombia, again on March 25 and died.
A preliminary post-mortem decided that his coronary heart was enlarged to 600 grams, twice the scale of a person his measurement and age. An enlarged coronary heart isn’t a illness unto itself however a symptom of one thing else: acute hypertension, thyroid points, congenital issues, and extra.
With such a key member of the group gone endlessly, the Foo Fighters should work out a brand new path for the long run. What may that be? There will certainly be a sequence of adverse band conferences within the coming weeks that may also contain household, pals, and administration.
I see three decisions. First, the band is dropped at a detailed, reorganizes, rebrands, and comes again in a special kind. Second, discover another person to play drums and resume work after everybody has had an opportunity to grieve and heal. And third, the Foos have already got a drummer of their midst. I believe he is aware of a lot of the songs, too.
I’d utterly low cost a Dave Grohl solo profession. He’s all the time stated that he loves the thought of being in a band. Retirement? Not an opportunity. He’s too pushed and stressed.
Everybody should be excited about precedent, too.
Let’s start with bands (not named Spinal Faucet) who’ve misplaced drummers. When John Bonham died of acute alcohol poisoning on Sept. 25, 1980, there was no query that Led Zeppelin was completed. No Bonzo, no Zep. The surviving members have been unanimous on that time.
Toto stored going after Jeff Porcaro died on Aug. 5, 1992, attributable to coronary coronary heart illness exacerbated by cocaine use.
Rush had formally come to an finish earlier than Neil Peart died of mind most cancers, however his demise on Jan. 7, 2020, endlessly ended any hopes of a future reunion. Nobody can exchange Neil.
Alternatively, The Who determined to proceed on after Keith Moon handed away on Sept. 7, 1978, due to a tragic mixture of alcohol and pharmaceuticals. Like Taylor, he was an enormous a part of the band’s sound, persona, and picture, but Pete Townshend was decided to hold on. There are those that say that The Who was by no means the identical after Keith (I’m considered one of them) however the group continues at the moment, even after shedding bass participant John Entwistle on June 27, 2002.
Extra lately, we are able to level to The Rolling Stones. The stoic, super-dependable Charlie Watts was a founding member again in 1962. When he died of most cancers on Aug. 24, 2021, it took only some weeks earlier than The Stones have been again onstage with one other drummer. Hey, there have been touring commitments that needed to be met. The present should go on and all that.
Then we are able to take a look at teams which have stored going even after their lead singer dies: AC/DC, Queen, Stone Temple Pilots, Chic, INXS, Skinny Lizzy, Grateful Useless, Alice in Chains, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pleasure Division (who reorganized as New Order). Even The Doorways tried to resurrect issues with out Jim Morrison twenty years in the past underneath the identify The Doorways of the twenty first Century.
Issues have been by no means the identical as they have been and ghosts should proceed to linger, however all these bands determined that they wanted to proceed. It may be completed.
However on the identical time, there can’t be a Soundgarden with out Chris Cornell, a Van Halen with out Eddie, a Motorhead with out Lemmy, or a T. Rex with out Mark Bolan.
Again to the Foo Fighters. Positive Dave can discover somebody to maintain time for the Foo Fighters, however he’ll by no means, ever discover somebody with the particular Lennon-McCartney/Keith-Mick/Laurel-and-Hardy bond he had with Taylor. His persona and chemistry with the opposite members of the band helped make the Foos what they’ve change into during the last 25 years. That presence within the studio, on stage, and in actual life is gone endlessly. Taylor additionally had a particular relationship with the followers. And picture being the individual chosen to be the following Foo Fighters drummer. The stress can be insane.
However there’s a chilly enterprise method of issues. The Foo Fighters are a multi-million-dollar company, a machine that employs dozens of individuals, from managers to roadies. There are countless commitments for excursions, appearances, and albums. Sure, every part has been cancelled for the foreseeable future, however what about additional down the street?
Does the band proceed in Taylor’s reminiscence? Or do they honour him by saying that the Foo Fighters don’t exist with out him?
There are some powerful choices forward.
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Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for World Information.
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