Dave Grohl opens up about losing mother Virginia: "She was the most important person in my entire life"
27 December 2023, 11:48
The Foo Fighters frontman has talked about the passing of his beloved mother, who sadly died in 2022.
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Dave Grohl has spoken about the passing of his mother Virginia Grohl.
The Foo Fighters frontman appeared on an episode of the Song Exploder podcast, where he discussed the time he spent with his mother before she died in August 2022, just months after he lost his bandmate and longtime friend Taylor Hawkins in March the same year.
"I was with her for all of the time leading up to her passing,” Grohl recalled to host Hrishikesh Hirway. “Everyday during that period, I would write something on the guitar, because I felt that if I didn’t have that release, I would explode. I would spend the day at the hospital and then try to translate it musically — with no clear intention of what I was trying to achieve. I was finding these chords and progressions that mirrored the way that I felt."
Discussing The Teacher track in particular, which was written about Virginia and featured on the band's But Here We Are album, he explained: "She was the most important person in my entire life. So I thought this had to be the most important music I ever made."
Talking about his relationship with the former teacher, which he described as being like "best friends" he said: "I was probably my only friend who liked hanging out with their parent".
"I felt like I had to honor her, pay tribute to her with this piece of music," he went on. "So that’s when it turned into something other than a song. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever written because I wrote it for such a gigantic reason."
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The Foo Fighters released But Here We Are on 2nd June 2023, which included a dedication to both Virgina Grohl and the Foos drummer on the album sleeve.
In a statement, the band said the album was: "A brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters endured over the last year, But Here We Are is a testament to the healing powers of music, friendship and family."
They added: "But Here We Are is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life."
The record came after the band vowed to continue on together in early 2023.
Taking to Instagram, the band wrote: "As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us."
They continued: "Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life. And for the past 27 years our fans have built a worldwide community, a devoted support system that has helped us all get through the darkest of times together.
"A place to share our joy and our pain, our hopes and fears, and to join in a chorus of life together through music. Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were-and without Taylor, we know that we're going to be a different band going forward. We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again -and we will soon-he'll be there in spirit with all of us every night."
Foo Fighters also paid tribute to their drummer Taylor Hawkins with a duo of tribute of shows, which took place at London's Wembley Stadium and LA's Kia Forum respectively.
The London leg of Foo Fighters and the Hawkins Family Present Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert saw an opening performance from Liam Gallagher of Rock N' Roll Star and Live Forever.
The six-hour long gig also saw performances from the likes of Josh Homme, Nile Rodgers and Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen.
Foo Fighters - Times Like These at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The LA gig was opened by Grohl's daughter Violet, who gave a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and included performances from Queen, Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Miley Cyris, Def Leppard and Joan Jett.
Grohl ended the incredible 53-set gig with an emotional performance of Everlong, accompanied on the drums by Taylor Hawkins' close friend, Chad Smith.
