Icons of Alternative | Foo Fighters

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 14: Musicians Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl, Chris Shiflett, and Pat Smear of The Foo Fighters attends The “Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways” New York Premiere at Ed Sullivan Theater on October 14, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

ANSAN, SOUTH KOREA – JULY 26: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs on stage during the Ansan Valley Rock Festival on July 26, 2015 in Ansan, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

INGLEWOOD, CA – SEPTEMBER 21: Musician Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs at the Forum on September 21, 2015 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND – JUNE 24: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performs on day 3 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 24, 2017 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Foo Fighters FACTS

-The name Foo Fighters refers to a term coined by allied forces during World War II that was used to describe unidentified flying objects. Dave Grohl, who recorded the first Foo Fighters album himself, hoped the name would give him a little anonymity

-Seven months after Kurt Cobain’s death tragically put an end to Nirvana, Dave Grohl sat in as drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, performing the songs “Honeybee” and “You Don’t Know Jack” when they played on Saturday Night Live. After the gig, Petty offered Grohl a full-time spot on the band but Grohl turned down the offer so he could start the Foo Fighters

-The Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut album was basically a solo record produced by Dave Grohl. The frontman performed every single note you hear on the entire album except for the guitar track on “Afghan Whigs,” which was done by Greg Dulli.

-Before drummer Taylor Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters in 1997 he was a part of Alanis Morissette’s touring band. Hawkins played with Alanis for the entire Jagged Little Pill tour and there were even rumors that there was a little chemistry between the two

-Over the years the Foo Fighters have developed a funny habit for creatively utilizing their tour riders. In 2011, they famously turned the rider for their Wasting Light Tour into a full-length coloring book, complete with amusing activity pages that lightly reminded venues and promoters which foods the band members like to consume

-When his isn’t playing with the Foo Fighters or making documentaries, Grohl likes to unwind by jamming with other bands. In the past he’s played drums for Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Killing Joke, Garbage and Tenacious D

-If you are fortunate enough to have ever seen the Foo Fighters live in concert, you might have noticed Dave Grohl using a sweet blue and white guitar at some point during the performance. That’s a Gibson Trini Lopez guitar that was custom made for him with a Pelham Blue finish. The guitar looks much like an ES-355, only with diamond-shaped f-holes. Grohl has been using Trini Lopez guitars in the studio since the band’s inception, and now this guitar in particular seems to be his favorite for playing live shows as well

-Grohl has openly admitted that the Foo Fighters’ 2011 album Wasting Light was inspired by two of the most popular disco groups of all time. In an interview he said: “I like loads of crazy-ass, dissonant, distorted rock ‘n’ roll, but I also love The Bee Gees and ABBA, bands whose pop choruses get bigger and bigger.”

-In 2000, David Letterman underwent a potentially life-ending quintuple bypass surgery. He said that during his difficult recovery, “Everlong” helped him find a good mindset and the song has had a special meaning for him ever since. So, for his first show after recovering from the surgery, he requested that the Foo Fighters be the musical guest. Just before they came out and performed “Everlong,” Letterman gave them a sentimental introduction, stating simply, “My favorite band, playing my favorite song.”

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