Almost exactly 25 years ago, Foo Fighters released their self-titled debut album. At the time of the band’s inception, Dave Grohl had extensive experience touring with Nirvana, but he wasn’t used to being the center of attention on stage. In honor of the band’s quarter-century anniversary, Grohl reminisced on the “terrifying” experiences of leading the band in the group’s early years.
Speaking about the band’s early years in an interview with Apple Music’s Matt Wilkinson, Grohl addressed the difficulty pivoting from being the drummer in Nirvana to leader of Foo Fighters. “Coming out and standing [on stage]… I mean, f*ck, I’d been sitting on a drum stool for so long that, oh my god, now I have to stand in front of people?” Grohl recalled. “How does my body move? What do I say in-between songs? These are the things that go through your head, and if you’re not feeling it or you don’t have that connection or confidence, it can be f*cking terrifying — and it was for eight years, 10 years or so. It took a long time for me.”
Grohl continued that he’s since gained confidence at center stage: “I mean now when I walk out on stage, it’s just like, ‘Hey. Okay, let’s go.’ But a long time ago, even doing interviews, I was shy. I was just insecure, self-aware. I just felt like I wasn’t used to being put in the forefront like that, and I can not even watch interviews from those days back then.”
Listen to Grohl’s full interview here.