In a new Alt 98.7 interview, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins said he believes Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and other rock acts are still the most relevant when it comes to live performances, especially compared to pop and hip hop. Dave Grohl joined him for the interview.
Hawkins said, “I think that the exchange between an audience and people on a stage with guitars and drums without a net, that hasn’t really gone away per say. I think rock bands like us, Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, those are probably still the biggest shows. I still think that it translates better with instruments, I just do, than one dude walking around with a microphone.”
Hawkins interviewed ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher for Magnet Magazine. In the interview, Hawkins criticized the idea of there being a Grunge genre, as he said he doesn’t believe Pearl Jam and Nirvana sound like they’re part of the same thing. The conversation started when Hawkins asked Gallagher about Britpop.
Gallagher: I fucking hate that word, mate. We weren’t fucking pop. To me, I felt it was us and the Verve. We were different scenes, were like a classic rock ’n’ roll band. Britpop to me was Pulp, Menswear, Blur, all these stupid little Camden bands that were all jolly as fuck, you know what I mean? We wanted to play, man. I personally always found that word fucking insulting.
Hawkins: I think it is, too.
Gallagher: The Verve and Oasis—we were thinking way bigger than Britpop. We were a classic rock ’n’ roll band.
Hawkins: I see that. And also, it’s the same thing with grunge. You can’t say Nirvana and Pearl Jam sound anything alike—they’re not the same kind of fucking music, really. Just ’cause of an era. They have to simplify shit.
Gallagher: It’s just fucking journalists, isn’t it? Lazy cunts. I felt like Blur and all that—they were doing like just jolly kind of weird, fucking stupid music. “Champagne Supernova” is a boss fucking tune. They were all jumping about it with their fingers in their ears.
