Foo Fighters founder, 16-time Grammy winner and Rock & Rock Hall of Famer Dave Grohl talks to MSNBC’s Ari Melber about the life lessons he learned as a drummer for Nirvana, balancing his tremendous drive with the perils of getting “addicted” to accomplishment, and how he approaches global touring, creativity and fear at this stage in his long-ranging career. Grohl also delves into his own values and politics, his time with Pres. Obama, and his relationship and differences with his father.
This in-depth discussion is the newest installment of “Mavericks with Ari Melber,” a series of interviews with artists, musicians and cultural icons. (Note: The interview was recorded prior to the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.)
Dave Grohl was previously famous for being in Nirvana. There are a lot of opinions out there on Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love for a multitude of reasons. Heralded by many, Kurt Cobain remains a staple in the rock world. Just looking at the streaming numbers of Nirvana in present time, you would think that they are still a band that is active. With that comes the fan protection of his legacy as a person and as a legendary leader of the respected band. Since his death is surrounded in mystery, many do not look in any other direction than Courtney Love and her seemingly lack of ‘love’ for the star.
Those who were fortunate enough to be around Kurt Cobain have some stories to tell about the depressed rocker. Some of the closest people to the star were those who were with Cobain and the band to help with the ways that the shows ran.
One of the biggest names when it comes to running sound is Craig Montgomery. Craig not only did work for Nirvana, but he also worked with another prominent band from that era – Soundgarden. In a recent interview, Craig was asked about what it was like to be around Nirvana for the festivals that he helped run sound for. In the discussion, a question was brought up which asked if there were any noteworthy memories of Courtney Love while everyone was on the road together.
To this, Craig stated that there weren’t a ton of memories of Courtney Love, but he did notice how much she cared for Cobain.
As said by Craig via American Songwriter: “I don’t have any memory of her—and I don’t think she did—get on stage with Nirvana. In retrospect, they really kept that separate. I think she was pretty protective of her independence. She wouldn’t have wanted to be seen as—she wanted to be seen in her own right. There were plenty of gigs that we did where she was there with us. But I don’t remember her ever getting involved with a Nirvana show, which might be a surprising thing for people to hear. But she was generally fun to have around.”
Beyond this, Craig closed: “I got along with her and I think she got along with most everybody. So, she was a pretty positive presence. Sometimes we worried about her band because I know there were times when she compromised what her band was doing because she wanted to hang out with Kurt. Like maybe she was late for some of her gigs or there might have been some Hole gigs that she might have missed or cancelled or skipped out on because she was traveling with us. I remember thinking, “Oh, that’s not good!””
