Foo Fighters Member Feared Big Name Would Fire Him

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Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins is claiming that he thought Alanis Morissette might fire him to go in a mellower direction in the 90’s, around the same time he was contemplating joining the Foos.

Hawkins told 94.9 The Rock in Toronto, “Well, you know, one thing leads to another. I was on tour with Alanis, we were doing shows, and we were playing a radio show here in L.A., The Weenie Roast on the KROQ. I met Dave [Grohl] there for the first time and then we ended up doing some festivals together over in Europe, and we just kind of clicked with being friends. But I didn’t really think their drummer [William Goldsmith] was going anywhere, at all, I thought that that was their band and that’s what it was. I knew William, and I didn’t really expect anything of anything. I never thought, for once!

I mean, I loved the Foo Fighters and my brother said at one point, ‘God, dude, you should be in this band!’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, I wish.’ And Alanis pointed out when I and Dave hung out for the first time, she was like, ‘You know, he’s going to ask you to be in the Foo Fighters at some point.’ And I was like, ‘No way, they have a drummer, don’t worry, it’s never going to happen.’ And sure enough, their drummer didn’t work out.

There I came around the corner – ‘Hi!’ He [Grohl] thought I was in Alanis’ band – and I was in Alanis’ band, but Foo Fighters were really more of a band, and Alanis was a solo artist essentially. And I wasn’t really sure where Alanis’ gig was going at that point, I heard mumbling that she wanted to kind of go in a mellower direction and that I might not fit the bill…She never said that to me, that was a rumor that I’d heard, but I just felt like… I don’t know. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the cut recording the next Alanis record, to be honest.

I wanted to play rock, and the Foo Fighters thing just popped up, and it just was just perfect timing. And I love Alanis, and I loved playing with Alanis, and I’ll tell you, man, that was some of the best times and some of the best shows I’ve ever done in my life.

We’re good friends now – we just did a radio thing together and we’ve done a few other things together, and I hope I work with her again someday, I really do. Because I just think she’s an amazing, amazing, amazing singer. And she gave me so many gifts, and one of them was just helping me get noticed. It’s because of her and I’ll never thank her enough for it. I love her to pieces and she’s my sister.”

Ultimate-Guitar transcribed Hawkins’ remarks. William Goldsmith departed the Foos when Dave Grohl re-recorded his drum parts for The Colour and the Shape, with Hawkins replacing him for the tour in 1997. Hawkins split drumming duties with Grohl on There Is Nothing Left To Lose in 1999, later drumming on full albums.