In May of last year, Josh Freese revealed that he had been unexpectedly let go from Foo Fighters after just two years with the band. Despite being fired, Freese has kept busy. Soon after his departure, it was announced that he would be rejoining Nine Inch Nails, stepping in for Ilan Rubin. Ironically, Rubin left NIN to take over Freese’s spot in Foo Fighters.
Now, in a new interview with Modern Drummer, Freese opened up about his dismissal from the band. While he declined to share too many details, he admitted that the decision came as a shock.
“The Foo Fighters are such a big, mainstream band that everything I say gets taken out of context, reposted, and blown out of proportion,” he said. “People created headlines from one quick, simple comment I made on a podcast not long ago, it’s crazy. I’ve got to be careful about what I say about it. But I’ve got a lot to say about it and I’ve been just trying to figure out how and when, to go about really articulating it.”
“I have a couple small theories, but I can’t really go into them right now,” Freese added. “I did really enjoy the two years I spent with those guys however, and they were good to me… until they weren’t. I liked playing with them. And I loved having Dave [Grohl] as a bandleader. I truly respect him so much as a drummer first and foremost. To me, he’s a drummer first and everything else is second. I’ve listened to him on all the great records he’s played drums on more than I’ve listened to any Foo Fighters stuff. It really was cool being in a band where the leader is a phenomenal drummer that you respect… that’s really fun… We basically came from the same era too and could relate to one another.”
He continued: “I enjoyed being around those guys, they were generous and good to me… and that’s what makes the whole thing even more of a mystery. I think I’m a pretty good read on people, and I did not see that coming. One day it was nothing but laughs, we’re on stage and Dave’s looking at me every night like, ‘You’re killing it dude!!!’ And then it was just… over.
“The day it went down I was hanging out on a day off with A Perfect Circle and the Primus guys. Everyone was in shock and asking me what the hell happened. I just remember thinking that I was really grateful to be out there on tour with my friends and with a great crew… playing music I liked with people that I’ve had a long history with.”
While the firing caught him off guard, Freese remains confident about the state of his career.
“Someone recently said to me, ‘Man, you’ve had a tough year.’ And I thought, Really? So the Foo Fighters thing is over. Big deal, that was a blip. The fact that I’ve been touring with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle again, playing some shows with Weezer, working in the studio with everyone from Danny Elfman to Billy Idol. I feel like I’m back where I belong. Trust me… no one should feel sorry for me.”
