During a recent appearance on SiriusXM, Dave Grohl talked about what sets Nirvana apart from Foo Fighters while discussing the making process of ‘In Utero.’
After Krist Novoselic recalled how they used to record in different locations, including a laundry room and a basement, and create songs through improvisation, Grohl said:
“I think that a lot of this was meant as some sort of return to us feeling, like we still own ourselves or we’re still the same people. We’re still the same band, and we’re not to be changed by all the other crazy bullsh*t, and we felt most comfortable doing it like that.”
Drawing A Distinction Between Nirvana’s Music-Making And Foo Fighters’
He then compared being in Nirvana and Foo Fighters, explaining:
“Having been in the Foo Fighters now for so long, when I think about being in Nirvana, it was just… When we got into a room to play music, it was so f*cking simple. All of those other complications just disappeared, literally like putting my drums in the back of my car and going to Krist’s house, then going to the basement and putting it in there and starting playing. Even though people consider us to be this giant band, we still functioned as we always had when it came to making music.”
A Look Back At Nirvana’s Approach To Music
In a 2013 chat with Rolling Stone, Grohl further reflected on Nirvana’s working process, saying:
“Usually, when Nirvana made music, there wasn’t a lot of conversation. We wanted everything to be surreal. We didn’t want to have some contrived composition. A song like ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ – we would start jamming. Kurt would play the riff, Krist would tune into what he was doing, and I would play along with the two of them. We would get into this dynamic, getting loud, then quiet, then loud. A lot of that quiet-loud thing came from those experimental jams.”
The rocker’s fans often draw comparisons between his time with Nirvana and Foo Fighters, given his notable roles in both. However, during a 2022 appearance on Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar, Dave said that he wouldn’t choose between two bands because it was a difficult decision, and he didn’t want to favor one over the other.
You can watch the full conversation below.
