The little-known musician Dave Grohl cites as his biggest influence

It is not uncommon to come across interviews with Dave Grohl where the musician exalts his influences. And there are many: the leader of the Foo Fighters and former drummer of Nirvana admired since the primordial rock of bands like Beatles and Led Zeppelin even the heavy sound of groups like Slayer and the Brazilian Grave.

However, there is a little-known name that he also makes a point of highlighting, even though he doesn’t always have the opportunity to do so. In his words, it’s not just any influence: it’s his biggest inspiration, to the point of frequently “copying” it when he needs to compose something new.

Its about Bob Mould, notorious for his work with alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Another big name in alternative rock, Pixies, also mentions him as an inspiration.

The revelation was made in a 2021 interview with BBC (via Whiplash). Curiously, Grohl came to bring Mold to participate in an album by Foo Fighters. The idol plays guitar and provides complementary vocals to the song “Dear Rosemary”, present in the album Wasting Light (2011). She also recorded backing vocals for the track “I Should Have Known”, from the same disk. Dave comments:

“He [Bob] I made these lyrics that I connected with personally and emotionally. So, to this day, I’m a big fan of his. His songs mean so much to me that I referenced them in several songs on Foo Fighters.”

Bob Mold knows about “copies”

The confession of “copying” by Dave Grohl came next. The leader of Foo Fighters admitted to being very inspired by Bob Mould. Dude, he still decided to open up the game with his idol.

“I remember the first time I met Bob personally. I did so many stage dives in front of him when I was younger, but the first time we were formally introduced, I was nervous because he’s one of my heroes. And I had to say, ‘oh man, you’re such an inspiration, I’ve been copying you for years’.”

The most curious thing is that Mold demonstrated that he knew Grohl He was very inspired by his work.

“All he said was, ‘I know…’.”

Beatles. Led Zeppelin and innovation

During the same interview, Dave Grohl cited the Beatles and Led Zeppelin as influences for something he seeks to establish in the discography of Foo Fighters: always do something new, never emulate previous work.

“As a musician, I’ve always respected that about bands I love: a band like Led Zeppelin, or how the Beatles, bands that didn’t stay in one place. They would stretch out and try other things.”