Dave Grohl can play just about every instrument going, and he’ll still always be the drummer in Nirvana. That makes me smile. Whatever he’s done since, that’s how a big chunk of the world will always see him.
And he’s done a lot. The Foo Fighters have had a hell of a career. On their first record he played pretty much everything himself. Most musicians would be happy to be known for one band. He’s had two, and a whole pile of side projects on top.
But underneath all of it, Dave is just a really nice bloke. That’s what comes through most in The Storyteller.
A megastar who’s just a dad
The book is a collection of stories from his life. Growing up in Virginia, raised by his mum. Falling for punk rock as a teenager and getting into a band far too young. Nirvana, and everything that came with it. Building the Foo Fighters from nothing. Being a dad.
Take the story about Paul McCartney, his mate. Macca teaches Dave’s daughter piano. Then she decides she doesn’t want to play piano after all. She wants to be a drummer.
Think about that for a second. One of the most famous musicians who ever lived is giving your kid piano lessons, and your kid would rather hit things. It’s the most normal family moment imaginable, with a Beatle in the middle of it.
That’s Dave all over. He’s just a dad. A normal bloke, even though he’s a megastar, and this book is his story.
He writes with a lot of gratitude. For music, for the people who shaped him, for the luck he’s had along the way. He doesn’t pretend it was all planned. Plenty of it just happened, and he turned up and said yes.
I read it in October 2021 and gave it five stars. It’s an easy read in the best way. It feels like he’s telling you these stories himself.
There’s a lesson in the drummer thing too. People will put a label on you, and it’ll stick long after you’ve moved on. The old job, or the version of you they met first. Grohl doesn’t fight it. He seems to wear it with a grin and get on with the next thing. That’s a healthier way to live than spending your life correcting people.
The blank page
There’s a line in it I love:
“Every day is still a blank page, waiting to write itself.”
This from a man who could easily coast on what he’s already done. He’s got the hits, the legend, the stadiums. He still treats each day like there’s something new to make.
I know a bit about blank pages. Halfway through writing Done Beats Perfect, I got stuck. I procrastinated while writing a book about beating procrastination. I even posted about it on social media. Everyone assumed it was a wind-up. Sadly, it was true.
A blank page can feel like pressure. Grohl makes it sound like an invitation. You haven’t messed today up yet. Nothing on it is set. You get to decide what goes there.
That’s the difference between a blank page that stops you and one that gets you going. Same page. Different story you tell yourself about it. Grohl clearly picked the second story a long time ago, and it shows in everything he does.
There’s something in that for anyone who’s already had some success, or some failure. Whatever happened yesterday, today’s page is still empty.
As a kid I used to dream up names for my band. I’d put on shows for my friends, my parents, even my toys. There’s a lot of that kid in Grohl’s stories. The difference is he never stopped.
That’s the bit I’d want you to take from it. Being successful doesn’t mean you have to stop being the person you were before. You can play stadiums and still be the dad at the piano lesson.
If you like music memoirs, there are plenty more in my free guide, 50 Books That Shaped Me. This one’s probably the warmest.
He’ll always be the drummer in Nirvana. I reckon he’s fine with that.
