Q + A; Dave Grohl

Last night one of the Foo Fighters road crew was caught pissing off the roof of John Malcovich’s Lisbon nightclub. Apparently you saved his ass.
Yeah. He was on absinthe. That can fuck you up. See these [shows two burn marks on his right arm] - I did absinthe with Taylor a while back. We ended up daring each other to hold a lit Cigarette jammed between our arms. We giggled as our flesh burned. That’s what absinthe does to you. But yeah, I had a little myself and then got our guy in the van and away before the shit hit the fan.

Are you a goody two shoes?
I do hold myself back. I have a pretty Good sense of consequence. I never get Myself in too much trouble. At least I've never been caught and that's my trick. Caught doing what? I'm also really good with secrets….no federal crimes. Typical petty bullshit.

One By One was all about love and love lost. You got married last August. Will the new one be about home furnishings and Ikea?
It’s going to be a double. One rock, one acoustic. Not 50 fucking wanks though. Hey, that’d be a good title! We've always done both, a rock side and a softer side for gentler, more romantic songs. The lyrics come last... but I doubt they will reflect recent domestic arrangements.

Is it important to you that Foo Fighters have now been going almost a decade, longer than Nirvana?
Not really. The band's achieved more than I ever thought we could. I'm proud of what we’ve done. The intention was never to regain Nirvana's stature. I've never imagined it as a career. It becomes a way of life. But so was Nirvana.

Foo Fighters are more listenable than Nirvana. Discuss.
I think... whatever. It's just another way of making a big deal of the "ohmygod" Nirvana legacy! Chill out. Like what you like. I went to see Paul McCartney last night and was really choked up by hearing him do Beatles songs. Is that cool? Are The Beatles better than Nirvana? As a soundtrack for a barbecue I guess they probably are. As music to break stuff to, I'd say no.

Women seem to think you'd be good in bed, Give us some tips…
The secret of being a good lover? Technique. Pleasure-giving. Knowing what your partner desires and doesn't expect. Surprise her. If all else fails, throw a drink in her face and go for it.

Your new house in Los Angeles boasts a basketball court, tennis courts and a shooting range. But you used to feel guilty about ordering cigarettes on room service when with Nirvana…
Nirvana had always practiced a strict DIY ethic. Tech your own instruments, load your own van, book your own tour, make your own T-shirts.

And now…?
If someone brings me a pack of cigarettes they get a pretty healthy tip... equal to the price of the fags at least.

So you have no rock-star guilt?
No, not really because I don't consider myself a maniacal, egotistical, obsessive piece of shit...

So no part of you feels uncomfortable doing, say, a big corporate gig?
It does. Well, we get offered it a lot. Sponsorships, "handshake" events. It's a fine line. I'd rather play a show sponsored by a corporation that kids can attend rather than do a corporate show where employees get to shake your hand.

Why not play a horrible half-million dollar corporate event and give it to tramps?
We could do. But as I say we are investing in putting walls around us to be independent. We release music on our label but let majors distribute them.

Has marriage changed you?
I've always had a domestic streak and now it's coming in useful. I'm a slob who knows how to tidy up after himself. After my dad left, I did try and fulfill my responsibilities. I had a work ethic. I'm not saying it was a romantic picture of me being man of the house. I did acid and dropped out of high school, but I also knew to get my shit together if I wasn't going to screw my life up. That's me: I get in trouble but I know when to stop.

You're fascinated by the dark side of others. You worship Lemmy because he's "the real deal". But you would never go there yourself.
There is a certain fascination with the dark side. I understand it but I'd rather pull myself out of a hole than wallow in the bottom of it. All those people, they're lessons in life of what not to do.

Are you the nicest man in rock?
Oh no. I'm sure there must be a guy nicer than me.

Chris Martin. The other nicest man in rock. Do you like him?
You can't not like Coldplay. I like them a lot. They transcend all boundaries. I know death metal heads who like Coldplay. He's got it made: nice guy, beautiful wife, great band, a new child.

You just described yourself. Except for the baby.
Oh no, not me. Not yet. I got work to do. If I'm supposed to be so great in bed maybe I'll just enjoy that a little while yet. With my lovely wife, of course.