Jo Whiley It's Foo Friday and we can go to the Live Lounge and welcome to the show Dave Foo. How are you?
Dave Grohl Very good.
JW Happy Thanksgiving for yesterday.
DG That was good.
JW Was it good yesterday?
DG We ate ourselves into a food coma. We actually flew this chef in from Washington DC to cook us and our crew this Thanksgiving dinner.
JW So what did you eat?
DG There's turkey, there's cranberry sauce, lotsa corn, there's candied yams, mashed potato, there's pumpkin pie...
JW I think I've seen all this on Friends before.
DG Did you say you saw that on Friends?
JW Yeah.
DG Snore!
JW How long did the party go on for then?
DG Not that long because after you eat that much food all you wanna do is just collapse. So everybody just ate and hit the sack.
JW We're very pleased that your in here today. How has the tour been going?
DG The tours great. It's been awesome. We'd never done a headlining arena tour before so it was unbelievable.
JW Did it exceed your expectations?
DG By about 10,000 people every night. We just figured we'd come over here and play the Brixton Academy for the rest of our lives. Which is perfectly fine because that place is fun. We've always been comfortable in our own little scene and all of a sudden the party is huge.
JW For some people it's really unfulfilling playing arenas.
DG Well it really is kinda weird because for me the most important thing is just to kinda connect to every person your playing too and that they think it's not impersonal and it's human interaction...
JW Do you think you managed to do that?
DG Well, I dunno.
JW I think you have from the reaction we've been getting.
DG It's turned out pretty well.
JW It has. What are you gonna do for us first of all?
DG I think as I'm just waking up and warming up it'd be a good idea to play 'Tired Of You'.
JW Good idea. Over to you.
DG (whispers) This is for you Jo.
JW (whispers) Thank you.

Dave plays 'Tired Of You'

JW Oh, that'll do! Heart-stopping stuff.
Dave coughs loudly
JWIn the Live Lounge that was Dave Grohl. I've got more phlegm than that I can match you. So we opened up the phonelines yesterday and we took votes for the most popular Foo track they wanted you to do. So before the show I came through to show you what'd come through and that's the one you chose. Didn't wanna do 'For All The Cows' ,'Walking After You' or Aurora?
DG 'Walking After You' is so 1997!
JW The most important thing about you being here today is enjoying yourself.
DG I always do have a good time yeah.
JW To take issue, last time you came in and did an acoustic I made you do 'Everlong' it was very lovely and moving and a lot of people connected with it then two days later you go back to the states and I see on the Foos website 'What's the best thing about being home? Never being asked to play Everlong on the radio again.'
DG Well you know what that was a fluke that that happened just because we did this radio show in America and the same thing happens - I'm doing an interview and somebody just hands me a guitar and asks me to play Everlong so I start playing it and all of a sudden it ends up on the radio and everyone's digging it..and I think it sounded like crap!
JW I'm not feeling much better about this. Did you think it sounded bad here then?
DG No what I did here was brilliant because I got to play it for you Jo!
JW Shall I play another track?

JW In the Live Lounge is Dave Grohl. Alright still?
DG Yeah.
JW We've had loads of e-mails through so I'm gonna ask you them now.
DG I'll give you some musical wallpaper to go with it.
JW We've had one through asking 'What's with the whistles Grohl?' you might want to stop strumming and listen to this.

A collection of live recordings with Dave whistling plays

DG Y'know that kinda comes from Lynrd Skynrd
JW Does it really?
DG Before they kick into a song or kick into a lead they'd do a nice little quick whistle
JW So the rest of the band know what to do.
DG Kinda
JW If you could re-live your own Groundhog Day what day would you choose?
DG Probably the Reading Festival passed. The last Reading Festival we just did.
JW Really?
DG Hell yeah. That was awesome. This whole thing started with a demo tape I never imagined getting to that point and we were horrified we really get nervous. I get nervous before doing this so I couldn't believe we had to headline a festival.
JW I saw you in the tent thing at Reading 95.
DG That was nuts too, but this was just... people singing every word to every song and you're in front of 50,000 people and can't believe it's happening and my Mom and Sister were at the side of the stage getting choked up and teary.
JW Did you get teary?
DG Yeah, of course once I saw my Mom crying of course. I was like 'Momdontdothisimhavingagoodtime'.
JW (laughs) You're at the gates of heaven and you have a guitar and a drumkit and can only take one through which do you choose?
DG I'd take the guitar.
JW So you leave the drumkit behind.
DG (laughs) I'd already figured that part out.
JW If you had to marry another member of the band who'd be the lucky guy?
DG Oh, my god. Well they'd all be future ex-husbands for sure. But, I'd probably go with Chris I think. Shiflett's probably the most well-rounded of the bunch and he's hilariously funny and evidently he's got a huge member - well, that's what I heard. So it's all about fulfilment in that department for me.
JW Unlike Taylor. Have you ever met any of your heroes that let you down?
DG No, I've never really let anybody let me down. Every hero I've met has been just that.
JW Who do you have on a pedestal?
DG Y'know who I met the other day? The only person I've every always wanted to meet was Little Richard because you can't get any deeper than that, it's where it all began right? So were standing in front of this airport and this guy comes over and he's 'Are you Dave Grohl?' I'm like 'Yeah' and he said 'I read in an interview you said the only person you ever wanted to meet was Little Richard' and I'm like 'Yeah' and he says 'That's my Dad'. So he said 'Come here', and we walk over to this limo and there's Little Richard sitting right there and he goes 'Gawd bless ya man, Gawd bless ya' and he signed this pamphlet for me and I was just staring at his face. Then he winds up on our flight and I was sitting behind him and you could see the top of everybody's heads then just this huge top of his hair. It was awesome
JW Did you exchange any words at all?
DG No just 'Wuhhuhnnguuhbuuu...huuu..buuu..huuu!'
JW As you do. You're gonna play another track for us what are you doing next?
DG This is something I do every once in a while just because I love the song so much, but when I was a kid one of my favourite bands was Husker Du.
JW Likewise.
DG I loved 'em so much and they had a drummer that sang and wrote a lot of the songs and they made this album called Zen Arcade, it's a double album that they recorded in like 36 hours, they all got super high and made this record really quick and this is a song from that which I think is great.

Dave plays 'Never Talking To You Again'

JW Like it a lot thanks a lot. 'Dont Wanna Know If You're Lonely' that was Husker Du wasn't it?
DG Yeah.
JW I know my stuff as well. Are you OK to hang around?
DG Yeah, this is great.
JW On a scale of one to ten how much are you enjoying this? How much are you gonna slag us off when you get back?
DG No, I love to do this! I swear to God.
JW Get another cigarette and we'll talk again in a bit.
DG Aight!

JW Still in the Live Lounge is Dave Grohl.
DG Yo Wassup? Wassup Jo? Just chillin' in the acoustic Live Lounge or sumtin'
JW Questions from the audience. If you could be any current female artist who would you choose and why??
DG Jeez. God, who would I be?
JW Who do you like? Shakira I read the other day what's that about?
DG (laughs) That's not really true.
JW A woman thing is it?
DG I guess. God, If I were Kylie I'd probably play with myself all day. If I were Pink I'd probably go beat other girls up.
JW Ok, a combination of the two. She also asks Y-fronts or Boxers?
DG Y-fronts? What's that?
JW There those kind of white pants with little holes in for easy access.
DG I usually wear those kind of bikini brief with the male model on the cover of the box I kinda like them for the suspension.
JW (laughs) Who buys your ties? We saw this at the MTV awards which was a fantastic performance.
DG Thank you. I bought the tie.
JW We're gutted you didn't come in the schoolboy outfit today.
DG Well I was gonna wear the jacket because I thought maybe you'd think it was cute but I thought maybe you'd think it was sucking up too much.
JW You coulda done that.
DG I'll know next time. Actually at the MTV Awards the plan was I wanted to look like Dustin Hoffman from Kramer versus Kramer.
JW (laughs) What?
DG That's what I was going for. I was gonna wear my tie from Catholic school but it was a clip-on.
JW The hair was pretty good too.
DG Well thank you Mam.
JW How long did that take?
DG The hair?
JW Yeah. You'd had that done definitely.
DG Did not!
JW Look at him now. I remember when I booked you on the Word with Nirvana and you stood out a mile because you were the most bouncy enthusiastic person ever. But then you had very long straggly hair.
DG I did but then I had to cut it - it was gross. You can't live the dream forever, eventually you have to let the dream die.
JW The grease gets you down in the end.
DG Kinda.
JW Paul asks if you can only take the entire back catalogue of four bands with you into the studio to record the next album do you take: Supertramp or Supergrass?
DG Supergrass.
JW Black Flag or Black Sabbath
DG Ooh God! I'd have to go with Black Flag.
JW Motorhead or Radiohead?
DG Motorhead for sure!
JW Queen or Queens Of The Stone Age?
DG Probably have to go with Queen.
JW Really?
DG (camp voice) Well it's such an enormous catalogue of music!
JW Keep you going for ages - good get out. If you had to be a game would you be: Kerrplunk - fun, loud but somewhat unstable. Buckaroo - quiet, reliable but can only pushed so far before he flips or Solitaire - completely single minded and somewhat of a control freak.
DG I'd have to say Kerrplunk.
JW Out of the following 3 women who would you marry, who would you take to bed and who would you chuck of a cliff - Kylie, Madonna or J Lo
DG Out of the 3 of them? Well J Lo is going off the cliff for sure.
JW Yay!
DG I'd probably marry Kylie and shag Madonna.
JW How much do you cost to hire out?
DG To play a gig?
JW Yeah.
DG I'm free baby.
JW Are you playing on Josh Homme's solo album?
DG I haven't talked to him about it yet.
JW But you would?
DG Absolutely. Of course.
JW I saw you talking with Chris from Coldplay the other night at Later would you be interested in doing anything with him or working with Coldplay?
DG Yeah. They're a great band, amazing musicians, they have beautiful songs and they're all nice guys. They're the kind of people that anybody would wanna work with.
JW Beautiful things would happen. What song are you gonna do for us next?
DG I think I'm gonna do 'Times Like These'.
JW Yeah. That'd make sense because it's the next single.
DG Want me too? Shall I play something else?
JW Yeah. I really wanted you to do a Queen cover.
Dave plays the 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' riff
DG I'm not doing that.
JW Oh, please do. And a lot of people are saying 'How can you let him out the studio without playing Everlong?' but I asked the question, we went down that road and it ain't gonna happen. So you better do the single.
DG Well, it's up to you.
JW No it's not.
DG It is.
JW I don't wanna be bitched about.
DG You're the reason I'm here. I'm came here for you Jo.
JW I know that.
DG So it's your call. Whatever you wanna do.
JW You've got to do the single.
DG I don't HAVE to do anything.
JW No, because I can't risk you being nasty.
DG So what do you want?
JW Play the single.
DG Are you sure?
JW Yeah.

Dave plays 'Times Like These'

JW That was the nest single 'Times Like These'.
DG That was the single edit.
JW Final couple of questions. If you were a pornstar what would your name be?
DG Pornstar? God, uhh...Rod Naylor I dunno.
JW Thank you very much for coming in today.
DG My pleasure. Thank you very much Jo.
JW Could you just call me babydoll? Because I need a jingle and I want to have you call me Jo babydoll or something like that.
DG You want like a sultry sexy babydoll?
JW Any babydoll will do me fine.
DG Hey baybdoll!
JW That'll do. Thanks a lot it was really good to have you in here today.
DG Good to see you again.
JWAnd just because you've been moaning about the music we've been playing this is for you.
DG Really?
JW Yeah. My Morning Jacket.
DG Word!
JW He's happy now.

'Paul' was me - and in return for the question I was sent a Foo Fighters tour jacket.