Jo Whiley
August 2005

Taylor, Chris, Jo and Dave
The band played live from BBC's Maida Vale studios

Jo Whiley It's not just me - Dave Grohl's here.
Dave Grohl Should I have my headphones on?
JW Depends how professional you wanna be.
DG I wanna be pro.
JW Really?
DG Yeah. When I'm with you I wanna make sure I do everything right.
JW We'll just talk. You alright then?
DG Yeah.
JW Ok. When did you arrive in the country?
DG Uuuh, yesterday. Last night. Yesterday I think.
JW Dazed and confused as ever.
DG I swear to God - never changes. I think yesterday.
JW Where've you been the past seven days?
DG We've been to Austria, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and....seven days yeah that's it.
JW That'll do. Where did you have the most fun?
DG The most fun was probably in Holland.
JW Oh yeah! You've surprised me.
DG No, no, no! I'm a clean teen. I don't do that stuff any more.
JW Not so much a teen but...
DG We played the Lowlands festival with Korn, Dropkick Murphys, Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus and....Foo Fighters.
JW So a lot of nice people to hang around with?
DG It was fun.
JW I keep reading doing research for this that you've been watching bands side of stage.
DG Yeah.
JW You've got Kaiser Chiefs supporting you.
DG That's gonna be so much fun - those guys are hilarious man. Their drummer - I love that guy.
JW Nick - yeah he's the star.
DG But the singer - he's outta control.
JW He's hurt his ankle really badly.
DG We were there that night in Portugal. I thought it was a gimmick. I didn't know what the hell was going on. He had his leg all taped up but he was still doing jumps he'd just come down on the other foot. Then afterwards he was sitting there with a bunch of doctors around him trying to ice it, wrap it.... He's fun. I love those guys.
JW Good choice of support I think. The Killers?
DG Saw the Killers - he's one of my favourite drummers.
JW Really?
DG You'd never know it by listening to their records but he's an amazing drummer. He's like a big band drummer.
JW So you're here for the next few days, you've got the Kerrang! Awards coming up.
DG Yes. Kerrang! Awards, a sneaky little show somewhere, we gotta go to France (makes fart noise)..
JW laughs
DG ... and then we do Reading and Leeds.
JW What's your problem with the French?
DG I don't like France.
JW Do you not?
DG I don't.
JW Why?
DG Lotsa reasons - food poisoning being top of the list. You just never know what you're gonna get.
JW What've you got lined up for us today? You're doing three songs.
DG I guess. I'm not really sure. I just kinda woke up.
JW Ok.
DG Whatever you want us to do.
JW You say this all the time.
DG Whatever you need. Just tell me I'll do it.
JW Yeah, right. We had Lee Ryan who used to be in a pop band in, and he's done a cover version.
DG Oh, yeah. Of what?
JW 'Best Of You' do you wanna hear?
DG Play it!

Lee Ryan's version of 'Best Of You' plays

DG That's enough!
JW There's a lot of passion in there. He tried really hard.
DG There is. Y'know, when someone who can really sing sings one of your songs....
JW Puts you to shame?
DG It does. I have that at home actually.
JW So you've heard it before.
DG Then the Jo Jo cover of 'Times Like These'?
JW Sorry about this. I won't let them do any more Foos covers in future.
DG No let them have at it. I think it's great.
JW For the PRS and everything?
DG Sure!

more tracks play

Taylor & Yeti JW I've moved out of my little booth now and into the room the Foo Fighters will be performing in and we've got our audience now too. The band are a bit worried you might be quiet and shy.
Audience cheer
JW That's alright! The band are all here, we've Taylor, Dave, Nate and Chris. How are you this morning Taylor?
Taylor Hawkins Fabulous, thank you.
JW You've got your shirt on rather dissapointingly now.
TH Yeah, well Dave was making fun of me because I had my shirt off earlier but we've been playing for the last hour and I get sweaty.
DG He gets sweaty mostly around the groin area. So it's like little pubes...
JW Why did I look then? I'm sorry!
DG ...it's like morning dew!
JW Was that toilet paper you had wrapped around your head earlier?
TH Actually it was a ripped up towel that my fabulous drum tech Yeti made for me so I can keep the headphones on when I'm playing drums because my head tends to bop around a lot.
JW And drip, ok. Is it all sounding alright this morning?
Chris Shiflett Yeah. We had to learn a new song.
TH Do you think we should go listen to it one more time?
JW Don't tell me just yet what the cover is going to be.
CS It's a big secret but we learnt it. Kinda.
DG Oh, is it a secret?
JW Yeah.
TH We just told all of them.
DG Did you?
TH No.
JW How does this studio compare with studio 606?
DG This is nothing.
CS Rinkydink!
DG The BBC has nothing on our studio.
JW We don't have the porn studios nearby which you do.
DG This room right here is probably about the size of our control room.
TH The only thing ours doesn't have that this one has is that the Beatles recorded here.
DG There's that too.
TH Besides that, we've got everything they got.
JW Who've you got set up to come into record.
DG In our studio?
JW Yeah. Aren't Velvet Revolver coming?
DG Well we were hoping they would. (laughs)
JW Aren't you nervous. because it's your place, how people are going to behave?
DG No those guys are nice. They'd be nice. Probably. I hope.
TH Respectfull.
DG It is kinda like our little clubhouse.
CS Tom from Blink is recording there right now actually.
DG That's right.
CS He's recording the drums for his new record.
TH And actually, Cream have gotten back together and are recording a record right there now too.
JW And that's a lie.
TH Yeah.
JW How much did these holes cost you in your designer jumper Mr Grohl?
DG This was free actually.
JW Such a cheapskate.
DG I showed up at my hotel room in Australia and...
TH I got it!
DG Yeah, Taylor gave it to me.
TH The record company down there...
DG Taylor's mites kinda bit through the thing.
JW It looks like the kind of thing you find in a charity shop that's been worn for 28 years or something.
TH It's new though, that's the thing.
DG It's new.
JW What designer label is it? Lets have a look. Oh, Topman - very nice! You're so classy Mr Grohl.
TH Stuff like this is really expensive here. I remember one day you went and spent like $20,000 on clothes with holes.
DG Yeah. I went and bought a pair of pants that looked like they'd been ran over by a car and they cost like $2,000.
JW How many times have you worn them?
DG I wear them onstage every once in a while.
JW Ok, we'll talk more after this.

Mobb Deep plays

JW I'm really not a fan of that record.
DG Who was that?
JW You don't need to know.
DG Who was that?
TH It sounded older.
JW Yeah it's an older song I think. Mobb Deep I think it was.
DG It sounded like Wham or something.
JW Are you a fan of Wham?
DG Oh, yeah.
JW Which track?
DG Uhh...(sings) 'I don't want your freedom, I just want to mess....'
JW That's awful. One of their worst tracks.
DG They had good ones? Which ones did you like?
JW Club Tropicana of course. We're gonna do some hot band-on-band action if that's alright.
DG Speaking of Wham!
JW You're so crass! Taylor you've got to give answers about Dave.
TH Oh Lord.
JW Dave you can do Nate. Nate you can do Chris and Chris you do Taylor.
DG Chris has done Taylor before, so that's cool.
TH We know exactly what to do!
JW Taylor; one word to describe Dave.
TH Uuuhhhh...one word? One! There's just no way you can have one word to describe Dave.
JW it's gotta be.
TH Just....uuhhhh.
Dave outside the studio JW Dave is looking rather threatening in the background.
TH Can we come back?
JW We'll go back. Dave, one word to describe Nate?
DG Strong!
JW That'll do me.
DG Can I change that to mighty? I like mighty better.
JW Nate, one word to describe Chris?
Nate Mendel Tender.
JW Awww.
NM I was gonna say powerhouse but he took that one so I'll go with tender.
CS A tender powerhouse.
JW Chris, it's Taylor.
CS Exuberant.
JW Just like a labrador puppy.
DG Scrabble - big score!
CS Big score.
JW Taylor?
TH Prolific.
JW Do you approve of that?
DG Whatever!
JW Worst habit. Chris, Taylors?
CS Oh, the smoking. He smokes in his bunk on our bus.
JW Nate, Chris's worst habit?
CS Be gentle.
NM I think it's trying to box you.
JW Trying to box? Like a 13 year old boy's 'C'mon wrestle with me' ?
NM Yeah. Yeah. 'Don't be a pussy, hit me!'
JW (laughs)
CS (laughs) That's only after a few cold ones.
JW Dave, Nate's worst habit?
DG His reading. He's always reading.
JW And that annoys you?
DG Yeah, I hate it! It pisses me off - he's constantly reading.
JW What was the last book you read?
DG Last book I read? God, it's been a while.
JW The Beano?
DG No. What was it?
TH What about the book I bought you? I'm sure you haven't read it.
DG Oh, I started in on Tom G Warrior from Celtic Frost's biography a couple of weeks ago.
JW Wish I hadn't have asked now. Taylor whats Dave's worst habit.
TH Cutting me down to make himself feel better.
JW Awwww.
DG Taylor you're the best man. Isn't Taylor the best?
Audience cheer
JW Final one. When they were single what was their pulling technique? Nate you can go first.
NM Mine?
JW No Chris'. You can't do your own.
CS (laughs) He's not gonna get this one.
NM Yeah, I am!
CS Oh, ok.
NM Just being sketchy!
CS (laughs)
JW Is that right?
CS (laughs)
JW Dave - Nate?
DG Probably taking off the shirt because he has a beautifully hairy chest. It's like the perfect man chest.
JW Now I have to ask - will you display?
TH C'mon Nate!
audience cheers
CS Look at that treasure-trail!
JW Dave, you were so right! Chris - Taylor's?
CS He hasn't been single in a long time but he was a big flirt. He never had to try that hard because chicks kinda dug him.
JW An edge of bitterness then as you said that. Taylor - Dave's?
TH Sensitive guy. Like writing poems for girls and stuff.
JW Nausea here. Is that right?
DG I don't write poems, I just write hits Jo!
JW Lets hope that continues eh?
TH Dave's best technique was writing a whole album about a girl.
DG That's usually after I divorce them!
JW (laughs) And making money out of them! We're gonna play a record now.

Dead 60s plays

The game that shocked Nate JW I've got a game for you here. It tests your reactions so you each need to take a handle. I'm going to.....
The games music begins to play
DG Oh shit, broke it!
JW Don't let go! Don't let go!
NM Ow!
JW (laughs) Nate got the electric shock! Sorry everybody else missed that one.
NM Don't touch the fucking button.
JW And don't swear on my show! Games over. Somebody gets a shock out of it and Nate got the shock. Taylor looks vaguely disappointed he didn't get the shock.
TH (fakes disappointment) I didn't get a shock!
CS I didn't get a shock either.
DG (laughs) Nate did. Have fun guys!
NM I'm not playing this damn game!
JW Tell me about the video for DOA.
DG It's great. We had to get strapped into a rotating room for 5 or 6 hours and hang upside down. We were nauseous, stuck, trapped.
JW Was it worth it?
DG It was. It turned out great.
JW I'll let you get ready then we'll have some live music.

Gorillaz plays

JW We've our audience. Pretty happy? Make some noise.
Audience cheers
JW I'm going to speak to Nikki and also to Paul. You've some questions haven't you? Dave's down there waiting to be asked his question - Nikki do you want to go first.
Nikki Hi Dave.
DG Hi.
Nikki I was wondering, when you're at home in the shower is Foo Fighters you sing or do you have your own personal favourites?
DG No. It's usually either Wham...
Nikki Excellent choice.
DG Or Abba or Scissor Sisters or...
JW I just remembered Wham Rap - that was a good one.
DG I was really into Wham when I was young.
JW They had a lot of attitude.
DG Yeah. I had the posters, t-shirts and stuff. I had Wham sheets.
JW There's your answer.
DG They come pre-stained I dunno if you know that. They're nice.
JW I've also go Paul - what's your question?
Paul I just wondered who you'd like to arm wrestle with? A celebrity.
DG A celebrity? Oh God.
JW George Michael is quite keen.
DG Maybe Stephen Hawking. The scientist in the....aww c'mon. (laughs) Webster? I dunno, someone tiny that I know I could probably beat.
JW You're doing the rock stuff at the moment when is the promotion for the acoustic stuff? what's going to be the first single?
DG I don't know. There will be a single at some point but we'll probably wait till next year because we're still touring on the rock stuff. Sometime next year we'll switch it up and start doing acoustic shows.
JW But that is some way off at the moment?
DG Yeah
JW Ok. Is Migraine Boy here?
DG Migraine Boy?
JW There's this one guy that e-mails me all the time. Hey! Here he is. This guy has e-mailed me ever since I started playing Foo Fighters records and you got married didn't you?
Migraine Boy I did.
JW How'd it go?
MigraineGirl, Dave, MigraineBoy Migraine Boy It was good.
DG To Migraine Girl?
Migraine Boy Yeah, to Migraine Girl. She's there.
JW Oh, she's over there. She's over there.
DG Ah, that's her.
JW So Dave you have to say hello because when you came in on the show and did Everlong acoustic, which I know you hated doing....
DG No. I loved doing that.
JW No you didn't. Migraine Boy got in touch with me, his real name is Paul*, and when did you actually have it played at your wedding?
Migraine Boy During the signing of the register.
JW As they signed the register.
DG Really?
JW It was you doing Everlong.
DG Wow. That's almost as if I were a witness to that.
Migraine Boy Almost. Almost.
DG That's cool.
JW Then he went out to Polyphonic Spree so it all picked up after that. I just wanted to meet you and say thank you because he's got some really great questions.
DG Nice to meet you Migraine Boy.
JW Do you want to ask Dave a question?
Migraine Boy I can't remember them.
JW You can't remember them? This man knows more about Foo Fighters than anybody I know. Right, there are your questions because you sent them into us. 'Which member of the band would you most approve of your sister dating?' That's quite a good one.
DG My what?
JW Your sister. Which member of your band would you most approve of.
DG It'd have to be Nate.
JW In safe hands?
DG Absolutely. You saw his chest right?
JW Go on, ask the question.
Migraine Boy You said that If you'd known the demo tape would have become a band you'd have spent a lot more time on things. Including the name.
DG Right.
Migraine Boy Was there ever any other possible names?
DG No. Well at one point I thought it'd be fun to name a band 'Late'. So that you'd show up 'Hey everybody. we're Late!'
Migraine Boy Pocketwatch.
DG Bad idea. Actually, yeah I did release a demo tape under the name 'Late'.
JW You did?
DG I did. That's why I called it that.
JW Joss Stone. I just remembered apparently you're keen to work with her.
DG No! Thats....
JW Tell the truth.
DG We were playing the T In The Park festival and I was walking out to do an interview with the BBC at one of those trucks where the Travis guys were DJing and stuff. So we were on our way out there and a friend of our monitor guy Ian said 'Hey, can I get a picture with you?' and I said 'Sure'. So I'm standing there taking pictures and someone from Joss Stone's band comes up and gets a picture then Joss Stone walks up and I'm like 'Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you' and I said 'how was your set?' and she said 'It wasn't so good, blah, blah, blah..' and I said 'Are you sticking around?' because we were playing last but she said 'I can't sorry' so I said 'Take care and maybe we'll see you round'. That was it.
JW So, in the papers....
DG Yeah. I read that I'd bee-lined for Joss Stone and we were gonna make a record together.
JW So, would you?
DG Work on a record with her? Well, I'm kinda busy right now with these four girls.
JW (laughs) You can take a break and we'll get some more live music after this.

more tracks play

JW We had some nice drum solos from Taylor there. Taylor you OK? As you're drumming you don't have a mic so just nod and I'll say Ok.
DG (in Taylors voice) "I'm Ok". There he is.
JW Mini Taylor. Dave you ready?
DG Yeah.
JW What you gonna do first?
DG I think we're gonna play a song called DOA first.

The band perform 'DOA'

JW The next track that your doing is kind of a celebration of 10 years of the Foo Fighters.
DG Yeah. Oh my aching ankles!
JW What's the thinking behind that? The track that you've chosen to do.
DG Well, I guess that it's from the first record....
JW I guess we were playing this on the Evening Session when I was doing that.
DG It was recorded over ten years ago, it was the first song on the first record.
JW Do you wanna do it?
DG Ok. Should we?
JW Just do it!

The band perform 'This Is A Call'

JW Wow. That was alright. That worked. Do you remember when you first played at Reading?
DG Yeah.
JW Remember that first gig?
DG Where you there for that?
JW I was actually. There were some people climbing up the pole and you had to stop the gig and all that.
DG You weren't climbing up the pole?
JW It was me!
DG Really?
JW Thought I better come clean. It wasn't actually.
DG Nice!
JW Right, you've got a cover version for us haven't you?
DG I think we do. We've gotta switch guitars real quick.
JW That's fine we'll play a song before and everything.
DG Oh, ok.
JW The band you're going to cover, are they American or British?
DG British.
JW Brits.
DG Brats!
TH (in a British accent) Does this sound British? Bloody brits!
DG Ouch!
JW You can change your guitars and we'll play a record.

Kaiser Chiefs play

JW You couldn't stop playing along with that. Can you do it again?
DG (plays the riff) That's a cool song. My favourite part is the OoooooooohhhhOhhhhhhhh. (laughs)
JW Foos do Kaiser Chiefs.
TH It sounds like The Specials.
JW Which is a good thing. They had a massive inflatable dinosaur thrown onstage when they played one of the festivals recently.
DG How come?
JW God knows.
DG We had a guy in Canada... did you see the guy in the penis outfit? This guy snuck in a huge foam penis outfit that his head stuck out the side of. I saw him crowd-surfing and I called him out. It was this huge foam one-piece, it was a onesie, and after the gig.... well, I think they kicked him out...then he wrote on our postboard on our website 'That was me'. He tried sneaking it in under his shirt and security said "No. Wait. Stop" but he just ran into the gig and put it on. That was impressive.
JW That beats a dipladocus. You're in the UK for the next few days any people you have to meet up with? Lemmy?
DG I don't know if Lemmy's around.
JW He's in a brilliant ad on TV at the moment.
DG I saw it! The chips one - somebody sent it to me. (in Lemmy's voice) 'I'll have tomato and sausage, he'll have tomato and he'll have chicken and tomato.' (laughs) You gotta see it. The guys a legend man.
JW He is.
DG Kerrang! Awards - going to that. We're playing a little gig on Wednesday night - do people know about that?
JW They do now. Yeah, it's been on the website.
DG We're playing the Astoria on Wednesday night.
JW Elijah Wood said to say hello.
DG Hows he doing?
JW He's alright.
DG I heard he started a record label.
JW He has yeah, it's called Simian.
DG That's killer. He's a good guy man.
JW The sweetest bloke. John Paul Jones? Meeting him?
DG Haven't heard from 'Jonesy'.
JW Have you not?
DG Haven't heard from him in a while actually - we should give him a call.
JW Might as well. He might buy you tea or something.
Dave and his Lyla lyrics DG Maybe. I mean, he was in Zeppelin - right?
JW He can afford to. The band you're going to do now - tell us why you've chosen it.
DG Well.......Alright....First of all....
CS Don't do it!
DG I'm not gonna! When we first heard this song I really fell in love with it.
JW Did you?
DG I did. At the time a lot of bands were putting out records that I was really excited about - bigger bands like Coldplay, System Of A Down, Oasis, Queens Of The Stone Age or Weezer - all these bands that have been around for a while were kinda on the same cycle releasing albums at the same time. So everytime a single would come out I'd be like; 'I can't wait to hear what they've done' and some of them I liked some of them I thought 'They can do better than that' or 'There's a better song on the album than that'. But this song we heard and first time I heard it I thought 'That's great', I love that song so much. We decided to do this last night and we rehearsed it this morning....we're kind doing our own little version.
JW It's gonna be loose!
CS We don't know it very well.
DG We're still learning it a little bit.
JW If you mess up just stop and start again.
DG We're playing a show with these guys in about a month and a half so we might have to whip out this in our set that night.
JW Ok, just do it.
DG Wanna try it?
JW Yup.

The band perform Oasis' 'Lyla'

JW Obviously I'm a little disappointed it wasn't a Wham cover.
DG I know. (sings) I don't want your freedom, I don't want to...
JW Worst song. It's the worst song.
DG Huh?
JW Anyway, it was Oasis' 'Lyla' as done by the Foo Fighters. A couple of things to do; thank you very much for coming and doing this today.
DG You're welcome.
JW Thank you. All of you. I apologise for interupting 'This Is A Call' which I'm quite mortified about.
DG Don't worry about it - less work for the band.
JW And I've got to ask you about the story that broke in the UK press over the weekend about Courtney expecting Alan Partridge's baby.
DG Oh!
JW Just a comment.
DG I'm happy for them. I hope that they have a wonderful life together.
JW They've retracted the story now but it was a great story.
DG Oh, it wasn't true?
JW At the moment they're denying it - he's saying no.
DG He's a lucky man.
JW What are your plans for the rest of the day?
DG I'd like to eat at some point.
JW There's smoked ham and cola bottles out there so I think you're Ok.
DG Mmmm.
JW Audience can you just say thank you very much indeed again to the Foo Fighters.
Audience cheer
JW Still to come this week.
A trailer plays ending with Elbow's cover of 'Independant Woman'
DG What the fuck is.....
Dave leaving the show JW Oi! That was Elbow who are a great band. Broadcasting live to the nation; Dave Grohl!
Audience laugh/cheer
JW It's a piece of history that. Would you like to say something to the nation?
DG I'm sorry England, I've got a potty mouth.
JW And swearing is not good?
DG You can wash my mouth out with soap, I'm sorry. The BBC is not responsible for any of the opinions heard herein.
JW (laughs) Too right! Elbow, they're playing on this show on Friday and that was their cover of Destiny's Child.

a song plays

JW Just one more time thank you very much to the Foo Fighters who just can't help themselves but play along to every single track we play. Don't forget kids swearing is not big or clever it's just something that foul-mouthed rock stars can't stop themselves from doing.
DG Stay in school and don't swear it's awful, horrible, you get in so much trouble. Don't do drugs, or swear.
JW Thank you for being on the show.
DG Yeah, thanks Jo.
JW Get out of it now.
DG Ok, bye.

* That was me.