Dave Grohl admits talking to the president is no different than chatting to anyone else.
The Foo Fighters rocker met US President Barack Obama as part of his eight-part documentary series Sonic Highways, which accompanied the band’s eighth studio album.
Musical stars such as Pharrell Williams and Dolly Parton also made appearances in the HBO series, but it was Obama Dave wanted to be the “exclamation point” in a story about America’s music.
‘[I] had someone call the White House,” Dave explained to British magazine ShortList.
‘It was as casual as this is. You never forget you’re chatting to the president, but it feels like you’re talking to a real person.’
The documentary followed the band around as they visited eight different US cities to record the eight songs for the album.
One of the stops included Dave’s old stomping ground Seattle, where he moved when he joined band Nirvana alongside bassist Krist Novoselic and late frontman Kurt Cobain.
Nirvana revolutionised music and spearheaded the grunge movement in a time before social media was around. Despite the shift in how musicians now gain popularity, Dave is adamant his old band would always have hit the big time.
‘If they were Kurt’s songs, yes. That’s the reason Nirvana got popular: Kurt’s lyrics, his voice and his songs. I think it would have had the same impact because he was a f**king amazing songwriter,” he noted.
However, Dave is happy to embrace changes in technology and music, which is why he came up with the Sonic Highways format.
He also praises U2 for their attempts to try something new, referencing when the band automatically added their new album Songs of Innocence to the library of Apple iTunes users.
“But you have to make an effort to ensure that [feeling repetitive] never happens. It’s one of the great things about the digital age. Like the U2 thing, people considered that a failure, but they tried something no one had done before, and whether it worked or didn’t work doesn’t necessarily matter.
“Who the f**k else could do it? What are U2 going to do? Walk into the studio and make another record? I’m sure they feel the same way. They’re looking for ways to change up the process, to keep it alive, just as we are,” he mused.
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