Dave Grohl: Being a frontman was "terrifying" for the first 10 years

14 July 2020, 18:47 | Updated: 14 July 2020, 18:51

Dave Grohl performs in Foo Fighters in 1996. Picture: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Image

The Foo Fighters rocker has revealed "it took a long time" to fully transition from being the drummer of Nirvana to the frontman of his band.

Dave Grohl has revealed it took him a decade to finally feel comfortable as a frontman.

The rocker has opened up about his transition from being the drummer of Nirvana and his career after the untimely death of their iconic frontman Kurt Cobain.

Asked by Matt Wilkinson whether he had to grow into the role of the Foo Fighters' lead singer, he replied: “No you’re right. Coming out and standing and [thinking] 'F*** I’ve been sitting on a drum stool for so long and now I have to STAND in front of people. How does my body move? What do I say in-between songs?'

"These are things that go through your head and if you’re not feeling it or you don’t have that connection or confidence, it can be terrifying and it was for eight years, 10 years or so. It took a long time for me…"

The Learn To Fly rocker added: "Now when I walk out on stage, it’s like ‘HEY!' but a long time ago, even doing interviews... I was... I was shy.

"I was sort of insecure, self aware. I just felt like I wasn’t used to being put in the forefront like that. I cannot even watch interviews from those days back then.”

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Grohl also discussed how a postcard sent to him from fellow Seattle band 7 Year Bitch encouraged him to start playing music after the death of Kurt Cobain.

"That was soon after Kurt’s memorial that I got that," recalled the My Hero rocker. "It basically said ‘I know that you probably don’t want to play music now, but you will because that’s how you get through these things’."

"He added: "It was a huge wake up call for me because they were right. I couldn’t consider playing music at the time and then I did realise that maybe that’s the thing that’s gonna get me through this”.

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Dave Grohl and co celebrated 25 years since the release of Foo Fighters' self-titled debut album last month, but the huge celebrations they had in store for the anniversary had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In an article back in May, Grohl penned a love letter to live music and shared his hopes for the days we can return to gigs and festivals.

He wrote: "I have shared my music, my words, my life with the people who come to our shows. And they have shared their voices with me. Without that audience—that screaming, sweating audience—my songs would only be sound. But together, we are instruments in a sonic cathedral, one that we build together night after night. And one that we will surely build again."