Taylor Hawkins was considered a real bundle of power – the drummer of the Foo Fighters was also successful solo with his own music projects (Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders, most recently NHC with Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney) and lived life to the full. On Sunday (March 20) he played with the Foo Fighters in Buenos Aires at Lollapalooza, the world tour was in full swing – just five days later he was found dead in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia.
The tragic loss forces the Foo Fighters to pause. And in view of the particularly close connection within the band, the question is justified: How will the band continue? It is known that Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins felt almost siblings. Again and again they spoke of each other as “brother from another mother” (in German: brother from another mother), as a duo they mostly conducted interviews together for the Foo Fighters. Though technically Dave Grohl’s band, Taylor Hawkins has become an integral part of the group since joining in 1997.
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins: Deep friendship and bond
They both share a love of drumming, but it was also an immediate interpersonal connection: “The first time we met, we were backstage at a radio show, and he came up to us with a beer in his hand,” Grohl recalled once in an interview. “He said, ‘Hey man, how are you? I’m Taylor, I’m playing with Alanis Morissette. Dude I love your record it’s so cool!’ He was such a dork. I was like, ‘Wow, you’re either my twin or my soulmate or my best friend!’ In the first ten seconds that I met him. And of course I had seen him play the drums and I thought he was a great drummer.”
Taylor Hawkins was in a coma for two weeks in 2001
Taylor Hawkins’ overdose in 2001 brought the musicians even closer together. The emotional strain of losing a bandmate and friend in a similar way following Kurt Cobain’s tragic drug crash and eventual suicide almost caused the Foo Fighters founder to retire from music altogether. “When Taylor ended up in the hospital, I was ready to quit music,” Grohl once said. “Because to me, it felt like music equated to death. I started praying. I’ve never been to a church in my life and I would walk back to our hotel from Taylor’s hospital every night and pray out loud on the streets of London.”
Hawkins and Grohl: Musical equals in the Foo Fighters
Hawkins was the only member of the band to contribute original songs to the Foo Fighters albums (“Cold Day In The Sun”, “Sunday Rain”). His songs, as well as some Queen covers (Taylor Hawkins is a big fan) have been a staple of the live set for years. The “bromance” of the two was always felt live – they hugged and praised each other’s musical talent. “When he came into the band, his drumming was the least important factor – I just thought that I want to travel the world with this guy, I want to jump on stage and have beers with him,” Grohl recalled a few years ago.
Foo Fighters without Taylor Hawkins?
The bandleader also promised that the Foo Fighters would never break up. It feels “like your grandparents getting divorced,” says the musician. In view of the circumstances, however, it must now be clarified whether and how it can continue.