Dave Grohl has broken his silence on what led the Foo Fighters to part with Josh Freese, just two years after he joined to replace the late Taylor Hawkins.
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"We had Taylor Hawkins as our drummer for 25 years, and beyond being an amazing drummer, he was this incredible spirit," the rock legend told The Zane Lowe Show. "He was this incredible human being, and he was our brother. He was our best friend."
Grohl continued his explanation by admitting that moving forward with the Foo Fighters following Hawkins' death was 'really complicated.'
"Continuing on after Taylor was really complicated, not just for us, but for any drummer that was going to come in to fill his shoes," Grohl said. "With Josh Freese, Josh is a consummate professional. He has a storied career of playing with everyone from Michael Bublé to The Offspring. I mean, he's 1000s of studio recordings."
Freese did tour with the Foo Fighters, but during a seven-month post-tour hiatus, the band decided it was best to move in a different direction. Grohl noted they let Freese know their decision by phone call. However, that decision has led to plenty of discussion in the months that have followed.
"After that, we didn't make a press release or tweet anything, or do interviews. We didn't say anything," Grohl explained. "Since then, there's been a lot of talk about it, but I think Josh said it best when he was like, you know, he didn't feel our music really resonated with him, and that's really important, right?"
Freese has since re-joined Nine Inch Nails. He first joined the band in 2005.
Josh Freese Was Shocked by the Foo Fighters Decision
Upon learning of the Foo Fighters' decision, Josh Freese released a statement via his Instagram page.
"The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they've decided 'to go in a different direction with their drummer.' No reason was given." Freese wrote. "Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band."
The Foo Fighters have now added Ilan Rubin as their drummer. Rubin has previously worked with Nine Inch Nails and Paramore. So, it looks like the decision worked out for everyone involved. Now, we can look forward to new Foo Fighters music with their upcoming album, "Your Favorite Toy." The album is scheduled for release in April.
