Foo Fighters - 'The Pretender'
There's a brilliant (but very short) moment at the end of this video which kind of highlights why Dave Grohl is among the most loved of all musicians who have ever lived. It comes after the underwhelming first half, in which the band play their new song in a big warehouse, after the ultra-moody slow-mo build up of tension, as the band play their new song in front of a line of riot police, and after the bit where, just as the 'Stairway To Heaven' introduction comes back for a second airing, the riot police charge, the wall of red liquid behind the band explodes, and chaos reigns.
Naturally, the band attempt to continue playing their new song. They are nothing if not troupers. And even though they're audibly still rocking up a storm - letting off enormous depth charges of ferocious melodic screamo-pop, sinews clearly visible under skin, throats torn loose by the intensity of the Foo vocal delivery, all that - the flying crimson goop, which is attacking them from behind and repelling the riot squad in front, has clearly affected their ability to function.
You can HEAR cruelly serrated guitars scraping up against each other like massively amplified scouring pads enjoying a private and tender moment, but what you SEE is Dave and Chris and Nate staggering under the weight of a ketchup tsunami, and hanging on to their instruments for all they are worth (probably quite a bit, unless stunt guitars were employed).
Similarly, poor Taylor can barely lift his drumsticks, let along kill his kit dead with the series of lightning fast, planet-heavy blows you can plainly hear him dispense on the backing track. Such is the miraculous nature of miming. It allows pop acts to dance and sing without sounding 'breathy', and it allows rock bands to continue to, well, ROCK, even though they're caught in a tomato typhoon.
Anyway, the bit which makes Dave Grohl even more loveable is right at the very end. Just after he majestically smashes his guitar, and before they cut to a shot of him looking serious and moody, you see him on his hands and knees. And his from his body language alone, you can tell he is thinking something along the lines of "what the bloody hell was THAT?"
Victorious and imperial, it is not. But it's SO Dave Grohl, and therefore massively endearing, bless him.
Download: Out now
CD Released: September 17th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
Right, so it's more of the unadulterated keech he's been passing off as the rawk for what seems like centuries then?
Rarely has someone so untainted by songwriting talent managed to blag themselves all the way to the top of the indie pop ladder through good luck and bad music.
However, I do give kudos to his Probot album, and for getting Motorhead on to the bill at their Hyde Park show. I, and 10,000 others, took great pleasure in leaving after The Greatest Living Englishman (tm) did his guest spot during the Foo (expleteive deleted) Fighters set.
Good drummer, mind.
S Hamilton - you suck. Foo Fighters rule. And you really missed out if you left early, i saw them in Paris and they're one of the best live bands ive ever seen;
Foos are amazing. Utterly amazing both lyrically and melodically. Though to be honest I prefer their old songs to the new ones but at the same time I can't help but have the up most respect for them, however, they are not a band I would pay to see live. I think its a case of record > live.
whatever all you people who say foo fighters suck you have a serious problems in bands
What the hell are you talking about. Dave Grohl is considered as a God to most music fans. His work with Nirvana and Queens of he stone age is amazing.
I don't care if you don' like it, just because rock is not the scene nowadays doesn't mean you cannot say this is one of he best Foo Fighters songs.
R nB is S*** along with Hip Hop and MCing which is a load of b** anyway