by 3. Grohl Diversifies
Dave Grohl hasn’t limited himself to operating within the confines of grunge or post-grunge rock. He’s played for bands ranging from classic rock to punk to heavy metal to industrial, and more. And this started while he was still in Nirvana. Between 1992 and 1994 he contributed to projects involving Buzz Osborne, Greg Dulli, Mike Mills, Thurston Moore, Dave Pirner, and Mike Watt. In 1992, Grohl also put out a cassette album, Pocketwatch, under the the pseudonym “Late!”
By 1995, he had released the Foo Fighters’ debut and was a part of Mike Watt’s band with Eddie Vedder and Pat Smear. And from there, the list goes on and on to include: Tony Iommi, Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Garbage, Juliette and the Licks, Pete Yorn, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Prodigy, Them Crooked Vultures (John Paul Jones and Josh Homme), Slash and Duff McKagan, Tom Petty, and of course his Probot project that had guest vocals from Lemmy Kilmister, Conrad Lant, King Diamond, Scott Weinrich, Snake (Voivod), and Max Cavelera.
And let’s not forget that he’s done voice work for Metalocaplyps, hosted Chelsea Lately for a week, and directed the documentary Sound City.
For some reason, I can’t see Kurt Cobain accomplishing so much. Maybe a book of bad poetry, but that’s about it.
2. Grohl Is A Better Guitarist
I’m not sure I want to get into this; guitar arguments are endless and tiresome. I prefer Grohl’s playing, therefore, he’s a better guitarist in my opinion. I never heard Cobain play a traditional rock solo, so it’s a little unfair to say that Grohl is a better soloist – even if he probably is with his heavy metal influences. As far as chord playing goes, Grohl is tighter, cleaner, more inventive, and more complex. If those are criteria for being a better guitarist, then the award goes to Grohl.
1. Grohl Has Longevity
No, I’m not taking a cheap shot that Grohl exceeds Cobain because Cobain is dead. (I thought about that for a mean-spirited joke entry on this list, but I just couldn’t go there.) What I’m saying is that Cobain would have faded away if he hadn’t burned out. A lot of people say that Jim Morrison would have destroyed The Doors’ legacy if he hadn’t died, and I believe the same could be said of Cobain and Nirvana. Cobain’s melancholic themes would have grown tired and cliched, and people would have looked for something else.
The music would have suffered too. I don’t believe there was much left in the tank anyway. And if you look at the numbers, Nirvana’s slight shift in sound on In Utero compared to Nevermind had an effect on sales, dropping from 30 million to 12 million albums sold, worldwide.
Dave Grohl, on the other hand, has been fairly consistent as far as RIAA sales figures. It’s only been since the Foo Fighters’ last two albums (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace and Wasting Light) that they haven’t gone Platinum. But the thing is, as stated above, Grohl has his hands in everything, including film with his directorial debut in Sound City, which garnered favorable reviews from pretty much everyone. He’s also an awards show favorite; he seemingly performs on all of them.
Yeah, Grohl ain’t goin’ nowhere, and the general consensus is that we don’t want him to leave… but I think we’re all pretty much over Cobain. Basically, I guess what I’m saying is that Grohl has accomplished a lot, more than I believe Cobain would have if he lived.
Oh, and Grohl has better taste in women.
Rock Hard \m/
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