- Like there's the telephone whisper sound.
Secret message.
It's like me reading from an electronics manual
or something, I don't even remember what--
(typewriter clacking)
Y'know, I think the album, to me the album that
that I think I like the most is the third album
that we made because, we made it in my house
in Virginia.
And, it was Spring time, we built a studio
in my basement, we had no idea what we were doing.
We didn't even have a record company.
We just sorta built this makeshift studio with
with a friend of ours and
and spent a couple months with the windows open
just kinda barbecuing and hanging out.
Just five dudes living in a house, writing songs
and drinking beer and
it was, honestly it was such a relaxed process
that when I listen to it
it makes me feel
it makes me happy because it was such a nice experience.
- [Interviewer] Now, the Foo Fighters seem to be a band
with very little drama.
Would you say that's the right assumption?
Or do you have any stories that would make us
maybe think otherwise?
- We've had our share of ups and downs, you know, but
that's none of anyone's business. (laughs)
But, what was the behind the music shows?
They don't have those shows anymore.
- Nah.
- Remember the Behind the Music shows that I thought
those were so funny, 'cause it's like
wait a minute, we've all been to jail and divorced
why don't we get one of those things?
What's the, I don't understand?
- I don't want one, I don't want one o' those things.
(laughing)
I think it was funny when people started doing the
Behind the Musics like after their second record.
(laughs) Like, I remember when No Doubt had one--
- Yup, Third Eye Blind, Behind the Music, whatever.
- Yeah, whatever, what?
We try and keep all our dramas inside and, yeah
insular, they're not really that bad.
- No, we're terribly passive-aggressive.
- Exactly.
- We don't even wanna talk about 'em.
- Mm-hmm.
We're just uncomfortable talking about it right here.
- Next question.
(laughing)
- [Interviewer] What's the best story
that you have from the world stage?
- Well this is just gonna be a walk down
memory lane. - Man, there was this chick
in Kansas city, wooh!
'member that?
- Yeah, dude.
- 'member?
- Nah, no.
- Ah, oh geez.
Playing, we've had
(chuckling)
terrible playin' experiences...
- Playing, planes, planes?
- Both.
- Well, never had the worst plane experience
thank God. (laughs)
- No, I dunno, that's road stories, or--
- Yeah, every time someone asks you that you
you feel even just like a
a douche-chill just when someone ask you
that question 'cause it's like, such a like
tough crazy road story.
- I mean, this one time, I had a monkey
and a bottle o' Jack Daniels.
- And the monkey was-- - 44 Magnum,
and a stripper from Topeco. (laughing)
I didn't sleep for a week.
- [Interviewer] Now, um-- (laughing)
- Sorry. - Yeah, next question.
(laughing)
- [Interviewer] Well, obviously, this was literally
a one-man band when you started,
did you feel-- - (talking gibberish)
(laughing)
- [Interviewer] Where do you feel the Foo Fighters would be
if you didn't have the guys around you?
- Well, it's hard-- - One-man band, yeah. (laughs)
- It's hard to say, I mean
when I went to record the first Foo Fighters stuff
I didn't imagine it turning into a career.
I thought it might be fun to jam the songs
with some people but, I didn't imagine it to be
like this.
I'm happy that it turned out this way, for sure, but
but, no, I mean, if it weren't for hooking up
with Nate and then meeting Taylor and having Chris join up
then we wouldn't be the same band.
Because, you can't--
In order for a band to be the band that it is
it has to, sort of, remain as it is
and it, it will inevitably change if anything does
you know?
- [Interviewer] And here we are, Greatest Hits album.
Did you think, looking back, that you would have
all this material for a catalog?
- No, I mean, honestly, there was--
We've never had any foresight at all. (laughs)
There's hardly been any.
When we make an album, we just sort of
try to make it through the process and then
hope that we can make it through another year of
touring and hope that we can get a little time off and
then maybe try it again.
It's been that way.
That's been the cycle for
for 15 years that, once you
you're finished with an album
it's a great relief.
And then once you're finished with
that year and a half of touring,
it's a great relief.
And, you know, that's sorta the way it works.
- [Interviewer] What made you guys decide to hit the studio
and record two new tracks for the Greatest Hits record?
- Think that they, think that's just kind of
expected now when you put out a greatest hits
isn't it? - Yeah.
- I think they really want something that
that, you know, can, they can
I mean, I can't just put out Everlong again.
- You know the last tour that we did
we were on the road in America for a long time
and we, we sorta had this no, no
soundchecking songs that we play every night policy.
Every once in a while we did, but we
we tried to make it a point to write at soundcheck.
And we came up with a lotta new music and
by the end of the tour, we were sick of
touring and sick of playing and
didn't wanna just jump back into another
album process, but we had all these songs.
So we, about a month and a half after we were done
we jumped into a studio and
put 13 or 14 ideas down, just to have them, you know?
And, and Wheels and Word Forward, the two songs
the new songs on the Greatest Hits record
come from those
those sessions.
- [Interviewer] Excellent.
How hands-on were you guys in putting together
the Greatest Hits compilation?
- Well, pretty much, I mean--
- Yeah, that--
A lot o' times you give people an idea
of what you want.
You give it to an art director, or
or someone who does that for a living.
And, and then they come back to you with
five or six ideas
and then you go 'round and, you know,
you pick the one that
that you like the most, and but,
and then we usually get, you know,
an email or whatever, like,
"Do you like this photo for the inside?"
and, "Yeah," and then--
And, you were really hands-on on the
remastering and the, and the picking of the, of the--
- It was pretty clear, like which songs
were gonna be on the album.
I think everyone expected
what eventually made it to
what made it to the album.
But, you know, we sat down, we talked about
sequencing chronologically versus
actually sequencing it like a new collection of songs and--
It was important, I think this album was important
to all of us because
you know, we get to say that we have a
greatest hits, so we wanted to try to be
as involved as possible, you know.
- [Interviewer] Talking a little bit more about Wheels and
and Word Forward.
Rock Band's releasing both of those, um--
- Of course they are. (laughing)
That's the way it goes now, huh?
It's just part of the--
it's part of the release thing now. (laughs)
- No more cassette sales. - No more CD,
but it's gonna be on Rock Band.
- [Interviewer] Likely, there will be a lotta gamers
who might even hear these songs before
the Greatest Hits album.
How, can you talk about how Rock Band is
sort of changing the way a new generation
gets music?
- It's totally changing the way kids are
getting their music these days.
I think it's cool, I mean, you know,
as a way to teach a kid to play music?
I dunno 'bout that, it's a video game.
You know, you wanna learn how to play guitar,
pick up a guitar.
- But they do pick up rhythm, that's the good thing.
- The rhythm. - And, I see kids,
tons of kids at my son's school wearing
Def Leppard shirts.
- Yeah, that's, that's strange.
- I dunno if that's a good thing but at least
it's a step in the right direction.
- (laughing) See it's saving music.