Foo Fighters: How Did Taylor Hawkins Die?

How is it that one of the most famous drummers on the planet died four years ago and we still don’t have an official cause of death? We have some ideas. Plus, we get into the story behind one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands to ever do it, Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com https://www.disgracelandpod.com. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership https://disgracelandpod.com/membership. Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER https://mailchi.mp/doubleelvis/disgraceland-email-newsletter Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/disgracelandpod/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@disgracelandpod X https://twitter.com/disgracelandpod (formerly Twitter) Facebook Fan Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/491024204626127/ See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This is exactly right.

• 0:13Speaker 01

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• 0:41Speaker 02

  My name is Jessa. One of the things I love the most about working for UnitedHealthcare is that everybody matters. Every moment matters. There's a person behind every problem. I care because it's what I was put on this earth to do.

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• 1:11Jake Brennan?

  I like a story with a twist as much as anyone, but some of the best traditions don't have one. They just started and kept going. That's something that's great about Chateau St. Michelle. They've been leading Washington wine since 1967 with wines that are balanced, expressive, and easy to enjoy. Choosing the right bottle shouldn't feel complicated. It should be something you open with confidence every time. So for once, here's a story with no twist, just a good bottle. Redefine your rituals with Chateau St. Michelle. Disgrace Land is a production of Double Elvis.

• 1:54Jake Brennan?

  There are many insane stories about the Foo Fighters, and you've likely heard most of them. And that's because Dave Grohl himself is an incredible storyteller. But there are a few stories that the band doesn't want told. Chief among them, how their drummer, Taylor Hawkins, died. More specifically, the story behind the curious fact that it's been four years and we still don't have an official cause of death for one of the greatest drummers who ever lived. Why not? I have some ideas. And none of them take away from the fact that Taylor Hawkins and the Foo Fighters made great music. Unlike that music I played for you at the top of the show, that wasn't great music.

• 2:37Jake Brennan?

  That was a not-so-preset loop from my Mellotron called "Rami Has Two Trons MK1." I played you that loop because I can't afford the rights to "Heatwaves" by Glass Animals. And why would I play you that specific slice of, I don't even know what to call that, cheese? Could I afford it? Because that was the number-one song in America on March 25, 2022. And that was the day that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died, creating one of the most unexplainable and recent mysteries in rock and roll. On this episode, the incredible story of Dave Grohl, Dave Grohl's incredible storytelling, great rock and roll,

• 3:22Jake Brennan?

  and the mystery behind the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. I'm Jake Brennan, and this is DisgraceLand.

• 3:55Jake Brennan?

  Dave Grohl is commonly referred to as the nicest guy in rock and roll. It's a descriptor that Dave himself reportedly doesn't like. However, the Foo Fighters' frontman and former drummer for Nirvana and DC hardcore band Scream has been on our radios and screens and in our record bins for the past three decades entertaining us in some capacity, either onstage in front of the microphone, behind the drums, on record, or answering some interviewer's questions with his four-on-the-floor charisma and his toothy smile and well-earned confidence. And, well, he sure seems like a nice guy. I've never met Dave Grohl, but I have a lot of friends who have, and every single one of them says the same thing: Yes, he really is that dude.

• 4:41Jake Brennan?

  At the moment, that dude, Dave Grohl, is everywhere, it seems. He's all over our feeds, in short clips and in memes, the former from his Zayn Lowe Apple Music conversation, the latter from his Guardian newspaper interview. In both cases, he's promoting the new Foo Fighters album, Your Favorite Toy, the band's 12th full-length LP, and its first with new drummer Elon Rubin, and carefully talking around the more controversial subjects from his and the Foo's recent past, namely the bust-up between the band and their most recent drummer, Josh Fries, punk rock's Jim Gordon, a dude who has played with a who's-who of rock, punk, and pop, from The Vandals to Katy

• 5:22Jake Brennan?

  Perry, Devo, Weezer, Bruce Springsteen, Maya Rudolph, Guns N' Roses, Joe Strummer, Paul Westerberg, The Offspring, and a gazillion more, and now Nine Inch Nails. Fries toured with the Foo Fighters from 2023 to 2025. And Josh Fries was understandably butthurt about being kicked out of the band, posting on Instagram in May 2025 that the band called him in to let him know that they were "going in a different direction." He claimed that no actual reason was given for his firing, and Fries went on to say that it was the first time he'd been fired from any gig in his 40-year career and that he was shocked and disappointed.

• 6:04Jake Brennan?

  Dave Grohl describes the conversation that the band had with Freeze, the one where they let him go in typical nicest guy in rock and roll fashion as follows. Basically, we called Josh and we were like, hey, man, that was awesome. That was such a blast. Thank you so much, but we're gonna move on and find another drummer. After the dust settled, Freeze went on a passive aggressive rant on Instagram, listing with at least some humor the quote, "10 possible reasons Josh got booted." The joke apparently being, "What reason could there possibly be to actually fire Josh Freeze from any band, much less The Foo Fighters, a band that Freeze would eventually claim, 'wasn't music that I resonated with.'" After all that, Dave Grohl told Zayn Lowe,

• 6:48Jake Brennan?

  "I think Josh said it best when he said that he didn't feel our music really resonated with him, and that's really important."

• 6:57Jake Brennan?

  Then there's a topic of Dave Grohl's recent baby mama drama. It's a most unchill modern rock and roll controversy, one that has caused culture vultures and fans alike to question Grohl's nice guy reputation. On September 10th, 2024, a post appeared on Grohl's personal Instagram page saying, "I've recently become the father of a new baby daughter born outside my marriage. I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her. I love my wife and my children, and I'm doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness. We're grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved as we move forward together. Dave." Ouch.

• 7:42Jake Brennan?

  Hearing this sucked as a fan, but it's hard to complain again as a fan, knowing how hard this must have been to hear for the four women in Dave Grohl's family, his wife and three daughters, so I don't really want to talk about it. And neither does Dave Grohl, understandably. That said, part of the point of these recent interviews that Grohl has done seems to be to let everyone know that he's spending a lot of time working on himself, going to therapy six times a week. Are you kidding me? If anything would make me insane, it would be talking about myself in intense sessions for six out of the seven days in a week. I can't imagine what this process for Dave Grohl is like.

• 8:23Jake Brennan?

  This is a guy whose entire mission in life has been, for the past 30 years, to rock our faces off and to bring joy through his music to millions of fans across the globe. Sitting on a couch, turning inward, talking to a therapist about the things in one's life that have nearly destroyed you, seems like the opposite of what Dave Grohl was put on this planet to do. Dave Grohl is supposed to stand, not sit, and onstage, not in a comfy chair, and destroy us, not talk about what's destroying him. Dave Grohl is a rock star. As a fan, I don't want to hear about Dave's problems, or how he's dealing with them.

• 9:05Jake Brennan?

  I want to feel him melt my face with his hardcore arena-rock animal from Electric Mayhem, Energy. But I'm no utopian. I get it. Nothing is as it seems, and if you can't always get what you want, love the one you're with, or whatever that saying is.

• 9:21Jake Brennan?

  But what I'm trying to say is, Dave Grohl understandably needs to do whatever Dave Grohl needs to do for himself, his family, and for his public persona, and to keep himself wired together enough to continue bringing joy onstage and on record. And this, for better or worse, is where we're at with this dude after three decades with him in our lives. To his credit, Dave Grohl has confronted his infidelity in these recent interviews, within the context of his recent therapy at least, saying, "I have to be perfectly honest. Writing songs and writing lyrics about these things is sometimes enough. As far as having a deeper, longer conversation about them, I still do reserve a lot of this for my own personal life." That's totally fair. I kinda wish he'd reserve it all for his personal life.

• 10:05Jake Brennan?

  But there is this rabid beast called public opinion, and the beast must be fed. It's clear Dave does not want to talk about this moment in his life, and who among us would? But this is just a moment that he's gonna get through, and he will. And in another 365 days, and in another 365 news cycles, we will barely remember any of this, because by that time, Sean "Diddy" Combs will be president or something equally ludicrous.

• 10:32Jake Brennan?

  And then there's the subject of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins's death. The third consequential subject that Dave Grohl and everyone involved with the Foos clearly doesn't want to talk about. In fact, the subject of how Taylor died just, well, it doesn't even come up anymore. Not in the pop music discourse, and most certainly not in recent Dave Grohl interviews, or in interviews with other members of the Foo Fighters, which is strange. Taylor Hawkins died on March 25th, 2022, a full four years ago, and we still don't know how he died. Is this pop music's greatest unsolved mystery? No, far from it. It's just that no one seems to care. Make that make sense.

• 11:14Jake Brennan?

  This wasn't the drummer for some random rock band struggling to make ends meet out there on the road. This wasn't some faceless session drummer either. And this wasn't even Josh Fries. This was Taylor fucking Hawkins, one of the most charismatic, larger-than-life drummers of the 21st century. A man whose unique presence and talent behind the kit was challenged by very few, but most ironically by a dude in his own band, Dave Grohl. And now, he's gone. And we don't know why. Why not? We know how Keith Moon died, overdosed in Harry Nilson's London apartment. We know how John Bonham died, he choked on his own vomit. Why do we know how this latter-day drumming icon died? Go ahead and Google, "How did Taylor Hawkins die?"

• 11:58Jake Brennan?

  The response you get will be the following.

• 12:01Speaker 05

  Taylor Hawkins died on March 25th, 2022, at age 50 in Bogota, Colombia, due to a cardiovascular collapse following a reported chest pain emergency. A preliminary urine toxicology test found 10 different substances in his system, including opioids, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and THC, though an official final cause of death was not publicly released.

• 12:25Jake Brennan?

  Okay, so he overdosed on drugs and died, right? Well, go ahead and Google, "Did Taylor Hawkins die from an overdose?" The Google Gemini response you'll get will be the following excerpt from a Variety article from 2022, around the time of Hawkins' death, which says:

• 12:41Speaker 05

  As of late March 2026, an official cause of death has never been released for Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. While investigators found substances in his system, authorities in Colombia have not officially classified his death as a drug overdose.

• 12:57Jake Brennan?

  Okay, now Google, "Is there an official cause of death for Taylor Hawkins?" And the response you will get is:

• 13:05Speaker 05

  No, an official finalized cause of death for Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has never been publicly released.

• 13:13Jake Brennan?

  I don't get it. What are they doing? Are they trolling the conspiracy theorists here? Why hasn't an official cause of death ever been released? If you want an ice cream headache, you can go ahead and Google that one, but I'm gonna try to answer that question in this episode while, at the same time, telling you the story of nice guy Dave Grohl and the mighty Foo Fighters.

• 13:54Speaker 06

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• 14:23Jake Brennan?

  I like a story with a twist as much as anyone, but some of the best traditions don't have one. They just started and kept going. That's something that's great about Chateau St. Michelle. They've been leading Washington wine since 1967 with wines that are balanced, expressive, and easy to enjoy. Choosing the right bottle shouldn't feel complicated. It should be something you open with confidence every time. So for once, here's a story with no twist, just a good bottle. Redefine your rituals with Chateau St. Michelle.

• 15:00Jake Brennan?

  Dave Grohl is a great drummer, sure, and songwriter and frontman. But his greatest talent may be as a storyteller. We've all seen him, back in the day on MTV disarming a nervous interviewer, in some comfy late-night chair, blowing the minds of the host and studio audience, talking shit to some podcaster, stunning some morning drive DJ, all with jaw-dropping story after jaw-dropping story, featuring him, Dave Grohl, the nicest guy in rock and roll, right there at the center of our rock and roll fantasy. There's the one about Dave meeting Lemmy from Motorhead for the first time. And that time, Dave made a pilgrimage to Pantera's strip club. Then there are all those stories about Dave experiencing some sort of UFO encounter.

• 15:43Jake Brennan?

  And there's that time he drank 40 cups of coffee in one day, got chased by knife-wielding junkies in Amsterdam, broke his leg onstage in Sweden, and returned with a doctor at his side to hold the bone in place so he could finish the show for his fans. And my favorite, Dave showing up on the set of The X-Files and talking his way into a role as an extra. It's not just the wild experiences that make these tales so interesting. It's the way Dave Grohl tells these stories. He's a natural. Songwriters are, of course, storytellers, and the best of the best know this and use one talent to enhance the other. And Dave Grohl seems hyper-conscious of this skill. His Instagram handle is @davetruestories.

• 16:26Jake Brennan?

  His 2022 memoir is titled Storyteller. My point is, what the hell am I doing? There's no way I'm gonna do Dave Grohl's story or the story of the Foo Fighters' justice. Nobody can tell Dave's story as well as Dave himself, but maybe I can fill in some gaps, some narrative drum fills, if you will. Nothing over the top, not so much Bron Daler from Mastodon, but perhaps something a bit more Levon Helm from the band. Just some thoughtful emphasis to round out the story the frontman is telling. Because, like I said, there's no telling Dave Grohl's story like Dave Grohl. But like the punk rock snobs who only vibe on the first two Foo Fighters' records,

• 17:08Jake Brennan?

  their self-titled 1995 debut in 1997's The Color and the Shape. When it comes to Dave Grohl the storyteller, I prefer his early stuff. Going all the way back to the Melvins, the Pacific Northwest sludge heroes, to Nirvana, the heaviest band on the planet since Black Sabbath. A band whose leader, King Buzzo's 1992 self-titled solo effort, features a spoken-word rant by a little-known musician at the time credited, in homage to Black Flag, as Dale Nixon, but known to his friends in and around Seattle as Dave Grohl. So Dave was in Olympia. He was staying at this guy Kurt's house, a new friend of his. He was the singer in Dave's new band Nirvana.

• 17:51Jake Brennan?

  They were just starting with their second album, Nevermind. And everything was going pretty good. Kurt, he was writing these great new songs.

• 18:02Jake Brennan?

  And within a couple of months, Nevermind came out, you know? And I guess radio DJs really liked it or something, because they were constantly playing Nirvana, giving them lots of love, making them money, you know? And Kurt was constantly harassed by the press. He was always getting high, heroin, the bad stuff, you know? He was in bad shape. The spotlight just got hotter, Kurt was really hurt. And I don't think he knew about fame before, but he had other demons, I suppose.

• 18:51Jake Brennan?

  So Dave is sitting on his couch now in his LA apartment, and he's reading, you know, Maximum Rockin' Roll, or Flipside, or one of those punk things. And he hears the phone ring. There's a guy on the other end of the line, really going on. Kurt was in Rome, Kurt was in some hotel. He was really, really doing bad, you know? He looked bad, too. You know, on the phone, the guy puts his cards on the table, and whatever. Dave is just reading his little punk magazine.

• 19:20Jake Brennan?

  But he's paying attention. He says, uh, he says Kurt's dead. Dave hangs up. And he's standing there with the phone in his hand. And he hangs up like, but... Then the phone rings again. And Dave finally answers it, and Dave doesn't know what to think. And Dave says, "Is Kurt Cobain really dead?" And the guy says, "No, I think he's alive."

• 19:50Jake Brennan?

  Imagine that. Imagine you're in the biggest band on the planet, as Dave Grohl was in 1994, in Nirvana, a band that had come out of nowhere from Olympia, Washington, by way of Seattle, to outsell Michael Jackson, to completely change the pop music game, and music forever. And you're Dave Grohl, a 21-year-old hardcore Kid from Virginia who just a few months earlier was playing in the DC hardcore band Scream and living in Squalor. Crashing on a friend's floor in LA, subsisting on a diet of convenience store hot dogs and canned beans. And then you join Nirvana and you make an incredible album. Not just an incredible album musically, but one of those albums that changes music, that changes culture.

• 20:34Jake Brennan?

  Nirvana's Nevermind, which, let's be honest, was strengthened because of the addition of Dave Grohl's drumming. That inimitable hardcore heaviness, that Neanderthal disco as Dave called it, part Black Sabbath's Bill Ward, part Sheik's Tony Thompson, Nevermind changed how kids listened to music, how they consumed music, how they dressed, how they thought. And now, now, you're Dave and you're hanging out with friends in sunny LA one afternoon, and the phone rings, and someone gives you the news that your singer, your friend, your former roommate, your resident tortured genius in your band, the reluctant voice of a generation, the heavily depressed and drug-addicted Kurt Cobain is dead. But then they call back and, surprise, he's alive.

• 21:17Jake Brennan?

  It was just an overdose or a suicide attempt, no one's really sure, but the point is, he survived. But then, 36 days later, on April 8, 1994, the call comes again, but this time with more finality. Kurt Cobain is gone for good. And the grief is as immeasurable as it is impossible to get a hold of. It snakes around inside of you. It's both elusive and intrusive. The only defense is movement, work. And then, another call. This one from none other than Tom Petty, the Tom Petty, the man who'd been pummeling America with hit after hit, stretching back to the 1970s. There was an empty drum stool behind Tom on the soundstage at NBC's Saturday Night Live

• 22:02Jake Brennan?

  studio, and oh man, wasn't that exactly what Dave Grohl needed? Dave, with Tom Petty's Heartbreakers on national television, fit like a glove, and not the cheesy kind Vic Firth made for drummers, the kind Steve McQueen wore while he whipped around Laurel Canyon on his Triumph motorcycle. Dave Grohl, playing drums for Tom Petty, made all the sense in the world, but at the same time, it made no sense at all. Tom offered Dave the gig full-time. Dave needed to think about it. There were the demos to consider. The songs he'd been working on with Barrett Jones, the producer Dave worked with alongside the Melvins under the pseudonym Dale Nixon. Dave was as inspired by those new songs as he was frightened by them.

• 22:46Jake Brennan?

  It was Dave out front, not behind the kid. Center stage, on mic, and playing everything. Guitar, bass, drums, and singing. Dave Grohl told Tom Petty there was a dream he needed to run down, and then he headed into the studio by himself. He had seven days to record an album of songs. He tracked four songs a day, every day, for four days straight. He took one day to record vocals, a couple days to mix, and on the seventh day, the burgeoning rock god rested, and the Foo Fighters were born. At first, those songs amounted to just a demo tape for Dave's friends to hear what he was up to after Nirvana. But in no time, Dave had a record deal. A band was put together to bring the songs on tour.

• 23:31Jake Brennan?

  Dave tracked down Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith, the rhythm section from Sub Pop's "Sunny Day Real Estate." Soon, Pat Smear from The Germs, who had joined Nirvana back in 1993, was asked to join the Foo Fighters for their live shows. The Foo Fighters' first record took off. A follow-up was needed. Dave went back into the studio, but this time with a band. But that was just the problem, or at least, part of the problem. The drums were wrong. William Goldsmith couldn't deliver what Dave Grohl was hearing in his head, so Dave rerecorded all the drums, and the Foo Fighters' monstrous second album, "The Color and the Shape," was done. A glorious rock and roll statement. Dave Grohl wasn't just the guy from Nirvana,

• 24:15Jake Brennan?

  and the Foo Fighters wasn't some one-off solo vanity project. It was a band. A band fronted by one of the greatest rock and roll drummers ever. A drummer who sang and played guitar, fronting a band that now needed a drummer. Because Dave Grohl was also an inexperienced bandleader, who, as he sang on "The Color and the Shape," sometimes got stuck between the handshake and the fuck. William Goldsmith was out. He couldn't get over having his drum parts replaced. Could you?

• 24:50Jake Brennan?

  But Dave Grohl knew a guy, another rock and roll animal. A man who could not only keep up with Dave Grohl behind the kit, but a man with a spirit and charisma that somehow equaled Dave's own. Enter Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl's reverso world rock and roll twin. Dave came from hardcore, Taylor from Alanis Morissette. But still, they rocked. Dave referenced the Pixies, Taylor, Queen. But still, they rocked. Dave wrestled melodies, Taylor wrestled rhythm. But still, well, you get it. Theirs was a match for the books, too good to be true. Taylor Hawkins' incredible playing and presence was rocket fuel

• 25:33Jake Brennan?

  for Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters ambitions. The first album Taylor played on, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, went platinum. And then, in 2001, Dave Grohl got another phone call. This time, it was about Taylor.

• 25:53Speaker 07

  We'll be right back after this word, word, word.

• 25:58Speaker 01

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• 26:29Jake Brennan?

  I like a story with a twist as much as anyone, but some of the best traditions don't have one. They just started and kept going. That's something that's great about Chateau St. Michelle. They've been leading Washington wine since 1967 with wines that are balanced, expressive, and easy to enjoy. Choosing the right bottle shouldn't feel complicated. It should be something you open with confidence every time. So for once, here's a story with no twist, just a good bottle. Redefine your rituals with Chateau St. Michelle.

• 27:07Jake Brennan?

  2001, Hollywood, Sunset Marquis Hotel. Dave Grohl is at the bar, fresh out of band practice with his buds in Tenacious D, Jack Black and Kyle Gass's comedy rock band, which Dave was generously donating his drumming skills. Drumming, a constant source of joy and sometimes source of anxiety for Dave Grohl. Finding a drummer not just to replace William Goldsmith, but essentially to replace what Dave himself had done in the studio behind the kit, was no easy task. Until it wasn't. Taylor Hawkins appeared like one of those mirages in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, out of nowhere and almost too perfect to be true. Taylor understood the mission: to be the biggest, most badass rock and roll band on

• 27:52Jake Brennan?

  the planet, to bridge the gap between sweaty hardcore DIY basement club energy and arena rock energy. Something that hadn't really been done before. Drumming was the mortar to build that bridge. After departing from Alanis Morissette's band and joining the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins told Spin magazine in a 1997 cover story that, "In preparation for the Foo Fighters' nightly six-hour practices, quote, 'You have to be an athlete to play these drum parts,' unquote." And that, "I play really hard and that's the key to playing drums for Dave Grohl. You've gotta beat the shit out of the drums." His approach was spot on. And so was his vibe. Taylor Hawkins exuded rock star energy on and offstage effortlessly.

• 28:37Jake Brennan?

  Dudes wanted to be him and women wanted...well, you've heard the cliche. So here he was, bellied up to the bar at the Sunset Marquis on the receiving end of drink after drink from Hollywood's most beautiful women. Dave Grohl was not intimidated. He understood his role. Once a drummer, always a drummer. Theirs was a strange dynamic: a drummer with frontman good looks and a frontman with an iconic drumming pedigree, and both with charisma to spare. Dave set his gaze upon one of the friends of one of the bombshells competing for Taylor's attention, a beautiful blonde. "You're my future ex-wife," he told her. She wrote her number down on a scrap of paper and signed it. "Jordan, your future ex-wife."

• 29:19Jake Brennan?

  After an on-again, off-again courtship, Dave was eventually smitten and a new girl to complete this new incredible life was now part of the picture. But then, in London, while the Foo Fighters were on tour, the phone rang. Taylor Hawkins was in a coma. Heroin.

• 29:41Jake Brennan?

  The traumatic string-out back to Kurt was obvious, and Dave spiraled. He prayed in the streets on his walks back from Taylor's hospital to his hotel room. He contemplated quitting music altogether. If this was the cost, two dead bandmates. The Foo Fighters, after Dave's experience with skyrocketing rock and roll fame in the late 90s, had a list of do's and don'ts. The list of do's: play great shows, write great songs, start at the bottom and work your way up organically. And there was only one don't: don't do heroin. Taylor Hawkins didn't listen. But thankfully, Taylor Hawkins survived.

• 30:27Jake Brennan?

  Dave Grohl put the Foo Fighters on the shelf for a minute and joined Queens of the Stone Age to record their excellent album Songs for the Deaf. He was unsure whether the Foo Fighters would continue. Prior to Taylor's overdose, Pat Smear had quit the Foos. Franz Stahl, from Dave's old band Scream, replaced him. Franz fit onstage, but not in the studio. Franz was asked to leave the band. He was replaced by Chris Shifflit, from No Use for a Name. Chris's hardcore punk scene experience made him a natural fit. But Pat Smear was calling Dave. Pat kinda, sorta, maybe wasn't gonna be upset if Dave asked him back in the band. Chris was, understandably, freaked out. What the hell kind of band was this? Was it even a band?

• 31:10Jake Brennan?

  Dysfunction and a revolving door of band members aside, the answer to that question was a loud yes. Not only were they a band, the Foo Fighters were now a band with three Grammys that had graduated to playing arenas.

• 31:28Jake Brennan?

  2002, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Dave Grohl was splitting duties as drummer for Queens of the Stone Age and as frontman for Foo Fighters for what Dave, Taylor, Nate, and Chris thought might be their last show ever. But it wasn't. They killed. And they reminded themselves of what they had together.

• 31:52Jake Brennan?

  They went back into the studio and came out with the Grammy-winning album One by One, with hits Times Like These and All My Life. They followed that up with the 2006 album In Your Honor and an acoustic tour, which was Pat Smear's ticket back into the band, not to replace Chris Shifflit, but instead to play alongside both him and Dave. The band's next record, Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace, now with an expanded lineup that included not only Pat Smear but Rami Jaffe on keys, proved that the Foo Fighters were no longer just a loud band that sometimes played acoustic sets. Now, like the biggest of the rock gods before them, Led Zeppelin and Queen, to name a few, the Foos seamlessly incorporated ballads and power not only into their shows, but

• 32:37Jake Brennan?

  into the same songs. They were ready, not for arenas, not for festivals, for stadiums. Wembley Stadium. Eighty-five thousand people. Sold out. Two nights. Then, another great record, Wasting Light, followed up by Sonic Highways, Concrete, and Gold. The only thing that could slow the band down was a global pandemic, which happened in 2020. After that, the Foo Fighters were one of the first major acts to get back on the road, headlining a stadium show in Australia on March 4, 2022. More dates were added, a festival in South America. And that's where Dave Grohl was, in Bogota, Colombia, when his phone rang

• 33:22Jake Brennan?

  again.

• 33:48Jake Brennan?

  In the beginning, there was only music. A kick drum pounding to the rhythm of a heartbeat. Voices in the crowd shouting along with the band. Guitar riffs ricocheting off the walls of the club. Total harmony. But then, some new sounds entered the concert. Louder, rapid ones. They ricocheted off the walls just the same. And then they pierced through flesh. Not music. Gunfire. Terrorists tore through the Badaklan Theatre in Paris without a second thought. Three gunmen, three reloads each, maybe four. Three minutes of a police assault. Ten hours of sorting through dead bodies.

• 34:29Jake Brennan?

  And in the end, there was no music, just silence. The Eagles of Death metal concert ended too early on November 13th, 2015. An attack during the show claimed the lives of 90 fans. Paris burned with fear, grief, exasperation. That was in 2015 at the Badaklan Concert Hall, a venue attacked by Islamic State terrorists in what has come to be known as "The Paris Attacks." As a result of that tragedy, numerous concerts were canceled, including Foo Fighters concerts. Earlier that year, Dave Grohl had broken his leg onstage and was forced to perform subsequent shows seated

• 35:12Jake Brennan?

  on an epic throne made of guitars. But two shows were canceled. Because of this, the insurance companies that insure big-ticket concert events like Foo Fighters shows reduced the amount of money they believed the Foo Fighters were owed. Now, I'm not going to go into all the details here because I didn't get into this line of work to bore people to death with insurance payout policy talk, but basically it's like this. Remember that time you got a bill from the hospital for like $5,000 or whatever? And you were like, "Cool, I've got insurance. I'm all set. The insurance company's going to pay the five grand." But then the insurance company was like, "Wait a minute, hold up. We're only going to pay 2,000 and you have to pay the rest because, well, you see, we looked into what happened to you

• 35:52Jake Brennan?

  and decided that the nature of your injury didn't conform exactly to what our policies cover, so you're out three grand. Now kindly go fuck yourself." And you're like, "Shit, where am I going to get $3,000 to pay these monsters?" Well, that's kind of what the insurance companies did to the Foo Fighters, except it wasn't overpaying the band for medical bills. It was about paying the band for the money they lost from being unable to perform for reasons beyond their control: terrorism and a broken leg that happened in the line of work, the exact types of reasons a band insures their concerts for. And it wasn't over five grand. It was over millions and millions of dollars that the Foo Fighters were now on the hook for. And I know what you're saying, "Oh, boo hoo, Dave Grohl's rich, so what?

• 36:36Jake Brennan?

  He didn't get to buy another rocket ship or whatever," but that's not the point. Bands like the Foo Fighters employ hundreds of people, not just the band, but their crew, the roadies, the techs, the truck drivers. And these people are working stiffs, and if the band doesn't get paid, these folks don't get paid. Why should Dave Grohl and his band have to go into their pockets to do the right thing and pay these folks while the greedy insurance companies continue to get rich by screwing their customers? So, the Foo Fighters sued their insurers. And they must have had Lloyds of London over the barrel because Lloyds of London eventually settled. Which brings us to Bogota, Colombia in 2022.

• 37:21Jake Brennan?

  The Foo Fighters were in South America to headline a festival. The show was cancelled due to weather, and the band was spinning its wheels in a Bogota Four Seasons hotel with nothing to do. Fans were gathered outside, and Taylor Hawkins was among them, hanging out, taking time to pose for a photo with a nine-year-old female fan who was also a drummer, who had lugged her kit down to the street outside the hotel to bang out Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl beats on her drum set. And by Taylor's estimation, she was pretty damn good. But Taylor was antsy, and it wasn't just because he was trapped in a hotel in a foreign country with nothing to do. Friends of Taylor's, including ex-Soundgarden and then Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, told Rolling Stone magazine that Taylor had expressed to Dave Grohl prior to those

• 38:05Jake Brennan?

  2022 tour dates that he could no longer keep up, saying, quote, "He had a heart-to-heart with Dave, and yeah, he told me that he couldn't fucking do it anymore." Those were his words, unquote. In that same Rolling Stone article, unnamed representatives for the Foo Fighters denied that Hawkins ever raised these issues, saying, quote, "No, there was never a heart-to-heart or any sort of meeting on this topic with Dave and Silva Artist Management." So who's lying, and why? And why does this matter? On the issue of who's lying, Matt Cameron came out against this Rolling Stone article after it was published, saying, quote, "My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative that I had never intended."

• 38:49Jake Brennan?

  Okay, what about the quotes from Taylor's other friends in the article who support what Cameron had said? Were their quotes taken out of context to shape a narrative as well? I've read the article, many times, like, very closely, and here's what I think. That Rolling Stone magazine did something it no longer does that often anymore: actual music journalism. And a bunch of people who spoke to Rolling Stone's reporters didn't like how the article turned out and cried foul. Just because you don't like how the chef cooked your steak, it doesn't mean that it's not steak. But okay, why does this matter? It matters because after Taylor Hawkins allegedly expressed to his bandleader and boss that he wanted to pull back on touring and was reportedly, as the Rolling Stone

• 39:34Jake Brennan?

  magazine claims via an unnamed source, given assurances that the band would have a lighter schedule going forward, the band did not have a lighter schedule. They had 60 gigs on the schedule, plus a one-off in Australia. This, all after playing 40 shows the year prior, including a gig in December at which Taylor Hawkins' friends allege that Taylor collapsed on a plane. Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith said that Taylor, quote, "was exhausted and collapsed." Once again, a rep for the Foo Fighters denied this, but according to Rolling Stone, Chad Smith went on to say that Taylor told him, quote, "I can't do it like this anymore." Chad Smith also denounced how his comments were represented by Rolling Stone magazine.

• 40:19Jake Brennan?

  Okay, but facts are facts. All these sources, friends of Taylor Hawkins, went on record to state that the drummer felt he could no longer continue with the band due to their extensive touring responsibilities. One of them claimed that Taylor had collapsed from exhaustion during this time period. Another, an unnamed source, claimed Taylor was given assurances that the band would have a lighter schedule. But the facts prove that the band did not have a lighter schedule, just the opposite. How's this for another fact? Taylor Hawkins revealed in 2021 that his doctor told him he had an enlarged heart. His heart was enlarged, not from being unhealthy, but from being too healthy, from bashing

• 41:02Jake Brennan?

  the shit out of the drums behind Dave Grohl for 60 shows a year, from practicing for six hours, six nights a week, from being a fucking athlete. The average age for an athlete to retire, by the way, is 29 years old. In 2022, Taylor Hawkins was 50 years old. And yeah, sure, rock and roll drummers like Taylor's heroes Roger Taylor from Queen and Stuart Copeland from The Police are still performing at ages 76 and 73 respectively, and the Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts tore it up until he died at the age of 80. But these drummers were from a different generation, and they played a style of music way less physically demanding than the drumming required to perform in the Foo Fighters

• 41:46Jake Brennan?

  or in most big rock bands from the 90s. We're entering unknown territory here. As drummers like Taylor Hawkins and Chad Smith and Matt Cameron look to the future to figure out how they're going to continue their careers on the road, they can't look to the past for a roadmap. Because what's being demanded of them physically at their age has never been demanded of any drummer before, based purely on the style of music they play compared to the less aggressive style of music played by aging classic rock drummers. There simply isn't a precedent. These drummers are the first to get there, and the first to attempt to keep up with their bandmates at an age that makes it nearly impossible. All due respect to Roger Taylor, Stuart Copeland, and the late, great Charlie Watts, but there's

• 42:31Jake Brennan?

  no fucking way any of them could have pulled off a Foo Fighters gig past the age of 49. And by the way, in 2025, Matt Cameron quit Pearl Jam for this exact reason. Back to what I believe are the facts. Taylor Hawkins collapsed after a performance in 2021. Taylor Hawkins had an enlarged heart. Taylor Hawkins believed playing in the Foo Fighters was taking a toll on him physically and that he couldn't keep up with the touring demands of the band. Taylor Hawkins wanted to pull back on his touring responsibilities, and he told Dave Grohl this. Allegedly, some sort of agreement was reached where Taylor was given assurances that his touring responsibilities would be lessened.

• 43:15Jake Brennan?

  Foo Fighters representatives never confirmed that Taylor Hawkins collapsed, and the reps adamantly deny that a meeting took place where Taylor expressed his misgivings about touring or that any such assurances were given that he would be allowed to tour less. And the Foo Fighters showed no signs of slowing down. Instead, they went to Bogota. And Taylor Hawkins died in his hotel room on March 25, 2022, and over 40 booked Foo Fighters shows were then canceled. Their drummer had passed away with a lot of drugs in his system. If we're to believe the Columbia Attorney General's Office, the preliminary toxicology report states that Taylor had a mix of 10 different substances

• 43:57Jake Brennan?

  in his system, including opioids, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and marijuana, among others. This report is, as I said, preliminary, and there was never a final report. What are they waiting for? The reincarnation of John Bonham? It's not happening. Give us the damn report. Also, guys, this is Columbia, okay? You think our government institutions are corrupt? It's a whole other ballgame of corruption down there. But okay, sure. What incentive would the Columbia Attorney General's Office have to lie about an American rock and roll drummer's fatal drug intake? I don't know. But the result is we don't have a final toxicology report on Taylor Hawkins's death,

• 44:39Jake Brennan?

  and we also still don't have an official cause of death for Taylor Hawkins. Four years after he died. I'll say that again. It's been four years, and there's still no official cause of death for one of the most famous drummers on the planet. This makes no sense.

• 45:02Jake Brennan?

  I suppose if Taylor was getting high and that was how he died, you could understand how his bandmates, management, and friends would circle the wagons to protect his reputation, given that he was a husband and a father, and, well, one could easily make the case that none of this is any of our fucking business. But this is the 21st century. This isn't the 1950s. People suffer and die from addiction every day, rock stars and celebrities every year. And we are more understanding and forgiving and empathetic of this disease than we've ever been. So the shame argument doesn't make sense. Also, I'm not even close to convinced that Taylor actually overdosed from using drugs recreationally. I know 10 substances in his system sounds like somebody getting freaky with his chemistry set,

• 45:47Jake Brennan?

  but the way people self-medicate these days, 10 substances in one system is a lot, yes, but it doesn't necessarily mean someone was partying. Also, again, we're talking about Colombian government officials here.

• 46:02Jake Brennan?

  After his death, it was revealed that Taylor Hawkins's heart was twice the size of a normal heart. It weighed 600 grams. An enlarged heart can be caused by chronic high blood pressure, which can be caused by physical overexertion. It can also be caused by overrelying on substances. Physical overexertion, a reliance on substances. Why won't the Foo Fighters, or anyone else, put these pieces together and declare an official cause of death for one of the greatest drummers to ever do it? Maybe, and I'm just speculating here, maybe a known physical condition and a reliance on chemical substances are the exact types of extenuating circumstances that insurance

• 46:47Jake Brennan?

  companies like to exploit in cases like this, to get themselves off the hook from having to pay artists for canceled shows. Which is a disgrace. I'm Jake Brennan, and this is DisgraceLand.

• 47:23Jake Brennan?

  All right, thanks for checking out this episode of DisgraceLand on the Foo Fighters. Hit me up 617-906-6638. Voicemail and text to let me know how you think Taylor Hawkins died, what the official cause of death actually is. We can debate it on the after-party. 617-906-6638. Voicemail and text @disgracelandpod on the socials. If you want to DM me, [email protected]. Want to send an email, leave a review for the show, you want to help us grow. All right, here comes some credits.

• 47:51Jake Brennan?

  DisgraceLand was created by yours truly and is produced in partnership with Double Elvis, The Exactly Right Network, and iHeart Podcasts. Credits for this episode can be found on the show notes page at disgracelandpod.com. If you're listening as a DisgraceLand All Access member, thank you for supporting the show. We really appreciate it. And if not, you can become a member right now by going to disgracelandpod.com/membership. Members can listen to every episode of DisgraceLand ad-free. Rate and review the show and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook @disgracelandpod and on YouTube at youtube.com/atdisgracelandpod. Rockerola.

• 48:35Jake Brennan?

  He's a bad, bad man.

• 48:39Jake Brennan?

  Hey, guys. Time to dust off your detective skills while unwinding in the Caribbean on Virgin Voyages' second true crime voyage. It's back by popular demand. This five-night, adults-only escape sets sail March 20, 2027, to Grand Turk in the beach club at Bimini. The difference between this year and last will be that I will be on the cruise this year, along with Zeth, and he and I will be taping a live version of DisgraceLand, along with podcast hosts from Exactly Right's Buried Bones, Podcast of the Year Award winners, Wisecrack, and other fan favorites. Get on this cruise with us, guys, and enjoy live podcast recordings, behind-the-scenes storytelling, exclusive meet-and-greets, and immersive true crime programming throughout this one-of-a-kind

• 49:23Jake Brennan?

  voyage. Head over to www.virginvoyages.com/truecrime to secure your spot. I like a story with a twist as much as anyone, but some of the best traditions don't have one. They just started and kept going. That's something that's great about Chateau St. Michelle. They've been leading Washington wine since 1967 with wines that are balanced, expressive, and easy to enjoy. Choosing the right bottle shouldn't feel complicated. It should be something you open with confidence every time. So for once, here's a story with no twist, just a good bottle. Redefine your rituals with Chateau St. Michelle.

• 50:01Speaker 02

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