How did an “underachieving” boy from the suburbs of Virginia, completely untutored in his chosen instrument of drums, climb to the very summit of rock n’ roll fame? In his memoir, The Storyteller, former Nirvana member and current Foo Fighter, Dave Grohl, goes deep into his life. He charts his path from a slightly over-stimulated child who used to grind his teeth rhythmically to the current musical institution that he is.
He was introduced to the world of rock n’ roll while visiting his cousin in Chicago; he attended his first punk rock show there, by Naked Raygun. Grohl was immediately hooked. His first instruments were sofa cushions; before long, he had dropped out of school (defying a disapproving father) and was touring with the punk band, Scream.
Grohl was never your archetypal rockstar. His confessions would not include salacious details of sexual romps, drug-addled escapades or high-profile police arrests. Although Grohl once spent a night in jail, for driving a scooter under influence at the Big Day Out festival in Australia. And he did develop an addiction (coffee); he stopped when health issues surfaced.
In public, Grohl has a reputation for being truly genial—someone you think would be fun to hang out with at a party. This affability, a clear love for his family (especially his daughters), and a zest for even life’s small blessings, shine through in the book. While detailing life as a punk rocker with Scream, he speaks about the cramped spaces and the tight schedules of a musician on tour. And about the time he was pulled out from the band to perform alongside his hero, Iggy Pop.
He speaks about his exit from Scream, and his early days as a drummer at Nirvana. He would sleep on frontman Kurt Cobain’s couch and would gorge on Cobain’s signature ‘Shit-on-a-shingle’ (canned tuna and toast). Then came their debut album, Nevermind, and a meteoric rise unparalleled in music history.
This is the only aspect of the book that might disappoint the reader. One of the major attractions of any memoir written by a remaining Nirvana member, be it Krist Novoselic or Grohl, is Cobain, whether you like it or not. Universally idolised as the man who brought grunge rock to the forefront in the 1990s, Cobain was Nirvana; Nirvana was Cobain.
There are still many questions about the man. What was Cobain like? What was the darkness that drove the moody and reticent musician? Disappointingly, Grohl does not delve into the more private aspects of their relationship. He hints about Cobain’s heroin addiction and about the mental devastation he suffered after the icon’s suicide, but that is about it. Maybe he was right to do so. Maybe he did not want to reopen old wounds. Maybe he wanted to de-hyphenate himself from the man whose shadow still hovers over Nirvana.
Even without ‘tell-alls’ and risqué exposes, Grohl’s memoir is entertaining and extremely human. He narrates how he did the séance at the age of 17, pleading with the soul of John Bonham for rock n’ roll stardom. He speaks about an offer to join Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers after Cobain’s death and Nirvana’s dissolution; he snubbed them and formed his own band, The Foo Fighters.
Grohl’s writing is clear, honest and entertaining. There is an understated sense of humility and an overwhelming aura of warmth and grace. This is Grohl’s story, in the man’s own words.
The Story Teller
by Dave Grohl
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 384 Price: Rs799