This one hurts. Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for the Foo Fighters passed at age 50. The cause of his death is unknown. Perhaps due to my naïve, cold heart, I’ve often questioned why people weep for celebrities who have gone. I get it now.
The Foo Fighters have been a huge part of my life. It started at an early age. My oldest brother, Mitch, is ten years older than me. He went off to college at what was difficult. Yet, he found ways to make it seem like he was never gone. One way he stayed in touch was by making me mixed cassette tapes. All I needed was a boombox to let the music rip.
I remember it being a warm day in the sun at my grandparents’ place in Leeds, ND. It had to have been 1997. I was just hanging out while everyone was at work. Next to my grandpa’s recliner on a coffee table sat one of those silver, two-speaker stereos with the cassette player in the middle, buttons on top, portable boomboxes. I swear everyone had one of those in the 80s and 90s. I popped in Mitch’s latest mixed tape.
Like a slap to the head, “Monkey Wrench” by the Foo Fighters came ripping through the speakers. The high-pitched, fast-paced, opening riff turned into a drop-D rock song that changed everything. I had never heard anything like it. Rewind. Play. Repeat.
I honestly cannot tell you a single other song on that tape. I’m sure it was riddled with other grunge rock and songs my parents would question my brother about. “Why would you put that on a tape for your ten year old brother?”
Since that sunny day in ’97, the Foo Fighters have been “my band.” Every CD went into my discman where the cassette adapter plugged into my pickup. Crank it up to eleven and hit the gravel roads. Now, vinyl records and streaming services add to my obsession with their sound. Every song is “liked” and saved.
For twenty-five years, it has been the Foo Fighters blasting over my speakers. Taylor Hawkins was the drummer for nearly all of it. He, Dave, Pat, Chris, and Nate together have been the soundtrack into my adulthood. Without knowing him, I weep at the news Taylor is gone. I think about his family, the band, and the millions of other fans around the world with a similar experience to what I write.
Today – whenever you’re reading this – is a good day to push play on a Foo Fighters record. Cheers.
***LANGUAGE WARNING***
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