Dave Grohl opens up about Chris Cornell’s death: ‘I loved him’

Foo Fighters frontman pays tribute to late Soundgarden and Audioslave star

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has opened up about the death of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell and revealed that he tried to book the late musician’s group to play his band’s upcoming festival.

The band recently announced details of CAL JAM 17, a festival taking place at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, California on October 7. It will see the Foos play alongside Queens of the Stone Age, Liam Gallagher, Wolf Alice, The Kills, Royal Blood and more.

Speaking about the line-up for the event, Grohl recently told Rolling Stone: “A lot of them are drinking buddies. And some I’ve never met. I can’t wait. It’s gonna be fucking fun.”

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Grohl also explained how they had asked Soundgarden to play the festival prior to Cornell’s passing in May. “We wanted to have Soundgarden. They had agreed to do it. And, um… it didn’t happen,” Grohl said.

Opening up about his friendship with the grunge icon, Grohl went on to say that he “loved” Cornell, adding: “He was a really sweet guy. Full of life. And he had so much to offer. That one hurt. Over the years you sort of count your blessings that you survived, and when you see another one go down…”

Dave Grohl has hailed Chris Cornell

“I felt for his family,” he continued. “And I felt for his band, you know? Because that’s a long road, man… Every time it happens, the same feeling comes up. It’s shocking and confusing and I just don’t get it. You get into this with a love of music, and sharing it with people, and you hope everybody feels the same way. I know it’s more complicated than that… but, fuck. It just sucks.”

“But, yeah, I’ve always felt like the most important thing is just to get home safe. You just gotta keep on keeping on.”

Grohl also spoke about his friendship with Cornell in a radio interview last week, describing his friend as a “beautiful guy”.

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Elsewhere in the Rolling Stone interview, Grohl reveals that Justin Timberlake is the surprise special guest on his band’s new album. The team-up came when both acts were recording at Los Angeles’ EastWest studios over the same period.

“We’d drink whiskey in the parking lot,” Grohl said of his hang-out sessions with Timberlake. “He was really, really cool. Then the night before his last day, he says, ‘Can I sing on your record? I don’t want to push it, but – I just want to be able to tell my friends.'”

Grohl went on to explain that Timberlake sings some “la la las” on one track and that he “nailed it”. “I’m telling you – the guy’s going somewhere,” Grohl joked.

Foo Fighters will release ‘Concrete And Gold’, the band’s ninth record, next week (September 15).

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