Rip Taylor Hawkins

sean9769 · March 2022

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

mshnayder · March 2022

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

Most ridiculous thing I have read on here in a long time. And that is saying something on here...

"simply the drummer"

nicknyr15 · March 2022

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

What

sean9769 · March 2022

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

I'll do ya one better... Let's just say Cobain never died and it was business as usual for X amount of years and Foo Fighters never formed. Dave Grohl as badass as he is on the pots and pans was just the drummer in that band. Before anyone gets butt hurt over that we aren't talking about his resume since but are looking Nirvana only as if nothing happened after. Pretty much the same thing going on here.

TWHolt · March 2022

sean9769 said:

show previous quotes

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

I'll do ya one better... Let's just say Cobain never died and it was business as usual for X amount of years and Foo Fighters never formed. Dave Grohl as badass as he is on the pots and pans was just the drummer in that band. Before anyone gets butt hurt over that we aren't talking about his resume since but are looking Nirvana only as if nothing happened after. Pretty much the same thing going on here.

Completely disagree with your take. I believe it is disrespectful and uneducated. Either that, or you need attention. Best of luck buddy.

cp3iverson · March 2022

….

bootlegger10 · March 2022

Maybe this is one reason why PJ doesn’t tour so much. Easier to stay out of trouble.

Dude had young kids and still doing drugs (obviously addiction is strong). Should have hired a chaperone to keep him out of trouble.

mr bungle · March 2022

So much for letting the man RIP. This thread is getting embarrassing.

sean9769 · March 2022

Dude other than busting out a Queen cover nightly present your case of how he was anything more than just a drummer in a very popular band???

drakeheuer14 · March 2022

sean9769 said:

Dude other than busting out a Queen cover nightly present your case of how he was anything more than just a drummer in a very popular band???

Just this, just that, ridiculous. He was a great drummer and loved by many as I am sure you can tell from social media. Who cares what you “crown” him?

bootlegger10 · March 2022

Dude, nobody is putting him on the Mt. Rushmore of rock stars. Clearly though, based on the level of coverage and outpouring he was very much a beloved musician.

mookieblalock · March 2022

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

Wow. John Bonham was simply a drummer, too...I guess. Err...

BloodMeridian80 · March 2022

Overdosing and dying due to health complications from prolonged drug use, legal and illicit, are different. Terribly sad in either case.

Hope thread gets back on track. Saw Foos a couple of times, most memorably with the Peppers circa 2000. He was hard to take your eyes off, and a huge part of what made the Foos great live.

Spartanacus · March 2022

PJNB said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s9svpOPyc0

I never got to see him play with The Foo Fighters but he put on an amazing performance last year at Ohana. That last couple of minutes of this song was all him and still gives me chills. Gone way too young.

Thanks for the reminder. My buddy (who was probably going to go with me to see them in LA) thought he missed out on a legend, but your post reminded me that we also saw him at Ohana, with NHC, and of course rocking out on RITFW, flanked by two other Hall of Fame drummers...Matt Cameron and Chad Smith. That being said...IF the guys wanted to go on (and I hope they do)...I think Chad Smith is the obvious guy to replace Hawkins.

JH6056 · March 2022

sean9769 said:

show previous quotes

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

I'll do ya one better... Let's just say Cobain never died and it was business as usual for X amount of years and Foo Fighters never formed. Dave Grohl as badass as he is on the pots and pans was just the drummer in that band. Before anyone gets butt hurt over that we aren't talking about his resume since but are looking Nirvana only as if nothing happened after. Pretty much the same thing going on here.

Your words simply show how little you know and understand about band dynamics. I suppose Neil Peart was "just the drummer" of Rush? I suppose Charlie Watts was "just the drummer" of the Rolling Stones?

The importance and "essential-nature" of any given musician in a band depends COMPLETELY on those particular band roles and dynamics.

Yes, in the majority of bands, the drummer is not considered a lead member or a key member in terms of how the audience perceives the band. Unless you're Phill Collins and you're both the drummer and the lead.

But HOW the music gets made, what the band dynamics are... Take the Dave Matthews Band, they lost/ousted (don't start the argument here!) a founding member a couple of years ago but have gone on. The reasons they could and would are varied. But the role their drummer Carter plays in the band and has always played in the band, if he left or something happened to him, I guarantee you that would be the end of DMB.

Doesn't matter if you like DMB or not, there are a zillion examples of bands where the drummer - whether obviously to the casual fan or more behind the scenes in the making of the music and the band chemistry - is ESSENTIAL.

So your comment on Taylor Hawkins being "just the drummer" is just you admitting you're clueless about the dynamics in this band but also in so many bands in rock history. And that's ok, it's human to be clueless. Just know that it shows.

And everything I just said is true without even touching the fact that in 2001 when Taylor OD'd and was in a coma for 2 weeks, Dave Grohl was by his bedside pretty much the whole time. As in... Taylor Hawkins was a WHOLE LOT MORE to Dave Grohl than "just his drummer" and no one knows what it means to lose your best friend (Grohl's own words many times) as well as one of the few people you delighted in having as your drummer when you, yourself, are considered one of Rock's best drummers.

Lerxst1992 · March 2022

JH6056 said:

show previous quotes

sean9769 said:

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

I'll do ya one better... Let's just say Cobain never died and it was business as usual for X amount of years and Foo Fighters never formed. Dave Grohl as badass as he is on the pots and pans was just the drummer in that band. Before anyone gets butt hurt over that we aren't talking about his resume since but are looking Nirvana only as if nothing happened after. Pretty much the same thing going on here.

Your words simply show how little you know and understand about band dynamics. I suppose Neil Peart was "just the drummer" of Rush? I suppose Charlie Watts was "just the drummer" of the Rolling Stones?

The importance and "essential-nature" of any given musician in a band depends COMPLETELY on those particular band roles and dynamics.

Yes, in the majority of bands, the drummer is not considered a lead member or a key member in terms of how the audience perceives the band. Unless you're Phill Collins and you're both the drummer and the lead.

But HOW the music gets made, what the band dynamics are... Take the Dave Matthews Band, they lost/ousted (don't start the argument here!) a founding member a couple of years ago but have gone on. The reasons they could and would are varied. But the role their drummer Carter plays in the band and has always played in the band, if he left or something happened to him, I guarantee you that would be the end of DMB.

Doesn't matter if you like DMB or not, there are a zillion examples of bands where the drummer - whether obviously to the casual fan or more behind the scenes in the making of the music and the band chemistry - is ESSENTIAL.

So your comment on Taylor Hawkins being "just the drummer" is just you admitting you're clueless about the dynamics in this band but also in so many bands in rock history. And that's ok, it's human to be clueless. Just know that it shows.

And everything I just said is true without even touching the fact that in 2001 when Taylor OD'd and was in a coma for 2 weeks, Dave Grohl was by his bedside pretty much the whole time. As in... Taylor Hawkins was a WHOLE LOT MORE to Dave Grohl than "just his drummer" and no one knows what it means to lose your best friend (Grohl's own words many times) as well as one of the few people you delighted in having as your drummer when you, yourself, are considered one of Rock's best drummers.

Neil who?

alphawolf · March 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhEW7Qb_DXc

This is the whole Lollapalooza show from Chile the other night.

watch 15 minutes, and tell me hes 'just a drummer'...

Indifference · March 2022

sean9769 said:

Dude other than busting out a Queen cover nightly present your case of how he was anything more than just a drummer in a very popular band???

WOW

sean9769 · March 2022

Lerxst1992 said:

show previous quotes

JH6056 said:

sean9769 said:

sean9769 said:

No doubt a talented drummer and he was much respected by his peers. However, since yesterday I've been reading no shortage of apologists and people in denial that the guy actually overdosed. It is what it is. Unlike many of the music greats we have lost in recent time, I'm not ready to crown him immortal status because unlike the others he was simply the drummer.

I'll do ya one better... Let's just say Cobain never died and it was business as usual for X amount of years and Foo Fighters never formed. Dave Grohl as badass as he is on the pots and pans was just the drummer in that band. Before anyone gets butt hurt over that we aren't talking about his resume since but are looking Nirvana only as if nothing happened after. Pretty much the same thing going on here.

Your words simply show how little you know and understand about band dynamics. I suppose Neil Peart was "just the drummer" of Rush? I suppose Charlie Watts was "just the drummer" of the Rolling Stones?

The importance and "essential-nature" of any given musician in a band depends COMPLETELY on those particular band roles and dynamics.

Yes, in the majority of bands, the drummer is not considered a lead member or a key member in terms of how the audience perceives the band. Unless you're Phill Collins and you're both the drummer and the lead.

But HOW the music gets made, what the band dynamics are... Take the Dave Matthews Band, they lost/ousted (don't start the argument here!) a founding member a couple of years ago but have gone on. The reasons they could and would are varied. But the role their drummer Carter plays in the band and has always played in the band, if he left or something happened to him, I guarantee you that would be the end of DMB.

Doesn't matter if you like DMB or not, there are a zillion examples of bands where the drummer - whether obviously to the casual fan or more behind the scenes in the making of the music and the band chemistry - is ESSENTIAL.

So your comment on Taylor Hawkins being "just the drummer" is just you admitting you're clueless about the dynamics in this band but also in so many bands in rock history. And that's ok, it's human to be clueless. Just know that it shows.

And everything I just said is true without even touching the fact that in 2001 when Taylor OD'd and was in a coma for 2 weeks, Dave Grohl was by his bedside pretty much the whole time. As in... Taylor Hawkins was a WHOLE LOT MORE to Dave Grohl than "just his drummer" and no one knows what it means to lose your best friend (Grohl's own words many times) as well as one of the few people you delighted in having as your drummer when you, yourself, are considered one of Rock's best drummers.

Neil who?

DMB? Seriously??

JH6056 · March 2022

My 1st Foo Fighters show was their very 1st tour ever in '95, with Ed on drums for Hovercraft as 1st support, then Foos playing with the Foos original drummer on drums, all supporting Mike Watt. But this was pre-Taylor.

I saw the Foos early tours with Taylor Hawkins too, I think '97 & '98. They were really a force of nature of a band from the very start, but Taylor absolutely added something, the dynamic was even more powerful and amazing. And fun, SO MUCH FUN.

Over the years I've seen the Foos in arenas and at festivals. After 2 yrs of no shows during the pandemic, I didn't think what my ideal 1st indoor club show would be if I chose, but lucky for me the Universe chose for me. I almost gave up on a ticket to the Foos for a Grohl hometown club show at DC's 9:30 Club. 1200 person capacity, the Foo Fighters, as we emerge from a pandemic & no shows. Seemed too good to be true.

But I got a ticket, you had to show proof of vax and stay masked and they enforced it somehow, and wow. I had no idea how badly I needed a show like that. Cathartic as all hell. I do like the Foos, but I'm not a massive fan. But I still knew most of the songs and I joined the rabid insanely enthusiastic fan club that night, because they were stellar. And the energy undescribable.

And Taylor... he looked like he was having SO MUCH FUN! And we got that Queen "Somebody to Love" cover with him on lead vocals center stage, and now I learn in the last 48 hrs that Queen was his inspiration, the 1st time at 10 yrs old he said "I want to be in Queen, I want to play stadiums".

I am so so so very very VERY grateful I got to see them in a club last Sept. Definitely planned to go to more, and will go see their film "Studio 666" in next few days in a theater, as a way to work through this pain and loss.

I understood a long time ago that it doesn't matter how famous, amazing, beloved, or talented someone is. Those looking in on them from the outside usually have NO IDEA what demons or weights or trauma or hardships may weigh on that person, and why they may indeed be so NOT ok. Struggling so hard. But mostly it's kept private, for good reason, but sometimes even kept or denied by those closest. It's so hard in anyone's life, but that much more complex for famous successful people, because the number of people depending on them or leaning on them is amplified.

But it's much more recent that I loudly join the chorus of people saying "WE ALL NEED TO TALK OPENLY ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH! What it means to have it, what it means to struggle with it, the shame we need to get away from, and how to be up front about needing help when we do". Taylor Hawkins looked like he had it all, and he had so much, and he was constantly and very publicly grateful - beyond grateful - for all he had. But who knows how much WEIGHT "having it all" put on him, on top of any other trauma or demons or mental health issues he may have had before becoming famous.

Or Chris Cornell. Or Kurt Cobain. Or so many others. Including millions who are not famous but still seen as "the strong ones" or "the "bad" ones" in their families and communities. All the crap that trauma and then others perceptions of you carries and the way it crushes you..

I just hope Taylor has found some peace now, and I hope his family, friends, band, and particularly his wife and kids and best friend Grohl... I hope they all take care of their own mental health first and foremost in dealing with his loss. Decisions about the future of the Foos and stuff like that... fuck that, that has to wait for them to be as stable and ok as possible given the circumstances.

Wishing them all, and us all, so much love....

Rip Taylor Hawkins

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