When the drums fell silent following Taylor Hawkins' tragic passing, the world wondered who could fill the massive void left in the Foo Fighters. Now, in a recent interview with Rick Beato, Josh Freese unveiled the behind-the-scenes narrative of how he became the rhythmic heartbeat of the iconic band.
Freese revealed his initial reluctance to the idea of being called to join the Foo Fighters. "On my children's lives, I had zero plans of being called to be the drummer," he admits, despite the overwhelming support from fans and industry insiders alike.
"And everyone and their mother — my neighbor walking the dog, 'Hey Josh, the Foo Fighters call you yet?' Other people hitting me up, other drummers, Reddit forums, 'Josh Freese is gonna be the guy.' I'm going, 'I don't even know if they're gonna continue after Taylor's death.'" he continued, reflecting on the – at the time – uncertainty surrounding the band's future.
"And most people I knew said, 'Oh, they're gonna have to. They're gonna figure it out.' I was, like, 'Well, maybe. Who knows?'" Freese added.
Even during the emotional tributes for Hawkins, Freese chose to give Dave Grohl space, respecting the band's grieving process: "I wasn't gonna be another guy coming at Dave, going, 'So dude, if you need a drummer, I'm around. I'm just saying.' I didn't mention it once and was busy enough and making a good enough living already that I wasn't freaked out about it. I wasn't going, 'God, I hope they call. I hope they call.'"
Obviously, fate had its own plans. A phone call from Grohl in late 2022 changed everything. Initially dismissing it as a casual call, Freese soon learned of Grohl's intention.
"I guess it was right before Christmas that year, 2022, and I got a call from him. I got a missed call. I was on a walk with my wife and some of our dogs, and I go, 'Ah, Dave just tried calling me like 20 minutes ago.' And she's, like, 'I know why he's calling you.' I was, like, 'Easy. I'm not thinking that.' I swear to God, that's not why I thought."
"I go, 'You know what? He might be having a New Year's Eve party. He might be doing a project where he has all those drummer friends of ours that perform at the thing, we each play a track. He could be calling me for numerous reasons, but I'm not gonna pretend like that's why he's calling me,'" Freese remembered.
"I called him back, and we small-talked about Christmas and our kids and do they still believe in Santa Claus? And who's the hardest to shop for? And just this silly small-talk family stuff, if anything. I said, 'Hey, did you go record?' He goes, 'Yeah, we recorded a bunch of stuff. And I played drums, and I'm really happy with the way it sounds. I'm really excited about it. And we had the drummer talk. And we want you to be the guy.'"
Freese described the moment akin to being winded, as reality settled in. The weight of expectation, coupled with the honor of succeeding a legend, loomed large.
"And it felt like someone socked me in the stomach. I didn't go, 'Wow, yippee, this is so cool.' I didn't get excited like that. It was almost like I got the wind knocked out of me. And I was, like, 'Oh my God.' I was, like, 'Here we go.' 'Cause I knew… I had time to think about it and all that, but I was, like, come on. After the holidays, Dave and I got together and talked and he played me the new record, we were talking, and even there's sometimes when you go, 'You know you've gotta do this, right?'"
"It couldn't have gone down any other way after being asked, and being asked by someone that I've respected forever, not just as a songwriter and a singer/guitarist, but as a drummer."
Despite the initial shock, Freese accepted the offer, drawn by Grohl's unparalleled talent and charisma. Describing Grohl as a "drummer's drummer," Freese acknowledges the unique rhythm and chemistry they share on stage.
"I've made records with bands where the singer maybe used to play drums. But Dave's a drummer's drummer. And so it's not, like, 'Oh, yeah, he used to play drums.' Nah, he's the drummer. And I've tried to let that be a source of inspiration and excitement when I'm playing with him and playing in a band with him rather than letting it intimidate me or freak me out."
"'Cause if you start going down that path, it could intimidate you and freak you out. 'My God, I'm Dave Grohl's drummer.' But he makes it so comfortable and good and natural, the way we play together. And as a drummer, his rhythm is great. Most bands, when you've got a break, you've got a four-bar break and the guitar is playing, I'm making sure to keep that time on the hi-hat. With Dave, I never have to do that. It's right there all the time. It's so cool. And when he turns around and we lock in, luckily — maybe one day it will become nerve racking — it's never been nerve racking for me. It's always fun and exciting, 'cause it's kind of laid out that way. It's not some heavy trip or weird thing. It's just all good. It's all good stuff."
