Chad Smith: Taylor Hawkins Secretly Spent Thousands on Drum Gear for Kids Who Couldn’t Afford It

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Chad by Stefan Brending (via Wikipedia). Taylor by Ashley Beliveau
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Taylor Hawkins‘ sudden death back in March sent shock waves around the world. Anyone who loved music, Foo Fighters fan or not, seemed to feel the loss. The guy just loved music. He seemed to be in his own personal nirvana behind the kit, flashing that radiant smile every single time he had sticks in his hands.

And we think that’s why he is (and was) so beloved- because he embodied the joy of music. The joy of creating it, the joy of listening to it, the joy of playing it, and the joy of seeing the effect that one’s own music can have on others. So, it’s not entirely surprising to hear his friend Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame tell a beautiful story about how Taylor would regularly (and secretly) help kids at a Guitar Center purchase drum gear when they couldn’t afford it themselves:

“So there’s a music store called Guitar Center. I think Dave [Grohl] and Taylor used to go on there all the time. The manager came to the guy that ran the percussion section and said, you know, I think something’s going on with Taylor Hawkins’ credit card. There must be some fraud or something because I see thousands of dollars over months of charges and I’ve never seen Taylor buy anything ever here.” Chad continues:

“The guy that worked the counter and percussion section said: ‘no, they’re not fraud. Taylor would actually buy drum equipment- drum sets, sticks, cymbals-  whatever was needed of any of the kids that he was hanging out with. They needed stuff, they needed equipment, and he knew how important it was to have good equipment. And he would just buy it for them and never tell anybody.’”

You can watch the full video below, along with the live stream happening right now in celebration of Taylor’s life.

Watch: Taylor Hawkins’ Son Honors Him by Playing Drums to ‘My Hero’

Hat tip to Rock Feed.