Iggy Pop Says He Didn’t Like Foo Fighters Until He Saw Them Live

Andreas Lawen, Fotandi, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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There’s no set rule that says you have to like a band just because they’re popular. Music is always up to the listener to decide whether it’s good or not, and sometimes you have to admit that one of the most trendy things in the world just isn’t clicking with you the way it is with everybody else.

And for decades after the Foo Fighters actually formed, Iggy Pop still had a bit of a hard time settling into their groove.

In a recent interview with Audacy Check In, the King of the Punks mentioned a song on his upcoming album that features the late Taylor Hawkins behind the drum kit.

Before Iggy really heard a proper Foo Fighters record though, he was blown away by Taylor in the studio himself saying “It’s just an unbelievable energy this guy has.”

Outside of hearing him laying it down in the studio though, Iggy talked about not really understanding the appeal of what Dave Grohl and co. brought to the table until he opened for them, saying:

“I opened for Foo Fighters in 2015 at Knebworth and I never understood fully what they did and I stood there sidestage and listened to what {Taylor} was playing and it was otherworldly. It was advanced and powerful and relentless and highly detailed all at the same time.”

More than anything though, Iggy talked about what a great person Taylor was to talk to and work with in the studio, remarking that “he was a really intense guy and he had a lot of energy. Almost like a puppy that was too big or something.”

Then again, that’s not exactly an uncommon thing to say about Taylor these days. No matter who you came across in the world of rock and roll, everyone always talked about what an energetic guy Taylor could be, always stoked to be playing the music he played and wanting to collaborate with anyone who would have him.

You can listen to every Foo Fighters song on record, but if you really want to get a taste of what the band could do, there’s no substitute to seeing footage of Taylor live. See for your self below, with one of Taylor’s last performances when Foo Fighters played Madison Square Garden in 2021.