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January 14 – Happy Birthday, Dave Grohl

January 14, 2014

nPostednon January 14, 2014

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Indidn’t get to meet him.
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nMostnof my family was gallivanting about in some Irish shops while I stoodnin a line to purchase tickets to see a really cool castle. I was thenone holding everyone’s jackets and the backpack AND the camera bag.nThey were the ones—gosh, wouldn’t you just know?—meeting someone really famous!
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nDavenGrohl is a rock musician and (by now) a film director. He playsnseveral musical instruments, he writes songs, he sings. He’s a bignstar—he was the drummer for the grunge band Nirvana, and he’s thenlead vocalist and main songwriter for the band Foo Fighters. (He’snalso involved with the group Queens of the Stone Age and has playednwith many other groups.) But there in Ireland, he was just standingnaround with his mom and his girlfriend, looking at sweaters and shawls in a woolens shop.
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nWhennmy husband and daughters told him they were fans, he was super nice!nHe asked where they were from, and he signed his autograph, and henchatted for a bit—before my husband remembered the castle tour, andnmy family had to run back to where I was holding down the fort. And ofncourse, they told me, “You’ll NEVER guess who we just met!!!”
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n(Rats!)
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nDavenGrohl was born in Ohio but spent most of his childhood in Virginia.nHe began to learn guitar at age 12, and he fell in love with punknrock at age 13. He has been in a-lot-a-lot of bands, like mostnmusicians – the Wikipedia article about him lists 19 bands he hasnplayed with, and there are plenty left off that list! (For example,nthe list doesn’t include local bands he played with while in highnschool, including Freak Baby and Mission Impossible.) n
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nGrohlnis most famous for his vocals, guitar, and drums, but he also playsnpiano and bass. You can go pretty far in the world if you’re anhard-working multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter!
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nFunnfacts for Foo fans

nInn 2006, two miners in Australia were trapped and waiting for rescue.n One of the miners asked for an iPod with a Foo Fighters album on itn to be sent through the tiny hole. Grohl heard of this and had a noten sent to the miners, telling them that although he was half a worldn away, “my heart is with you both.” He offered them, when theyn got out of the caved-in mine, two free tickets to a Foo Fightersn concert, anytime, anywhere. One of the miners took him up on hisn offer when the band played in Sydney, Australia, several monthsn later. Grohl hung out with the miner, treated him to drinks, wroten an instrumental piece for the occasion, and included that piece on an Foo Fighters album. Nice!

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nGrohln was at the top of the coveted Billboard Modern Rock chart for 17 outn of 18 weeks, in 2002 and 2003—but with songs from three differentn bands! “You Know You’re Right” by Nirvana was replaced by “Alln My Life” by Foo Fighters. One week after “All My Life” felln out of the #1 spot, “No One Knows” hit #1, from Queens of then Stone Age. It was a personal first for Grohl, of course, but it hasn to be rare (or possibly unique) in the annals of rock!

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nGrohln has performed several times with former Beatle Paul McCartney. Andn of course a ton of other mega-stars.

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nAnn Obama supporter, Grohl got to perform his song “My Hero” at then 2012 Democratic National Convention.

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nGrohl’sn hometown of Warren, OH, has given him the key to the city, has namedn a road “David Grohl Alley, and unveiled gigantic (900-pound or 409n kg) drumsticks in his honor. (The drumsticks are the largest in then world, according to Guinness World Records.

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