Hardcore music changed Dave Grohl's life and opened his boundaries, a moment which ultimately helped him become the person he is today. From the very moment he walked into an intimate sweat pit in Chicago as a pre-teen for the first time, hardcore music has occupied a special place in his heart.
Despite being one of the most talented drummers of his generation, as a youngster, Grohl never felt he was good enough to become a professional. However, this all changed after he was first introduced to hardcore music and realised that perhaps, he could make it after all.
As a teenager, Grohl threw himself into the music scene in Washington, DC, but it was Chicago where his love affair started. In 1982, he spent the summer with his extended family in Illinois and the bustling local scene was illuminating to him, after watching Naked Raygun at The Cubby Bear in Chicago, which still occupies a special place in his heart.
When he returned to Washington, Grohl became obsessed with the hardcore scene, which also rewarded him with a strong sense of identity. He told Rolling Stone via (Foo Archive): "I was lucky enough to grow up in Washington, DC., and see some of the greatest hardcore-punk shows ever. Hardcore was born during the Reagan era, when the country was undergoing this horrible conservative shift".
Grohl added: "The music inspired all us kids to say, 'Fuck you. I don't want to be a part of your system.' I thought my destiny was to work at a furniture warehouse, but then I saw hardcore bands and I realised, 'I can do this! I don't even have to be good at playing my instrument!'"
In the same piece, he detailed his ten favourite hardcore tracks, and fittingly, the first band mentioned is Naked Raygun. Grohl named their song 'Surf Combat' and explained: "Most hardcore songs in the '80s were either about Reagan or nothing. This is one of the latter."
Another notable mention in Grohl's list is Black Flag, who also inspired his drum fill on Queens of the Stone Age's 'Song For The Dead'. He selected their effort 'Room 13' and said: "I have a faded Black Flag tattoo I tried to give myself when I was 12 that looks like I got shot in the arm with a piece of pencil lead."
Grohl also doted upon hardcore pioneers Bad Brains and their song, 'At The Movies'. He commented: "Without a doubt, the greatest American hardcore band of all time. Four African-American men who influenced everyone in DC to start a punk band." Grohl has routinely shared his love for the band noting some of their wor as perhaps he most formative listening experience of his life. "They made me absolutely determined to become a musician," he told NME. "They basically changed my life, and changed the lives of everyone who saw them."
Furthermore, the Foo Fighters leader also said his band wouldn't exist if it weren't for Hüsker Dü, who formed in Minnesota. Grohl would go on to label Bob Mould as one of the most important American songwriters of all time. "I think that Hüsker Dü might be my biggest songwriting influence," he told Classic Rock in 2011. I was a huge Hüsker Dü fan, and obviously Bob Mould's music has influenced the way I write music and the way I play guitar. A lot of what I do comes from Bob."
Listen to a playlist of Grohl's favourite hardcore songs below.