Dave Grohl has announced the publication of his first memoir, entitled The Storyteller.
The Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana drummer wrote the book during the pandemic when his band were unable to tour, and after he began posting short stories from his career on Instagram. “I soon found that the reward I felt every time I posted a story was the same as the feeling I get when playing a song to an audience, so I kept on writing,” he says. “The response from readers was as soul-filling as any applause in an arena. So, I took stock of all the experiences I’ve had in my life – incredible, difficult, funny and emotional – and decided it was time to finally put them into words.”
The Storyteller will be published 5 October by Simon & Schuster. A press release from the company promises “spectacular stories about Nirvana, Foo Fighters, David Bowie, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, playing drums for Tom Petty on Saturday Night Live, performing at the White House, and even swing dancing with AC/DC, with all love, laughs, loss and embarrassments along the way”.
Grohl began his career as a teenager in punk-rock band Scream, having grown up amid the punk scene in Washington DC. After the group disbanded, he headed to the west coast to join Nirvana, who were putting together demos for their debut album Bleach. With second album Nevermind and hit singles such as Smells Like Teen Spirit, they became global superstars, altering the path of rock by bringing the moody sound of grunge to the fore.
After frontman Kurt Cobain’s death by suicide, Grohl formed Foo Fighters, playing every instrument on the group’s self-titled debut in 1994. The band expanded and embraced a radio-friendly rock sound, earning hits such as Everlong, Best of You, Learn to Fly and The Pretender. They have released 10 albums in total, including 2021’s Medicine at Midnight.
Grohl has also played drums for Queens of the Stone Age and Killing Joke, and formed the hard rock supergroups Probot and Them Crooked Vultures. He has guested with artists including David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails, Queen, the Prodigy and more, and won 16 Grammy awards from 39 nominations.
Grohl has published an audio recording of an introductory chapter to accompany the announcement.
