Dave Grohl Says 'What Drives Us' Film is a 'Love Letter' to Gigging Musicians

Dave Grohl Says ‘What Drives Us’ Film is a ‘Love Letter’ to Gigging Musicians

2021-04-30

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performing with his baby blue, Gibson ES-335.

Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Ken Settle

“What Drives Us” is a new documentary from Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl about touring the U.S. in a beat-up van

The Dave Grohl-directed documentary “What Drives Us” debuts tonight (April 30), and in advance of the show, Grohl has premiered a new video clip from the film via RollingStone.com.

The video features a bevy of artists talking about what live music means to them. Among the musicians included are Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson, U2 guitarist The Edge and St. Vincent.

Grohl describes “What Drives Us” as his “love letter to every musician that has ever jumped in an old van with their friends and left it all behind for the simple reward of playing music.” The movie, which is available on Amazon Prime Video via The Coda Collection, also features Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Duff McKagan, The Beatles’ Ringo Starr and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, among others.

Dave Grohl also recently appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to promote “What Drives Us.” He drove up to the show in the same red van he drove on Foo Fighters’ first tour. Grohl actually parked in the fire lane, so his van got towed, but we trust it’s safely back in his possession.

On the show, Grohl described his past year working on the film, explaining, “The last year that we spent at home not being on the road, I think I’ve probably been busier than I ever have in my entire life.”

When asked about what inspired the documentary, Grohl replied, “One of the reasons why we made this film was because we were planning on doing a 25th anniversary tour where we would re-do our first tour all over again.” He added that the band’s “26th anniversary is going to kick so much a**.”

Grohl also performed on the show with his 15-year-old daughter Violet, playing their cover of X’s 1980 hit “Nausea.” The set featured assistance from bass player and former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic, former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and producer Greg Kurstin.