Dave Grohl reveals he was inspired by disco artists during years as Nirvana drummer

A legend to the rock genre, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who spent four years as the drummer for Nirvana from 1990-1994, has revealed that he actually drew inspiration from the disco genre during his time as a drummer for the band.

During an interview with fellow musician Pharrell Williams where they chatted in the studio for Dave Grohl’s new Paramount+ series ‘From Cradle to Stage’, Grohl admits that he pulled direct inspiration for drum beats on Nirvana tune ‘Nevermind’ from The Gap Band, Cameo (both highly popular bands who rose to fame in the 70’s and 80’s) and drummer Tony Thompson, best known for being the drummer of Power Station and a member of Chic. Revealing this information to a mindblown Williams, Grohl stated:

“I can’t read music. I couldn’t then, and I still can’t now. All I wanted to do was be in a line of drummers all playing drums.”

He then went on to say:

“Stop saying that I’m a good drummer because I’m the most basic f*****g drummer. If you listen to ‘Nevermind’, the Nirvana record, I pulled so much stuff from The Gap Band and Cameo and Tony Thompson on every one of those songs. It’s all disco, that’s all it is. Nobody makes the connection. […] He [Tony Thompson] came to my house for a barbecue with somebody. I was like, ‘Man, I just want to thank you because I owe you so much I’ve been ripping you off my whole life.’ He goes, ‘I know.’”

The video where the two musicians sit and discuss this can be viewed below.

This comes from Grohl’s ‘From Cradle to Stage’ show, where he and his mother learn about the musician guest star and their mother’s relationships. Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Miranda Lambert and their mothers are all set to feature among more stars. You can view more information about the series here.

Image credit: Simone Joyner/Getty Images