Dave Grohl has slammed “lazy paraphrasing” after his comments seemingly comparing reigning alt-pop superstar Billie Eilish to Nirvana. As you can imagine, the comment elicited a wide variety of responses, with grunge purists left gobsmacked at Grohl’s apparent betrayal whilst pop lovers were enthralled with their new-found Grohl-clout.
To refresh your memory, in a recent interview with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Dave Grohl noted “My daughters are obsessed with Billie Eilish. The same thing is happening with her that happened with Nirvana in 1991. People say, ‘Is rock dead?’ When I look at someone like Billie Eilish, rock and roll is not close to dead!” Huge praise from one of the leading figureheads of rock.”
Billie Eilish is undeniably a true modern visionary. Her sound showcases an appreciation for current hip hop trends, moody soundscapes, and ethereal vocals, whilst Eilish artistry is furthered even more with each aspect of her visual output – not entirely different to what Nirvana were doing in 1991, right?
Grohl has now taken to the Foo Fighters official Instagram account to clear up misconceptions about the comments he made, citing “lazy paraphrasing” as to why some people missed the point of his comment.
“For a VARIETY of reasons, and out of respect for Billie Eilish, I’d like to share the transcript of what I actually said at the Pollstar convention the other day, rather than some lazy paraphrasing that completely misses the point….ahem….,” shared Grohl.
“…. I went to see Billie Eilish not too long ago. Oh my god man. Unbelievable. My daughters are obsessed with Billy Eilish. And what I’m seeing happening with my daughters is the same revolution that happened to me at their age.
My daughters are listening to Billie Eilish and they’re becoming themselves through her music. She totally connects to them. So we went to go see her play at the Wiltern, and the connection that she has with her audience is the same thing that was happening with Nirvana in 1991.
The people in the audience knew every word. And it was like our little secret. So I don’t know…and her music is hard to define! I don’t know what you call it! I try to describe her to people and I don’t know…….I don’t even know what to call it. But it’s authentic. And I would call that rock n roll. So…. I don’t care what sort of instruments you use to do it. When I look at someone like Billie Eilish, I’m like…shit man….rock n roll is not even close to being dead…”
Billie Eilish is set to make her second trip to Australia in May this year, in celebration of her upcoming album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. The 17-year old will embark on her biggest headline shows down under to date, as well as making her debut appearances at Groovin The Moo festival.
Billie Eilish – bury a friend
