Imagine putting yourself out on a limb to collaborate with one of the greatest multi-talents of all time, and being told to simply “fuck off”. Well, that’s exactly what happened to famed musician Dave Grohl when he approached David Bowie to feature on a comic book movie soundtrack.
Keeping us all plenty entertained, Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters has been taking to the internet to share all sorts of memories stored in his beautiful mind, and his latest lengthy tale tells of an interaction he had with the late legend, David Bowie.
To set the scene, Grohl walked us through his failed attempt of recruiting Bowie on “an original song for a big budget, major motion picture. You know, one of those action packed, comic book, CGI type of things.”
Prefacing the story, Grohl noted that he’s had some past experiences with Bowie, namely seeing him for the first time during a music festival that also saw Foo Fighters on the same bill.
Gearing up for the bulk of the story, Grohl stated that he was commissioned for this movie that was centred around a comic book. As he’d been working with Tony Visconti [producer, David Bowie] on a Kristeen Young album, he thought it might be good to have Bowie along for the new gig, and decided to ask him to sing over instrumentals.
Taking to email, he decided to muster up the courage and shoot off a message to the seven time Grammy Award winner, where “what seemed like an eternity” passed before Grohl received a reply from the main man himself.
“With the excitement of a hyperactive child on Christmas morning, I held my breath and hastily opened it,” continuing with a joke that Bowie had simply said “no”.
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“As usual, he was very kind, very complimentary, and full of his signature wit. He explained that this particular genre of film wasn’t really his thing (‘I’m just not made for these times’, he said), but would love to collaborate on something else someday.”
Following immense disappointment, Grohl responded with a brief message back stating, “Hey man, thank you for listening to the song…I hope that you’re well, and let me know if you’d ever like to make music together sometime. Love, Dave”.
Only one minute later, Bowie was back in Grohl’s inbox with a new message: “Well, that’s settled. Now fuck off,” the late musician wrote.
“My smile immediately went from that of a cat having an afternoon nap on a warm afternoon,” Grohl expressed, “to the shock and horror of your first prostate exam.”
In the end, Bowie was certainly messing with Grohl, and they had a pleasant chat right afterwards. If you’re keen to check out the full story, check out Dave Grohl’s posts via Medium where he’s sure to fill us in on even more hilarious encounters he’s had since his Nirvana days.
Check out ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ performed by David Bowie and Foo Fighters:
