Foo Fighters’ new album gave them a reason "to remain a band".
Frontman Dave Grohl says they were feeling uninspired at the beginning of their hiatus in March last year, which was brought on by exhaustion after doing 60 shows around the world.
The former Nirvana drummer spent most of his days at home living a reclusive lifestyle, but before long he was desperate to get back in the studio.
However, the 48-year-old rocker says it took him a while to get his music-making mojo back and he admits the record, which became ‘Concrete and Gold’ – which is out on Friday (15.09.17 – needed to save them from extinction.
In a candid interview with The Times newspaper, he spilled: "All I wanted to do at the end of that tour was go away. Emotionally, physically and mentally we were exhausted. We had to stop this band before we killed it, so we took a big, long break, which we had never done before. I went into my Brian Wilson period, not leaving the house for weeks on end, growing a big beard and refusing to change out of my pyjamas. I was lacking inspiration. Eventually knowing we needed an album that gave us a reason to remain a band, I went into my home studio and started fooling around. And I hit a vein."
Not only was Dave emotionally wrecked, but he’d also been performing from a throne after breaking his leg on stage in Gothenburg.
Meanwhile, the ‘Sky Is A Neighbourhood’ hitmaker also opened up about being in ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ group Nirvana, which dissolved in 1994, after frontman Kurt Cobain killed himself, which taught him to make sure the band’s health and safety is their top priority.
He said: "We get a bad rep for being a safe dad-rock band, but don’t forget where I came from.
"I was in the band where heroin addiction was a problem, where one of the members committed suicide, and that is the last place I want to be. I’m a musician. I love playing music for people, and what happened in Nirvana was horrible. And it all happened so quickly, nobody had a chance to take a breath and think about what was going on.
"This time we’re a little more concerned with the health and safety of each other, and about making business and relationships work, because I can’t do anything else and I don’t want to go back to working in a pizza restaurant."
Foo Fighters’ new album saved them from extinction
