Dave Grohl: The Nicest Man In Rock and Roll

It seems today that when it comes to musicians, you’re not popular unless you’re a total jerk. You’ve got your teen idols that spit at their young fangirls, your rappers that rudely interrupt others during speeches, and music legends that publicly insult and humiliate their fans. Some people can look past it, saying that they must have a hard time dealing with the public eye being on them all the time, or that having the paparazzi in your face 24/7 would make anyone crazy.

And then there’s Dave Grohl.

The former drummer for Nirvana and current frontman for the Foo Fighters sets an example that, in all honesty, every celebrity should strive to follow. Notorious among critics and fans alike as being nice nearly to a fault, Grohl has been known to go out of his way to show his appreciation to his fans.

Most recently, Grohl granted a dying fan’s wish on the Foo Fighters’ Australian tour. Ken Powell, who has been battling melanoma for 14 years, is a devoted fan who has gone to every concert in the Australian leg of the current tour in the hopes of crossing “Meet Dave Grohl” off his bucket list. Unfortunately, Dave came down with food poisoning and wasn’t able to make it to the meet-and-greet in Perth. Just when all hope seemed lost, a flight attendant who knew about Powell told his story to Dave while working the flight that the band was on. Not only did Grohl send a selfie holding up a sign which said “Hi Ken”, but he also offered all-access tickets to a show in LA for a second chance to meet up. Ken’s currently saving up for the flight out to LA, where we can be sure Dave and the band will go out of their way to fulfill this fan’s dying wish.

Among other inspiring acts of general awesomeness, Grohl stopped a concert after seeing a fan holding up a sign that read “drumstick for blind guy plz?!” He read the sign to the crowd, asked for a stick from drummer Taylor Hawkins, and proceeded to give it to said blind fan. Another instance: a fan and his sister (who has severe Cerebral Palsy) went to a concert in Reading, where they both waited outside the artist area to catch a glimpse of the girl’s favorite artist. Sure enough, Dave came out, saw her, and not only came over to chill with a fan, but also recognized her from pictures she’s sent of her dancing to their music. Of all the fans in the world who’ve sent them photos (and sure, probably not many of them had CP), he knew exactly who she was. And if that wasn’t enough, the guy and his sister went to see Queens of the Stone Age (Grohl on drums), having scored some sweet tickets to watch from the side of the stage. Dave looked over, recognized her again, and later invited them both to the video shoot going on the next day. And I’m sure most of us have heard of him pouring a beer mid-concert for a front-row fan, and the band performing in fans’ garages during a mini-tour for Wasting Light.

So Dave Grohl’s a nice guy… so what?

Well, that’s certainly not all. Celebrities and musicians should certainly be kind and respectful of their fans (and it’s a shame that so many aren’t), but they should also be an example of good parents. Did you know that Dave (father of three girls) actually rescheduled a concert several months in advance not simply because of “unforeseen scheduling conflicts”, but because his daughter wanted him to take her to her father-daughter dance? That is an example of priorities. You look at this guy, who has a blast during these amazing rock concerts, is all covered in tattoos and generally looking the part of a rock star… and he puts his daughter before everything. You want an example of what a celebrity parent should aim for? There you go.

He’s a nice guy, a good dad… and?

He’s down to earth. You hear it in his interviews, and you see it during concerts and in candid photos. He’s quick to smile, friendly, and not at all arrogant, flashy, or conceited (at least, certainly not that the public has seen). He’s not afraid to tell you when you’re in the wrong, as evidenced when he kicked a fan out for starting a fight during one of his concerts. And he’s certainly not afraid to spend time with fans and reporters. He’s a people-person, really. He’s real and genuine, perfectly comfortable with the masses on stage and off.

In an industry fueled by politics and sensationalism, it’s rare to find someone who isn’t afraid to just be themselves around the various paparazzi, critics, and raging fans. It’d be rather refreshing to see more of it, where fans can genuinely enjoy someone who is just like them, only famous.