Foo Fighters chose not to explain to Josh Freese why he was removed from the band.
The drummer joined Dave Grohl’s group after the passing of Taylor Hawkins in 2022, however he was released from the lineup last summer. Members of Foo Fighters later confirmed they did not feel it was necessary to fully explain the reasoning behind the decision.
Speaking to The Guardian, bassist Nate Mendel explained: “Yeah. We made a decision that it was best for all parties. To get into the personal details [with Freese], of why that didn’t necessarily sync up, just didn’t seem like it was going to benefit anybody. Some things are OK to be like: this is what’s best for us, and we’re going in a different direction.”
Mendel also spoke positively about Freese’s contribution, saying he stepped into a very difficult situation and delivered exactly what the band needed following the heartbreaking loss of Hawkins.
Dave Grohl had previously shared that the choice to part ways with Freese was made collectively, revealing that every member of the band took part in the phone call when the news was delivered.
During a conversation with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, Dave said: “In those six or seven months, as a band, we talked about what to do next, a new direction, and thought, ‘OK, let’s call Josh and let him know that we are going to move on with a different drummer.
“We called, as a band, all of us called, it wasn’t just me.
“Basically, we called Josh, and were like, ‘Hey man, that was awesome. That was such a blast, thank you so much, but we are going to move on and find another drummer.’
“After that, we didn’t make a press release, tweet anything or do interviews. We didn’t say anything. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about it, but I think Josh said it best when he said that he didn’t feel our music really resonated with him, and that’s really important.”
Since leaving Foo Fighters, Freese has returned to performing with Trent Reznor’s band.
More recently, he also made it clear that fans should not feel bad for him, explaining that he is enjoying being back on stage with Nine Inch Nails again while also appearing at shows with Weezer.
In an interview with Modern Drummer magazine he said: “Someone recently said to me, ‘Man, you’ve had a tough year.’ And I thought, Really? So the Foo Fighters thing is over. Big deal, that was a blip.
“The fact that I’ve been touring with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle again, playing some shows with Weezer, working in the studio with everyone from Danny Elfman to Billy Idol.
“I feel like I’m back where I belong. Trust me… no one should feel sorry for me.”
Freese did admit that the moment he was told about his departure from the Best Of You rockers came as a surprise.
He recalled: “The day it went down I was hanging out on a day off with A Perfect Circle and the Primus guys. Everyone was in shock and asking me what the hell happened.
"I just remember thinking that I was really grateful to be out there on tour with my friends and with a great crew… playing music I liked with people that I’ve had a long history with.”
NEWS
Taylor Swift is encouraging rising artists to stay away from reading social media comments too closely.
During a conversation with The New York Times about songwriting, the “Shake It Off” singer explained that although criticism can sometimes become a “creative writing prompt,” constantly checking comments online can leave artists overwhelmed by negativity.
“My favourite thing when I sit down with new artists or songwriters, I'm like, ‘Why are you reading your comments?’ Like, that's too much of it,” she said. “You're inundating yourself with too much criticism that doesn't really have a focus. But a little bit of it, you've got to just be like, this is part of (the job). Like, don't make this make you stop writing or make you edit yourself or whatever.”
Swift, 36, also shared that she often tells other musicians to channel criticism into music instead of firing back at people online or posting long responses in the Notes app.
“If it's an interesting point to you to kind of respond to, then that's a gift for you to be able to write something. Maybe you wouldn't have written something that day,” she continued. “But don't go to the Notes app and post it, like write (a song) about it. Make art about this. Don't respond to trolls in your comments. That's not what we want from you. We want your art.”
The global superstar went on to say that criticism has inspired some of the biggest songs throughout her career. She pointed to her 2014 hit “Blank Space,” saying it likely would not have happened without people constantly focusing on her dating life and creating “slideshow” style narratives about her relationships.
Speaking about her 2022 track “Anti-Hero,” Swift added, “That song doesn't exist if I don't get criticised for every aspect of my personality that people have a problem with or whatever.”
