Dave Grohl's Inspiration Behind His Iconic Nirvana Drum Beats Revealed

Publish date: 2024-04-24

It's unlikely that anyone would really guess the true inspiration behind Dave Grohl's iconic drum playing on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" among other well-known tracks from "Nevermind." The Ramones? No. Judas Priest? No. Black Sabbath? Guess again. What inspired Dave Grohl's rock 'n' rolling drumming on "Nevermind" were none other than disco era bands like Chic and The Gap Band, as Grohl told the producer and musician Pharrell on YouTube.

Pharrell is naturally surprised that one of the most lauded hard-rock drummers of our time drew inspiration from such an unlikely and danceable place, commenting in the clip after Grohl let him in on the secret, "Wow," and "all that's...disco!" For his part, though, Grohl's surprised more people haven't made the connection on their own. And when listening to the Gap Band track, "Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" — especially when compared to Dave Grohl's playing on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" — it's easy to hear what he means. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCClXBpcmtfma63sYygqaignKh6qrrSqaCrmaSevK95wZ6foqaUYrWqv4yimqimmZh6r7XRr5inmV2Zv7a5jJucmqyjYr%2BmwsSao56cXw%3D%3D