One Year Ago Today...
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away one year ago today in Bogata, Columbia, South America at the age of 50. I imagine Dave Grohl is having a rough day today on this first anniversary of his best buddys' very premature death. Being in a band is like a being in a marriage. And the loss and suffering through this past year must be intense for them all. The thought of going on tour without their band mate brother Taylor must be heartbreaking, and today must be tough. The suffering we all go through as humans when we lose a loved one in any capacity is painful. But through grieving, growing and healing we can learn to look to the future with clear eyes and open hearts. And just be grateful that the connection existed at all.
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins first met backstage at a music festival. It was when Taylor was on the Jagged Little Pill tour with the Alanis Morissette band. He played with them from 1995-1997. Soon after meeting Dave Grohl, Taylor left Alanis Morissette to join the Foo Fighters in late 1997. Grohl recalled how Hawkins went over to him, introduced himself and said, “Dude, I love your record – it's so cool!” Grohl said within ten seconds of meeting Taylor, he felt like he was his “twin, best friend, spirit animal, and spiritual connection”. From that day on, these two were inseparable. At that moment, they started their "bromance" that would last a quarter of a century. An immediate spiritual connection like this happens rarely in life. We can always hope to find a connection like this amongst the 8 billion humans that share this beautiful planet. Sometimes, albeit it rare, we do meet a spiritual connection, like Dave and Taylor did. And if we're lucky enough to find that special spiritual connection in this vast sea of 8 billion, hopefully we learn to cherish each moment and be grateful that we were given the opportunity. Dave and Taylor had 25 precious years together until that dark day when the unexpected news broke about Taylor Hawkins' death. The Colombian authorities announced that Hawkins had ten substances in his system at the time of his death, including opioids, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, and THC.
As you probably have noticed this week, The Music Soup is a Foo Fighters fan, and the drums have always been my personal favorite place on any stage. I've been taking the time this week to republish several articles and photo galleries to honour Taylors' memory for all us music and drum lovers.
On May 24, 2023 in Gilford, New Hampshire The Foo Fighters will head out on their first tour without Taylor on the drum throne. Rumours are still in the air as to who will sit behind the drum kit on this tour. Nothing has been announced as of yet but it's looking like it may be Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam) or Rufus Taylor (The Darkness). It's sounding like the bets are on Matt Cameron. I'm hoping for someone else as I would hate it if Matt Cameron were to leave Pearl Jam...but all we can do is wait and see as nothing concrete has been announced.
Everything in life is impermanent. We all suffer loss, in death, romance, jobs, and friendships. Our only option is acceptance, moving on gracefully, being grateful for the love that was shared, and cherish the memories that live on in our hearts that they left behind.
As my favorite saying goes, "Life is short...break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, be kind to each other, and never regret anything that made you smile". Enjoy this gift of life whilst we can....Life gets shorter every day.
The following link is Taylors' 17 year old son Shane Hawkins playing drums for "My Hero" at the Taylor Hawkins memorial concert six months ago.
Oliver Taylor Hawkins
February 17, 1972 - March 25, 2022