In a new Rolling Stone article, friends and peers of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins claim that he was hesitant to return to the road prior to his passing, and that Hawkins wasn’t sure if he could remain a full-time member of the band if Foo Fighters kept up their busy touring schedule. “[Taylor] had a heart-to-heart with Dave [Grohl, Foo Fighters frontman] and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t f*cking do it anymore’ — those were his words,” said Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.
“So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that.” A Foo Fighters rep denied that Hawkins said this: “No, there was never a ‘heart-to-heart’ — or any sort of meeting on this topic — with Dave and [Silva Artist Management].” Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith also was quoted as saying: “He just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff. He was dehydrated and all kinds of stuff.” Smith also added that Hawkins said: “I can’t do it like this anymore.”
Now, Smith and Cameron have apologized for taking part in the article. Smith released a statement: “Taylor was one of my best friends and I would do anything for his family. I was asking by Rolling Stone to share some memories of our time together, which I thought was going to be the loving tribute he deserved. Instead, the story they wrote was sensationalized and misleading, and had I known I never would have agreed to participate. I apologize to his family and musical friends for any pain.”
Cameron also said his comments were taken out of context. “When I agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone article about Taylor, I assumed it would be a celebration of his life and work,” Cameron said. “My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative I never intended. Taylor was a dear friend, and a next level artist. I miss him. I have only the deepest love and respect for Taylor, Dave and the Foo Fighters families. I am truly sorry to have taken part in this interview and I apologize that my participation may have caused harm to those for whom I have only the deepest respect and admiration.”
Singer Sass Jordan, a longtime friend of the late drummer, said Hawkins was “tired of the whole game.” Another friend who wished to remain anonymous said: “The fact that he finally spoke to Dave and really told him that he couldn’t do this and that he wouldn’t do it anymore, that was freeing for him. That took f*cking balls. That did take a year of working up the guts to do.” A rep for the Foo Fighters denied the claim: “He never ‘informed Dave and [management]’ of anything at all like that.”
