The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

Dave Grohl opens his autobiography with an anecdote of the day his eight-year-old daughter, Harper, asked him to teach her to play the drums. Grohl’s memories then shift back to his own early experiences with music in his teens. He and his mother would go to a local jazz club named One Step Down to watch Lenny Robinson, a talented jazz drummer, and other musicians perform. Lenny held jazz workshops on the weekends, and as Grohl’s interest in music developed, he became inspired by music’s “beautiful, structured chaos” (12). Grohl grew up in the 80s and listened to punk records, and he connected with jazz due to its similar energy and vibrance. Grohl also views his relationship with his mother as a teenager with pride, noting that many of his Generation X peers sought to distance themselves from their parents. By contrast, Grohl spent time with his mother at the jazz club and it became a source of bonding time for them.

One afternoon, the two of them went to the club to celebrate Grohl’s mother’s birthday. Grohl had been practicing drums only on his own pillows for a couple of years, but when his mother asked if he would perform on stage with the band he reluctantly agreed, feeling as if he was doomed to fail.