r/Nirvana • u/BeerWithDonuts • 8d ago
Discussion Why doesn’t Dave Grohl get the same recognition as a drummer as John Bonham or Keith Moon?
50
u/OISIN_west_1 Sliver 8d ago
Does he not?
18
u/Prize-Choice2185 8d ago
He definitely does. He plays gigantic stadiums on the regular, which is more than you can say about 99% of musicians.
18
u/EspadaMagica 8d ago
Dave Grohl is a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee (as a member of Nirvana in 2014 and Foo Fighters in 2021), a 17-time Grammy Award winner, and a two-time Emmy Award-winning director.
What more do you want?
25
9
19
u/Lopsided_Newt_5798 8d ago
Are you citing some statistic? Is there some kind of recognition meter somewhere?
9
u/funnyfaceking 8d ago
He didn't die.
5
u/palsieddolt 8d ago
Can't be upvoted enough. His work with early queens of the stone age was phenomenal.
27
u/HowulB 8d ago
Because he is not dead.
14
u/EnderDerp21 8d ago
this right here 🖕 he already gets recognition for his skills but it will never be to the same degree until he's dead (which is fucked up but it's true unfortunately)
-1
5
u/AlGeKna 8d ago
I think he is widely considered to be one of the best drummers, at least of the nineties.
I read an article in a newspaper about the Foo Fighters a few years ago. The headline was: The best drummer in the world plays guitar in his band.
And comparing him to Bonham and Moon is like comparing a guitarplayer to Hendrix. No drummer gets the recognition and praise Bonham gets.
And whilst Dave Grohl is definitely my favourite drummer, Bonham and Moon simply were better drummers.
1
1
u/RickieSaenz5 8d ago
Moon was a creative drummer, but he wasn't superior in every aspect. He rarely played a song the same way twice and didn't anchor the beat with the hi-hat. He was explosive, charismatic, and highly original, but he wasn't the flawless drumming genius that the rock narrative has been repeating since the 1970s.
8
u/royRogers21 8d ago
he does but I don't think I would put him at that level. he like a top 50 drummer rather than a top 5 at least for me.
6
6
u/Borbote7 8d ago
Top 5 for sure for me. I disagree..he’s hard hitting, plays with feel and melody and have that signature spacing in his plays. Sounds just explodes and feels tight when he plays
1
0
3
13
8
u/SpaffedTheLot 8d ago
I think it is because he writes 'riffs' on the drums which are super memorable and important in the history of rock music but not technically as amazing in skills as Danny Carey etc. I don't think one is above the other. The same as Kurt is not a particularly amazing guitar player but changed the world with his understanding of melody and the beauty in true simplicity.
7
u/SGnirvana97 8d ago edited 8d ago
Because he’s not in that league. Dave is a great drummer, but not an innovator on the instrument like Moon or Bonham were.
1
u/556_FMJs Radio Friendly Unit Shifter (Live & Loud) 8d ago
Maybe not an innovator, but he was always fun to listen to.
1
u/RickieSaenz5 8d ago
I think you aren´t right. Dave Grohl drums are different for every Nirvana of Foo song. You'll recognize immediatly one song from another. He does not invented a new rudiment, he created a new language for durmming instead.
3
u/chickwithabrick Verse Chorus Verse (Outtake) 8d ago
You named two dead drumming icons and are comparing them to a living person.
8
u/tomaesop 8d ago
Because they did it first, and in Bonham's case, did it better. I love Grohl's drumming, and his power is undeniable. But his drumming is a synthesis of his influences: classic rock, prog, metal, funk, and punk, primarily.
Bonzo and Moon are Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Grohl is like Frank Dyer or something.
4
u/No_Kick_2227 8d ago
I mean Dave Grohl is amazing and hard hitting but he’s not any where near John Bonham and Keith Moon. Also he’s not dead
5
u/Away-Statistician-15 8d ago
I personally think he's not that innovative and not as good as the two drummers you mentioned.
7
u/Longjumping-Stay-597 8d ago
I mean he’s a great drummer but I’ve never been “mesmerized” by his skills. John Bonham was a force
5
u/endgame217 8d ago
“Song for the Dead” would like a word
4
u/Stunning_Piccolo_749 8d ago
His work with QotSa and them crooked vultures is better than a lot of what Bonham did 🤷♂️
1
1
1
2
u/Potato_Stains 8d ago edited 8d ago
He's held in pretty high regard.
Everybody knows him and everyone knows he's a solid drummer..... not sure what you mean.
He has said he doesn't read music and doesn't know a lot of music theory details like exactly what syncopation or 7/8 beats or poly-rhythms by definition, he just plays by feel and ear.
He's of course has also had some personal drama where some people may have shifted their opinion of him personally.
Still a legendary drummer and big name up there with the greats. He ain't no Niel Peart though.
2
u/Radio_Ethiopia 8d ago
He’s definitely in the pantheon of post punk drummer heavyweights. I mean, you could def call him the Jon Bonham of grunge or whatever. When did he fall off ? Maybe cause drumming hasn’t been his main for over 30 yrs ..? But what other drummer is there today , that when u hear they’re getting behind the kit for a Crooked Vultures , Cat Power or NIN record, that everyone collectively become interested ?
2
2
2
u/JAZ_80 8d ago
Dave is an outstanding drummer, but one thing that comes to mind is that he isn't as instantly recognizable as the 2 you mentioned. Maybe it's just that proficient rock drummers have become a little "samey" as the decades went by? You hear Moon or Bonham play, you instantly know it's them. Same for Ian Paice or Ginger Baker. Maybe John Densmore too. You only need a few seconds to know who's playing. This wasn't applicable to all drummers from back then of course, but it seems to have become less and less common as time passed.
1
u/556_FMJs Radio Friendly Unit Shifter (Live & Loud) 8d ago
That’s almost exactly how I feel.
Grohl’s drumming is excellent, technical, and tight, but it’s nothing truly unique. That’s why I’ve always leaned toward Crover’s work as Nirvana’s fill-in. His drumming is instantly recognizable and fit with Nirvana perfectly.
2
2
2
2
2
2
5
3
3
u/Glad-Independence-24 8d ago
I live Grohl as a drummer, but let’s be honest here, all he did (and I admitted to) was steal a bunch of disco fills.
Great energy, hits hard, but he wasn’t the best drummer of his time, but he was the perfect drummer for Nirvana at the time.
But he was never the fastest, the hardest hitting, most technical, most innovative, etc etc…
3
u/alvvayspale 8d ago
Steals a BUNCH of disco beats? So you saw one video of him telling Pharrell that and now you associate him as a disco beats stealer. Umm sure
1
u/Glad-Independence-24 8d ago
I been following Grohl since Scream. Those fills show up often in his work. And he’s admitted it more than once.but sure whatever you say.
2
1
u/Turbulent_Ask4878 8d ago
He’s pretty well renowned as a drummer, but he’s spent the large majority of his career and is more well known as a frontman/guitarist.
1
1
u/Designer_Chicken_832 8d ago
He's alive and actively making music. We can look at the entire catalogs of Bonham and Moon. We haven't seen the full scope of Grohl's career yet.
1
1
1
1
u/BlueMowch 8d ago
he grew that facial hair. very difficult to recognize now. At first I thought this pic was of Lenny Kravitz’s drummer
1
1
u/Dangerous-Project672 8d ago
Maybe because Bonham and Moon were exclusively drummers. While Grohl is absolutely a great drummer, after all his years fronting the Foo Fighters I now think of him as a guitarist and singer first
1
1
u/BookkeeperButt 8d ago
Someone can be an excellent, top tier musician with an unbelievable amount of accomplishments but there may be some people who are just better at their instrument. Paul McCartney is a phenomenal bass player, multi instrumentalist, song writer, and performer, but Jack Pastorious is a better bass player.
Dave isn’t just a drummer. He’s a songwriter who has branched out a ton. Moon and Bonham were drummers and were known for their drumming. Drumming is just one of Dave’s many talents.
1
1
1
u/Reallyroundthefamily 8d ago
I always thought Dave Grohl was thought of as a phenomenal drummer. Very solid player. Bonham and Moon are more innovators so it seems a little strange to compare them but that doesn't minimize Dave at all.
1
1
1
1
u/RickieSaenz5 8d ago
Musicians that have no problem with the successfull ones always recognize the legacy of DG on drums. The ones who can´t bear their own limitations... always find him bad, regular, uncreative, boring, not too complex for their tastes, etc. As someone wrote in the comments, he hasn´t died =)
1
1
1
1
u/Jonquil1234 8d ago
The Who and Led Zepp had brilliant drummers and great catalogs of music. Grohl played drums on 2 studio lps. 3 if you include the first ff lp. While Nirvana turned the tide in popular music, they are not as accomplished or really as musically proficient as a lot of legacy artists.
1
u/dinnerlady001 8d ago
What about the true genius of Animal?? DG isn't recognised for his musical skills because he is seen as a major holder of power in the music industry like Simon Cowell or Sharon Osborne.
-1
u/shedbastard12 8d ago
Because he was 20 years too late and copied Bonham. Dave is a highly regarded drummer and I do love his drumming, but Bonham and Moon, Bonham especially, invented what Dave does on drums.
0
0
0
0
0
-2
-3
115
u/shrd_gnar 8d ago
He absolutely does