Dave Grohl 'Sonic Highways': Foo Fighters Singer 'Didn't Know S--t' About New Orleans

Foo Fighters' Sonic Highways stopped by New Orleans in Friday night's episode, but Dave Grohl apparently new nothing about the area before filming.

"Before I turned on the camera with Ben Jaffe from Preservation Hall [Jazz Band], I said, 'I don't know s--t about jazz and I don't know shit about New Orleans. We're rolling,' Grohl told Rolling Stone. "A lot of the interviews were like that. I'm a music nerd, but I'm not a musicologist. I love talking about music and hearing these stories, but I also love not knowing everything. The interviews turned into conversations that turned into lessons."

Like many other Americans, Grohl was drawn to New Orleans for no particular reason, and had an amazing experience.

"The celebration of life in that city is unlike anywhere else I've ever been," he said. "Whether it's coming out of a bar or Preservation Hall or a second line coming down the street, there's a soundtrack to that city everywhere, 24 hours a day. You're just immersed in music. It makes people smile and dance and drink and celebrate life. I don't know if I could survive there the rest of my life because it's just too good. It's like the sweetest piece of cake you've ever had: The taste is delicious, but you can't eat it every day."

The 45-year-old said southern Louisiana is especially cleansing for fellow rockeres.

"But for any musician you need that for your soul," he said. "If you need your batteries recharged, go spend one week in New Orleans and it will renew your faith not only in music, but in the human race. As you walk down the street, you're standing next to a gangster and a lawyer and a cop and a college student and people from all walks of life together, dancing and celebrating music. That doesn't happen everywhere. I wish it did; the world would be a much happier place."

The New Orleans episode was the fifth in an eight-part series that airs every Friday night on HBO. Foo recorded one song in each city, and the tracks comprised the recently released Sonic Highways LP.

Here are a few highlights from last night:

Tags

Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways