Following the unexpected death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Rolling Stone conducted an investigative conversation by interviewing 20 of the musician’s friends.
Hawkins’ family members and bandmates decline to be involved. The Foo Fighters’ management noted that “they dispute Hawkins’ friends’ characterizations of how he was feeling.”
However, Matt Cameron, Pearl Jam drummer and close friend of Hawkins, has shared that the late drummer was struggling with the Foo Fighters’ intense touring schedule and that he questioned continuing as a full-time member.
“He had a heart-to-heart with Dave and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t f – – king do it anymore’ — those were his words,” said Cameron. “So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that.”
“[A band like that] is a big machine [with] a lot of people on the payroll,” Cameron continued. “So you’ve got to really be cognizant of the business side of something when it’s that big and that has inherent pressure, just like any business.”
In response, a Foo Fighters representative has denied Cameron’s quotes.
” “No, there was never a ‘heart-to-heart’ — or any sort of meeting on this topic — with Dave and [Silva Artist Management],” the rep clarified. “He never ‘informed Dave and [management]’ of anything at all like that.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith also interview with Rolling Stone, sharing similar accounts to Cameron.
The Foo Fighters rep denied all quotes from the interview.
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