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Former Foo Fighters drummer compares Dave Grohl to a schoolyard bully

William Goldsmith—most known for his drumming in Sunny Day Real Estate and work with Foo Fighters from 1995-1997—has spoken out on his frustrations with Dave Grohl after his work was “obliterated” on 1997’s The Colour And The Shape.

“Apparently Dave was going to re-record a few of the songs. I don't know if the producer told him to keep going, or what. But the next thing you know all of the work I had done was gone except for one or two of the tracks,” Goldsmith tells The Daily Mail.

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He explains just how upset he was once he found out that his worked had been scrapped, saying he “gave everything I could,” working 13 hours a day for three weeks. After finding out his work was scrapped, he says he felt creatively “raped.”

“It was a way of describing how it felt—when you put that much of yourself into something, and then without you even knowing, it is completely destroyed from existence,” he tells the news source. “Management, the producers and Dave, I think they all wanted Dave to play drums on that record.”

He explains that Grohl's controlling nature might have come from his experience working with Kurt Cobain while they were in Nirvana.

“The impression I had got from people who were flies on the wall when Nirvana was recording was that Kurt had been very definite on what he wanted and Dave had to do it. I think his inability to allow people to collaborate with him after that, came from Kurt having things a certain way and him reacting to his frustrations.”

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The only songs that Goldsmith says remained on the record with his drumming were “Doll” and “Up In Arms,” as well as “My Poor Brain,” which he says he did not get credit for.

Goldsmith tells the news source that he would have been okay if it had been half Grohl and half himself, but the lack of communication was “brutal,” and he thinks the producer was hoping he would give up, but he says he isn’t.

“The versions Dave did were very similar. I am not saying I am an amazing drummer—the work that I did was not bad,” Goldsmith says to The Daily Mail, comparing Grohl to a “schoolyard bully,” they write. “He was a bit like the kid who is popular but is mean and everyone likes them.” 

So how are things now? Goldsmith says that he's been “given the impression he [Grohl] feels bad about the way things went,” but furthers it by saying: “If he feels bad about how things went then why hasn't he tried to get a hold of me?”

What are your thoughts on the Goldsmith/Grohl beef? Let us know in the comments below.

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