Celebrity Interviews
MusicSpectator.com offers up the following celebrity interviews for your enjoyment.
Working Man’s Rock Star
An interview with Nate Mendel of the Foo Fighters
By Craig Marquardo
The death of Kurt Cobain had a despairing effect on many people, fans and friends alike. It was also the death of Nirvana. But his death also was the birth of many things, new perspectives, new careers, new beginnings. The band’s drummer, Dave Grohl took the tragedy as an opportunity to step out from behind the kit and allow his words and music to flow. Always awed by Cobain’s songwriting, he never volunteered to contribute his own work to the band.
The result of Grohl’s creativity is the Foo Fighters, now one of the most successful rock bands in America. They have won six Grammy Awards, three of those for Best Rock Album – and they only have six albums in all.
In assembling an all star band, Grohl put together an outstanding collection of musicians, which has evolved over time. It now consists of drummer Taylor Hawkins who toured with Alanis Morissette, vagabond guitarist Chris Shiflett, and the original bassist Nate Mendel who was previously with Sunny Day Real Estate.
We interviewed Nate while in between shows in anticipation of his upcoming Portland show. And how thrilled were we when we found out he actually LIVES here (yea, we shoulda known that). Now, a family man as well as a rock star, he talked music, kids and life on the road.
MS: You were born in Washington, so you are sort of a local guy.
Nate: Yea, but I live there in Portland.
(insert sounds of me smacking myself in the forehead)
MS: So when you come and play Portland, it must be a great show for you.
Nate: Not necessarily. We were just talking about how many tickets to leave for friends and family the other day. It’s gonna be a lot of people. The home shows are actually the worse ones, they are a lot more work. It ends up being like a family reunion and having your attention divided a hundred ways. It’s easier playing in Nebraska where you just get to do your thing.
MS: How long were you between bands before Dave called you?
Nate: Oh, I was busy. Sunny Day Real Estate didn’t break up right away, so a lot of people knew it was coming to an end. I had a lot of opportunities to do other things. I have been in a bunch of bands, but I hadn’t ever been really unemployed and not in some group or another. And this was also the first time I got into a band with someone I didn’t know all that well. It was a mutual friend that put us together, because Dave and I only knew each other casually.
MS: What’s the songwriting process for the band now?
Nate: Dave is the songwriter. He may do a quick demo at home or in our studio, and then hand out copies for us to worry about the details. We never know whether it’s gonna be a country or disco song.
MS: Yea, I am sure that’s a conversation that is really going on.
Nate: You’d be surprised. That’s one of the great things about Dave and this band. We always do what sounds best for the song, whatever it is, hard rock or country. It doesn’t matter. Having that kind of creative freedom is what makes every new song exciting.
MS: What is it like for you as a bass player with the fans?
Nate: Dave gets so much attention, a lot of the times people come up to him it’s due to his celebrity. For me or Chris, they are usually a fan of the band, or are a musician. It’s nice that way, I don’t have to worry about someone who had seen me in People Magazine and they want my autograph.
MS: What kind of dialogue do you have as a band about your future, plans as a group, etc.?
Nate: There’s not a lot of that going on. Talks about strategy, popularity, business plan. There was no real talk of the future for the first few years. Then we had a really hard time and survived it, built a studio, and decided that this was something we really loved to do and had value in our lives. So when we crossed that line, we were just more committed to the longevity of it. Of course, the line may have been crossed when we all realized we are completely unemployable elsewhere. (laughs)
MS: You have a wife and young child now. How do you manage family when you are on the road so much?
Nate: It’s a challenge. My wife and I just got into it the other night. It wasn’t a big fight or anything, but she didn’t realize this next tour was going to be as long as it was. She was saying, “That’s great, you are gonna be away from your son for three weeks. I have to be a single Mom again for another month. Great.” Taking family on the road is nice, but also has its own complications. We’re off in Australia and your young child gets sick and we are all 20 hours from home.
MS: At this level, it’s not just doing a show anymore, the whole day is accounted for. How do you get up for it and do the art and commerce fluidly?
Nate: We’ve been doing this for so long now, it is easier to flow through the day. I mean, all I have to do is look at our security guy Bailey to know what kind of day it’s going to be. If I get an eye roll or a smile, I know what’s going to happen that day. Today was a smile. So…good day.
MS: You were acting in a small movie recently, have a lot of activism you have been involved with. Seems like everyone in the group has some sort of side project.
Nate: Me less than everyone else though. I scored the music for that movie, which is something I really want to do more of. I am actually concentrating on that quite a bit right now, outside of the band. We all have our projects, and over time that tends to increase. But we are all still committed to being together doing what we do.
