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Dave Grohl’s Top 10 Rules For Success


if you’re good at what you do people
will recognize that from grade one to
six you’re in this one school and then
you go to this new school and I went to
this new school and there was this girl
this girl named Sandy I stopped
listening to music after Kurt died
because it was so emotional just hearing
it I loved being a drummer it’s such a
nice position and a band everyone thinks
you’re dumb I can truthfully say out
loud that Gangnam style is one of my
favorite songs of the past decade he’s
an American rock musician singer
songwriter director and producer he’s
best known as a former drummer of the
grunge band Nirvana and founder and
frontman
of the rock band Foo Fighters in 2012 he
was estimated to be the third wealthiest
drummer in the world with a fortune of
225 million dollars
he’s Dave Grohl and here’s my take on
his top 10 rules for success rule number
eight is my personal favorite and I’m
curious if you grow which one you guys
like the best and as you’re watching
Dave if he says something really
meaningful to you make sure to put it in
quotes in the comments below so other
people can be inspired as well if you’re
good at what you do people will
recognize that I really believe it I
really believe that going out and
playing good songs live as a great live
band will make you successful I’d really
think it will and it doesn’t matter if
you’re at that hold down the street or
you’re on the side stage at Bonnaroo or
you’re headlining Lollapalooza if you’re
a great band with great songs people
will notice it that’s it that’s all it
is it’s that simple product placement
and labels and ANR people and all at
bullsh
it doesn’t matter I swear to god it
doesn’t matter and if you back that up
with the idea that just playing those
great songs in your great live band is
enough reward for you then you’re set
but
got to be badass you just have to be
really good it’s the other things that
make up for your musical inability you
know I mean as a drummer I never felt
like I am gonna be on the cover of
Modern Drummer magazine because I’m the
best drummer in the world I just do that
if you put me on stage without a PA or
floor monitors in a small club that I
would beat the out of my drums so
much that people go goddamn did you see
that drummer right
whoa and I’d walk away from every show
like there you go I just beat the piss
out of those things that people saw it
people took notice for sure and that was
great
so at the end of the show I was a
successful musician because I had
achieved what I wanted to achieve so I
honestly believe I mean I know lots of
musicians that went down to South by
Southwest and said well it’s easy for
you to say I’m like man I was in the
same position you are in twenty four
years ago that was it I worked in a
Furniture Warehouse and I wanted people
to like my music so I played out as much
as I could you know and if you really
honestly I’d like I said if you’re
passionate and driven and focused in
what you do if you’re really good at it
people will take notice that’s basically
it I mean I don’t understand the
industry I don’t understand I don’t
understand where music is headed I don’t
really understand technology I just know
that when you walk into a club and you
see a band that blows you away you are
going to follow that band you’re going
to either buy their CD or you’re going
to find them online are you going to see
them the next time they come to play and
it it takes that’s what it takes you
don’t have to stand in line at the song
contest on TV to become a popular
musician you know to stand in front of
some judge that doesn’t even play an
instrument on their own goddamn records
tell you now you’re not going to know
right that you know go blow people away
in front in their face
and so it’s kinda you know it’s it’s I
honestly believe it’s that simple I
directed like music videos before for
the Foo Fighters and in its I mean it’s
easy I honestly I honestly believe that
if you’re if you’re focused and
passionate and driven you can achieve
anything you want to achieve in life
because I honestly believe that because
you’ll figure it out you know what I
mean so I never took lessons to play the
drums I just figured it out and I never
took lessons to play guitar maybe a few
but I just listened to Beatles records
you know and so but I would listen to it
I would listen to Andrew and practice by
myself in my bedroom obsessively and so
throughout life I’ve always kind of
figured that that’s just how you do
stuff like if you have a natural
inclination and a real like drive to do
something that you can figure it out I
was playing the guitar you’re in green
know you’re funny dream kind of because
when I was about eleven years old I was
in I think seventh grade from grade 1 to
6 you’re in this one school and then you
go to this new school and I went to this
new school and there was this girl this
girl named Sandy
big blue eyes is perfect heart-shaped
face and she was so I was instantly in
love with this chick so the first day I
asked her like longer steady with me
and so every day I’d meet her at her
locker and like kiss at the locker and
then she’d get on her bus and I get on
my bus and we go home talking and after
seven days she she said you know I’m new
here and I just don’t want to get like
tied down
we’re 11 I don’t want to get tied into a
relationship it absolutely broke my
heart I was heartbroken and that night I
had a dream that I was in an arena full
of people and I was playing guitar and
so I just packed arena they’re all one
yeah and I’m playing and I looked down
and she’s staring at me and she’s crying
like
revenge yeah my rock-and-roll revenge we
although you could have been my
girlfriend we all have this dream but we
just don’t end up in the Foo Fighters
that’s the problem
dreams come true I mean honestly like
making albums the tape is it’s easy and
I think that people get scared because
there’s there’s so much emphasis put on
perfection now that that’s why people
use computers like if you’re a drummer
and you speed up a little bit or you
slow down a little bit you throw into
the computer and go alright and then
make you sound perfect and then if you
sang a little bit sharp or a little flat
you can smooth all that out and it just
makes it sound you lose all the
personality and character you know so
you know imagine if you Pro tool like a
who record it wouldn’t sound like a you
know that’s like wow that’s tape you
know that’s monkey wrench so that’s not
your right that’s incredible so it’s
cool you know then computers
I mean look they’re great for some
things but when it comes to making like
a raw rock and roll record you just
can’t beat it
you know it’s just you gotta use go with
tape I stopped listening to music after
Kurt died because it was so emotional
just hearing it I didn’t want to hear it
on the radio I didn’t want to play it I
didn’t want to join another band and and
then after a while I realized that it
was the one thing that was going to help
me get through everything so I started
writing lyrics I started writing songs
and I went and recorded this demo tape
carries on
a record company called and said hey we
want to release your record I said with
what that’s a demo that’s not a band
it’s the thing I did by myself in five
days and you played every instrument
yeah so then I started to think wow
maybe I will try this I’ve never been
the center of a band was it a tough
transition from drama to front
absolutely it took years man it took a
long time was it the most important
thing is that whatever you’re doing that
it’s a representation of your voice
right so say you’re using a computer or
you’re using an oboe or you use your
your drama over your a vocalist whatever
it is the most important thing is that
it’s really your voice that it’s coming
from you right but it has to come from
you it’s so easy just to you know grab a
loop and hit play and let it do its
thing that that’s somebody else’s loop
like that’s somebody else’s beat man
make your own beat take that guy’s beat
step on it and get off of them put it
out there make it your own you know you
do that like I have always loved whether
it’s a craft work I mean I was one of
them I was one of the first dorks in my
neighborhood to get like a prodigy
record you know in like 1990 or whatever
it was or 91 you know I didn’t have a
pacifier and a glow stick but like I was
I liked the idea thank you very much I
like the idea that these people were
doing something new it didn’t matter if
it was a computer or a jar machine it
was like something new you know it’s
really cool
[Music]
but lately what is that I the last two
days I have pool parties for like my
kids friends and all this so my wife
turns on Pandora to like the like
blockbuster hit station it was like
apocalyptic I was so I was terrible I
was like the human race is going down
teachers died and I wasn’t worried about
like asteroids and she’s like that turn
on the radio I get down scary out
so I listen to that and I just don’t
hear anyone you know it’s just like it’s
like two stupid people talking to each
other there’s just nothing there there’s
an it’s devoid of anything how could
that be
it’s terrible so the most important
I honestly think is like you have to be
able to take whatever it is that someone
else is using make it your own
or just do your own thing I love being a
drummer it’s such a nice position in a
band
everyone thinks you’re dumb but they
don’t realize is that if it weren’t for
you their band would suck you know I’ve
always loved being the drummer I don’t
necessarily need to be the dude out
front I don’t I never imagined myself a
frontman at the same time I don’t mind
bringing the party to 85,000 people lip
at the stage being
you know being the frontman of the band
it’s nice to have both you know there’s
that balance between the two where if
you ever start feeling like nobody’s
paying attention to me well then you go
you’d be the singer the Foo Fighters for
a while and when you’re like damn I’m
sick all this bullsh back to being the
drummer and the vultures or whatever
it’s weird as a musician you want to be
great like you want to be good and you
sort of set these funny expectations for
yourself you know one of the funniest
things that the Fogerty ever said to me
he was like yeah I was I tried to learn
I was learning to play the drums but I
realized that I would never be as good
as John Bonham from Led Zeppelin so I
stopped my you’re who is as good as John
but nobody like what the how could you
do that so like there should be no right
or wrong you know you should just be
cool with what you do and how you sound
like I’m it’s it’s one of the things
that I have a problem with like a lot of
those song contest shows on TV not not
only because you know whatever its
corporate cheese or whatever but I have
a problem with like if my kid walked up
on stage and sang her heart out as best
as she could and Jennifer Lopez said
like nah sorry that’s not good enough
I’d be like I’ll be so pissed you know
cuz that’s not how it works you know you
should be you should go you should go to
a yard sale and buy a real guitar and
then go find a friend and get into your
garage and just suck there’d be awful
and then write some songs and become the
biggest band in the world it has
that’s how it’s that’s how it works
I mean it works other ways too I’m sure
but I mean as a as a young musician you
know first of all you’re not gonna make
a living to it like accept that realize
that because then if you do you’re
stopped the reward of playing music
playing music should be the reward of
playing music like that’s that’s what
you that’s what you kind of get like
when I was a little kid when I was
playing punk rock music as a teenager
like there was never any career
opportunity because we played punk rock
music nobody wanted to buy that but we’d
love to do it it was so it was so much
fun and like if you start from a place
like that that you just love to create
and you just love to play music and you
can’t stop thinking about it and you do
it every day and you do it by yourself
or you do it with your friends and
that’s enough for you to survive the
rest of your life that’s great and then
once you start getting good you start
playing for people and once you start
playing for people if you’re good then
those people will tell other people that
girl’s really good so then all of a said
you’re playing to all these different
people and that to me is the most
important thing when you doing it’s you
on stage and people are seeing when
people see another person doing that
it’s really inspiring like it’s cool to
see a human being
jamming that’s great guilt guilt is
cancer it will confine you torture you
destroy you as an artist it’s a wall
it’s a black hole it’s a thief it’ll
keep you from you remember learning your
first song or riff or writing your first
lyric there’s no guilt then remember
when there was no right or wrong
remember that simple reward of just
playing music you are still and will
always be that person at your core the
musician
and the musician comes first guilty
pleasure how about just pleasure I can
truthfully say out loud that Gangnam
style is one of my favorite songs of the
past decade
it is is it any better or worse than the
latest Atoms for Peace album hmm if only
we had a celebrity panel of judges to
determine that for us what would JLo do
Beijing pitchfork come in come in
pitchfork we need you to help us
determine the value of a song who cares
[Applause]
[Music]
who’s to say what’s a good voice and
what’s not a good voice the voice
imagine Bob Dylan standing there singing
blowing in the wind in front of
Christina Aguilera
[Music]
I think it’s on a little mezzanine and
sharp
it’s your voice
cherish it respect it
nurture it challenge it stretch it
scream it until it’s gone because
everyone’s blessed with at least that
and who knows how long it will last
[Music]
whether he’s playing protective Dead or
rock God holy
day bro is exactly where he wants to be
[Music]
people talk about the good old days when
that man this is great like that do you
ever think I want to do something else
nope I don’t how to do anything else
[Music]
I just love it that’s really really
great that sounded both for this true
you
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because Stuart Beall
asked me to so there’s a famous
entrepreneur that you want me to profile
next leave in the comments below and
I’ll see what I can do
I’d also love to know which of Dave’s
top 10 rules had the biggest impact on
you on why what change you’re going to
make in your business or in your life
leave it in the comments and I will join
in the discussion finally I want to give
a quick shout out to Michael T Cole
Michael thank you so much for buying my
book it really means a lot to me those
are you watching if you want your chance
at a shout out in the future video make
sure to pick up a copy of the book and
email in the receipt so we can keep
track thank you guys so much for
watching
continue to believe or whatever you’re
one where it is and I’ll see you soon
[Music]
Hey ah ah stop stop no no no no no no no
no you don’t fight at my show you
asshole who’s the–who’s that right
there let me see him who’s fighting
right now
who’s fighting let me see him there’s a
guy in a striped shirt right there Hey
look at you
Hey look at me Hey in the striped shirt
look at me right here look at me look at
me get the out of my show right now
my show my show right now you don’t come
to my show and fight you go to my show
and dance you asshole
[Applause]
I think I just broke my leg
I think I really broke my leg
so yeah
you have my promise
that the Foo Fighters we gonna come back
and finish your show for right now
you gotta do you gotta shut it out right
now
you gotta do it you do it
[Music]
ladies and gentlemen
let me tell you
right now I’m gonna go to hospital
I’m gonna fix my leg but then I want to
come back now we’re gonna play for you
go
[Music]
I’m soon
I’m so sorry
we’re gonna do
all right now tell Hawkins you gotta do
[Music]
you gotta do
[Music]
it’s enough
okay they just broke his leg in a big
way okay
so we’re not gonna do go through Friday
show tonight what he really wants us and
because we love him so much he wants us
to play a couple songs for you guys now
there are songs we’re just going to have
a little bit of fun with you guys here a
couple songs before we go do you want us
to do that
with it won’t be tonight but we’ll come
back we’ll play to all of you guys and
we’ll do any go to harsh okay we love
you there
every day
for you
good fun and then you guys go home early
gonna come back okay
mr.
[Applause]
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