Josh Homme has revealed that friend and Foo Fighters‘ frontman Dave Grohl was ‘turfed out’ of the studio while Queens Of The Stone Age were recording new album ‘Villains’.

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Both QOTSA and the Foos were working just a few blocks apart while working on their new records – having previously said that it led to a ‘healthy sense of competition’ but also inspired them to ‘take over the fucking world together‘.

However, while the friends and former collaborators would often ‘gatecrash’ each other’s sessions and go to dinner together, there was one moment in particular where Grohl was asked to leave.


Speaking to Q Magazine, Homme said during one take he was ‘frustrated’ about one song in particular when Grohl told him “You know, not every song is gonna be your best song”.

“I thought that was good advice,” said Homme. “But I said, ‘Why? Why not? Why can’t every song be the best versions of itself?’ I think both of those are right.”

Then, he revealed that one night a ‘tipsy’ Grohl came to their studio after “enjoying himself”, while Homme was ‘struggling’ with a vocal take of new song ‘Fortress’. Not wanting to worsen the situation, producer Mark Ronson ‘turfed Grohl out’.

“I didn’t see it because I was [in the studio] wrestling an alligator, but in this case Ronson is the new guy and he was very sweet and was protecting me,” said Homme. “Maybe in his own mind he thought he was protecting Dave too.”

Speaking of his difficulty with the track, Homme added: “The chorus is almost as inspirational for me and that’s harder to do. It’s hard to say ‘I love you’ sometimes, without sounding really saccharine and like a goof, there is a way to say all things.”


Queens Of The Stone Age release new album ‘Villains’ on August 25.

Speaking to NME about the sound of the album, frontman Josh Homme said: “There are some slower moments but I like to dance, man, and whether it’s Eagles [Of Death Metal] or Queens or [Them Crooked] Vultures there’s no reason not to conjoin rock’n’roll and dance and hallelujah and darkness and all that in one thing. In a world of desperately going for ‘likes’ I think ‘Villains’ is more like, ‘We’ll take the dislikes, we’ll take all the outcasts’. This album is here to do bad guy stuff.”

He added: “Queens has always been like an ice-cream parlour or a video arcade, it’s safe from the bullshit of the day. I’m not interested in being topical in that way, yet at the same time it’s completely about now.”