Dave Grohl has said he wouldn’t be good enough to replace Rush drummer Neil Peart after the band member announced his retirement in 2015.

The Foo Fighters frontman has collaborated with Rush before, after playing guitar with them as they performed ‘212’ at their Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction.

When asked if he would tour with Rush if Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson asked him to, he told Rolling Stone: “I’d say ‘I’m not physically or musically capable, but thanks for the offer.’ Neil Peart, that’s a whole other animal, another species of drummer.


“I know the arrangements, but I’m like Meg White to Neil Peart,” he added. “And she’s one of my favorite drummers! She’s my daughter’s favorite drummer, too. My daughter plays drums to two types of music: White Stripes and AC/DC. I’m like, “That’s exactly what you need to be doing.”

He went on to praise White’s abilities, saying “she is one of those drummers that if you hear 15 seconds of her recording, you’ll know who it is and that to me has always been the gold standard.

“That’s always been the challenge. You want to know when you hear it, like, you’re like, “Oh, that’s John Bonham. Oh, that’s Charlie Watts. That’s Ringo. That’s Stewart Copeland. That’s Meg White.” And that’s not easy to do. That means you’re playing from the heart.

“No, she’s great, man. I mean honestly. Like the doorbell song [“My Doorbell”]? Ugh. Come on. One of my favorite drum beats of all time. That’s a classic. It’s a riff. You know? It’s songwriting, but with sticks in your hands. It’s fucking great.”

Yesterday, Grohl discussed what it’s like working with Josh Homme, comparing their collaborative process to a conversation between two drunk friends.


“When Josh [Homme] and I play, it’s like a conversation between two old friends that have had too much to drink. That’s what it’s like when we write together… He’ll play something and I’ll hit it back to him like that [snaps fingers].”