10 Questions for Dave Grohl

The Foo Fighters guitarist talks Nirvana, Greatest Hits and chewing gum. Dave Grohl will now take your questions

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Danny Clinch / Corbis Outline

With the release of Foo Fighters Greatest Hits, which would you say is your favorite Foo Fighters song?

Peter Etchells

BRISTOL, ENGLAND

The Greatest Hits record is kind of like a Cliffs Notes version of the Foo Fighters catalog. These are the songs that most people know. But [Foo Fighters have] 65 other tracks. Some of those are probably the ones that I love the most, like "Aurora" off the third album. Every one of these songs lyrically represents something personal to me.

Is Greatest Hits a goodbye or more of a "See you later"?

Jason Wieder

WILLOWBROOK, ILL.

Of course, we feel like for us to put out an album titled Greatest Hits would maybe insinuate that we've got nothing left. I look at it as the end of Chapter 1--the first 15 years. I never thought we would last more than two albums. It wasn't meant to be a band. I would've called it something else if it were meant to be a band. Something other than Foo Fighters, I swear.

Has becoming a father changed the way you write music?

Jennifer Arnold, GILBERT, ARIZ.

I used to tour nine months out of the year. Now I don't like being away from my kids for more than 12 days. It's changed everything that I do. When you have kids, you see life through different eyes. You feel love more deeply and are maybe a little more compassionate. It's inevitable that that would make its way into your songwriting.

Do you think you would've had the same success you have now if you hadn't been a member of Nirvana?

Jose Unamuno, ORLANDO, FLA.

No. Absolutely not. I always felt fortunate to have been in that band. I've always felt it was incredibly unfortunate how it ended. But I know that if it weren't for that band, I wouldn't be here right now.

Who do you think is the best new band out there now?

Kaitlyn Estona

TEMECULA, CALIF.

I have a lot of favorite bands. Deerhoof are amazing. You can't go wrong with a name like Deerhoof. I get happy for bands when they get really successful, because I remember what it was like. Like Kings of Leon--I'm happy for those guys. When I hear live drums and real guitars and people singing on the radio, it makes me feel that there's still hope for this world.

How do you manage to scream consistently in your songs and still have one of the best singing voices around?

Kristin Wolf

WEST MANSFIELD, OHIO

I've been destroying my voice for, like, 15 years. My vocal cords probably look like string cheese at this point.

What kind of gum do you chew? You are chewing gum all the time; it must be awesome gum.

Brett Michael Schmitz

FOND DU LAC, WIS.

I'll chew any kind of gum. I have to when we play live because all that screaming will dry out your throat. The last thing you want to do is gag and barf in front of 20,000 people.

What are your musical influences?

Reyes Ceniceros

MONTERREY, MEXICO

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