Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl and Pat Smear said that they periodically link up with former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic and play as if they’re the iconic grunge band.
“Every once in a while, me and Krist and Dave get together and we do play as if we’re Nirvana,” Smear, the band’s touring guitarist from 1993-94 — told Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show on Thursday. Asked if he ever missed the group, Smear replied, “I don’t have to miss it — we do it. If we’re in the same town together or whatever, we’ll get together and jam.”
The trio most recently played together at the house where Foo Fighters tracked their latest album, the recently released Medicine at Midnight. After nodding in confirmation, Grohl added, “We actually recorded some stuff.”
Though they enjoy playing together, Grohl and Smear agreed that it’s too painful to revisit Nirvana’s music. Grohl did mention a memorable exception: After hearing the band’s “Come as You Are” on the radio during a car drive, he noticed his daughter knew all the lyrics: “I never played that record,” he said. “We don’t talk about Nirvana and stuff, and she was singing every word of the song. That, to me — that feels good.”
You can watch the interview below.
His daughter also asked about Nirvana’s late frontman, Kurt Cobain — specifically whether or not he was “shy” in real life. “It was interesting,” he said. “It was really the first time she started really asking me questions about Kurt. It was a first. And it was great.”
Foo Fighters — who are nominated for the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — also played a three-song set during their Howard Stern Show appearance, including a tribute to the late Leslie West by covering Mountain‘s “Mississippi Queen.”
Watch the interview and performance below.