Fighting Fit

WorldPop.com 2000

Chris
The Foo Fighters are a hard working bunch, but having rocked the world on a promo tour to support their brilliant 'There Is Nothing Left To Lose', 2001 is set for a time to rest and a time to chase solo dreams. WorldPop caught up with the Foo's Chris Schifflett for everything from touring madness to Britney's music

WorldPop: Your UK tour went down a storm. What was the maddest moment for you?
Chris: The Manchester gig was just mental! This guy jumped on to the stage and started jamming with Dave. It got a bit crazy and the bouncers were trying to pull him down but he was a pretty good player and he was enjoying himself. We had to have a talk to security after the show cos they had the poor guy in a headlock at one stage. I thought they were going to kill him. Dave stopped the show and made sure he was all right.
WorldPop: We hear you chilled with Mani after the show?
Chris: Yeah Mani from Primal Scream came along to the gig and he invited us back to his place. His wife cooked some curry and we just sat around chatting ... real relaxed. You need a bit of normality some times when you're on tour. Mani is such a top guy. I remember when I first met Primal Scream in Australia, I was thinking, 'Shit man, I've got all your records! The Stone Roses were one of my all time favourite bands.'
WorldPop: Have you ever told him?
Chris: No. You never say stuff like that or you just look like a fool.
WorldPop: Any other highlights?
Chris: Dave and I in The Kitchen at U2's hotel, Dublin, five o'clock in the morning throwing back shots of whiskey and dribbling onto the bar. I went and had a look around Edinburgh when we played there. It's a really beautiful old town. I went to the Castle and Saint Giles Cathedral. I'm up on history and that place is full of it. Apparently The Corn Exchange was an old abattoir, it's a bit creepy when you think about it, lots of hanging carcasses and stuff.
WorldPop: What do you think of the current American music scene with bands like Destiny's Child and Limp Bizkit doing so well in the charts?
Chris: Well, it's great that there seems to be a backlash against all of this R&B and date rape Limp Bizkit shit. There are loads of excellent bands, like At The Drive In and Amen that are doing real well over here in the UK. All that Slipknot shit is just poser rock though. You have to remember that people aren't dumb. You can release a Beatles collection of No 1 hits, 20 years after the event, but you couldn't do that with Britney Spears. Her music is forgettable. A lot of the heavier stuff isn't.
WorldPop: What do you think of all the tabloid interest in Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton and their expected child?
Chris: Liam Gallagher could be the last real rock and roller. He's just got something about him ... I've met him a couple of times and he seems a nice enough guy. I think I met Liam's girlfriend at Reading, she's in some girl band or something? Good luck to them, the tabloids should mind their own business.
WorldPop: What are the Foo Fighters up to in January?
Chris: We're recording new stuff already, which is really exciting but we need to take a break from touring, it's just getting too much. After the Rio festival, we're gonna chill a bit more, concentrate on new stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love touring around, meeting new people, and the UK is just the best, the crowds are awesome but at the end of the day, you're only human, you can only take so much!

Words:Emily Rayner

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