Dave Grohl:Rocks the Vote

The call came late one Friday afternoon in January. On the line was John Silva, manager to one of the world’s biggest rock stars. He began to brief me on how, after quietly spending a sizable sum of money on an exploratory bid for the Oval Office, said rock star was ready to make an announcement—and his team wanted HARP to be the first media outlet to deliver the news. Dave Grohl, frontman for Foo Fighters and drummer of the legendary Nirvana, was ready to dive headfirst into the nasty political waters of the 2008 presidential campaign. This all came on the eve of a U.S. tour—or campaign blitz, depending on how you want to look at it—starting (by no mere coincidence) in the key primary state of Florida.

Prior to boarding the next flight to Miami, I was given a couple of caveats by Silva and his small but highly organized campaign team. From here on out, the dates on this Foo Fighters tour were no longer “gigs” but rather “stops on the campaign trail,” and the band’s rabid fans were now to be respectfully referred to as “the votes.” OK, I got it. Dave Grohl wasn’t fucking around.

As the questions mounted in my brain (under a Grohl administration, would Courtney Love be considered a homeland security threat or would she be FEMA’s responsibility? Would he make Kurt’s birthday a national holiday? Reagan was known for his well-stocked jellybean jar on his Oval Office desk—will that jar now be filled with Mentos?), I couldn’t help but wonder if all of the fame and fortune that comes with selling over 30 million albums could’ve gone to Grohl’s head—a head that I feared may have come slightly unglued. Of course, politics is littered with less-then-sane Oval Office wannabes—raise your hands Pat Robertson, Ross Perot and Lyndon LaRouche—but Grohl is the American Dream, the Rock ’n’ Roll Everyman, and I certainly didn’t want to watch a public implosion of such a revered figure.

On paper, Grohl’s story reads like a high-powered political strategist’s wet dream: born to a struggling public school teacher mother and Republican speechwriter father, a small-town kid from way outside the Beltway goes on to tour the world in Nirvana and later forms Foo Fighters, becoming the CEO of a multinational corporation known as Foo Fighters LLC; helps campaign for Democratic candidate John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election; and continues to raise awareness for a number of non-profit do-gooders like Democracy for America, CarbonNeutral and instant-runoff voting. Add all that to Grohl’s infamous “nicest guy in rock ’n’ roll” persona and his 100-watt smile, and you’ve got yourself a pretty compelling candidate. Maybe he’s saner than I thought.

Choosing to run as an Independent dark horse candidate because, as he says, “I’ve made all of my own rules up until this point and I don’t want to live up to anyone’s party expectations,” Grohl could certainly shake things up between the current frontrunner Democrats, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as John McCain and—gulp—Mitt Romney on the Republican side. As refreshing as it is to have a woman and an African-American for leading candidates, it’s made for a lot of polarizing within the Democratic Party. Which means regardless of who gets the Democratic nod, the party will be left with an abundance of disenchanted votes that could be up for grabs by an Independent candidate.

As Grohl outlined his platform with me between an endless stream of Marlboro Reds, it became clear that much of it was still in an embryonic state, but his convictions made up for whatever policy details his campaign team seemed unable to provide. Sitting in his motorcade bus with the South Beach sun setting through the deeply tinted windows, Grohl spoke candidly and passionately about what he can bring to the 2008 political discourse—and if the stars align just right, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

HARP: The question on everyone’s lips right now must be, should a rock star really get involved with politics? What makes you think you’re qualified for the job?

Dave Grohl: Here’s the thing: Some people might see me as a boy from Springfield, Va., who got lucky, but at the end of the day I’m an American citizen. I’ve been traveling the world for 20 years and I know what it’s like to be the kid from Springfield, Va., in Prague, Helsinki, in Osaka, in Moscow, in Newcastle, and Ottawa. There was a time when you could travel from country to country and people would ask you, “What’s it like in Chicago, or Seattle or Los Angeles?” These people dreamed of coming to America and experiencing what a great country it is. It’s totally the opposite now. There’s this redneck image of America that’s been cultivated over the last eight years by our redneck president. America has blue states, red states and all kinds of divisions, but we need someone to bring them all together—and that person is me. I’m willing to give up the rock-star thing for four years to better serve this country and the world.

HARP: Did you start to get the political itch when you helped campaign for Kerry in 2004?

I went out with John Kerry not only to support him, but because Bush was evidently using some of our music at his rallies. I was personally offended that he would take a song like “Times Like These” so far out of context. He was running on a platform of fear and war, and it’s a song about love and hope! So I met Kerry’s family at a fundraiser and said, “if there’s anything you need me to do” and it wasn’t long before they asked me to come out and support his campaign in a motorcade. Nobody knew who the fuck I was—you had schoolteachers, factory workers, retirees and homemakers who were there because they were desperate to be rescued from the Bush administration. I would talk to them about being an American in other countries and how much the perception of this country has changed.

Every night when I’m on tour, I bring my message to thousands and thousands of people. There’s 10 thousand people that woke up this morning and felt like America is the right place to be because at our show last night they were spilling beer all over themselves and tongue kissing for two hours. What other candidate can do that? With all due respect to Obama, Hillary, Huckabee and all the others, they’ve got nothing on me.

HARP: The one prevaling theme in all of the candidates’ platforms this election seems to come down to “change.”

Right. I want to present a different kind of change, though. I want to change change. If you continue to change change then it truly becomes change whether it’s technology, society, the economy, or the spreading of democracy. I want to be the president that takes change and changes it over and over again. Together, we can decide what direction we wanna take that change.

HARP: Let’s talk about policies. There are some pretty radical immigration policies that a number of the candidates are proposing this election. The scary part is that they seem to be resonating with some voters.

Let me make a musical analogy if I may: I look at America as if it were Wembley stadium—it’s only so big but you can fit a lot of people in it. As president of the United States of America, I promise to rock the fucking house—and everyone’s invited.

HARP: Would you have a specific policy for kids with emo haircuts caught crossing the border?

Kids with emo haircuts could come to the party, too. We have to be careful about making stereotypes. I encourage kids to explore their individuality—I want the kids of today, our future, the presidents of tomorrow to follow their own path. Whether that’s some freaky goth kid or some kid that shops at Urban Outfitters, takes mushrooms and goes to concerts in Vermont.

HARP: Have you thought about who might make up a Grohl adminstration?

It’s a little early, but a few people to mind.

Krist Novoselic really excels in the political arena. When I need to a shoulder a cry on, when I need real advice all I have to do is call Krist and he reminds me what it is to be that kid with big dreams from Springfield, Va. The kid who worked at a furniture warehouse, mowed the lawn, and didn’t have enough money to be a member of the neighborhood swimming pool.

HARP: So how did you keep cool in the summertime?

You know what I did? I turned on the hose and I drank from it. I want America to come back to that place where we’re all drinking from the hose. I think that’s a perfect metaphor for what’s gone wrong in this country. Water is now more expensive than gasoline. How is that possible? It’s because in this country, corporate domination dictates our daily lives. We need to get back to drinking from that hose.

HARP: As Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee pardoned Keith Richards for a minor traffic offense in 1975. As president, who would you pardon first?

Well, Foxy Brown has been in the clink for a while now. I know she has a temper, but come on! And what about Boy George? Is he still doing community service?

HARP: As president, would you help to uncover the mystery of Dennis Kucinich’s wife? I mean, have you seen her?

That’s the David Copperfield factor at work. It’s like when Lemmy [from Motorhead] first met my wife he said “Ms. Grohl, it’s very nice to meet you” and he turned to me and said [in gravelly, British accent] , “She’s far too good-looking to be with you mate!” But in this day and age it’s important for people to move away from that superficial image of love. In my America—the America that I can help create—somebody who looks like Angie Everhart can date or marry a politician who looks like Tattoo without a second thought.

HARP: The conservative evangelical vote has become increasingly important for candidates. John McCain saw the power of their votes in the
2000 election when he denounced Jerry Falwell, along with Pat Robertson, Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton, as “agents of intolerance.” They were instrumental in Bush winning both elections. How can a rock-star outsider like you even hope to get 1 percent of their vote?