In a freshly published interview with The New York Times, drummer Josh Freese reflected on his relatively brief time spent serving as the drummer for hard rock chart-toppers Foo Fighters, his eventual firing from that outfit, and his return to industrial metal legends Nine Inch Nails.
A veteran of the Vandals, A Perfect Circle and many more, Freese was chosen to get behind the drum kit for Foo Fighters back in May of 2023, taking on the arduous task of filling the void left by the late Taylor Hawkins.
However, this past May, roughly two years later, Freese announced he had been fired from the group. At the time of his dismissal, Freese stated that he was “shocked and disappointed” in being let go from the band.
As it would turn out however, Foo Fighters would go on to welcome drummer Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails as Freese‘s replacement. Ironically, Rubin had previously replaced Freese in Nine Inch Nails in 2008, and with that position once again left vacant, Freese was invited to rejoin NIN.
In the aforementioned NYT piece, Freese admitted his instatement in the Foo Fighters camp came with challenges, offering, “I’m coming in as Dave Grohl’s drummer, and the guy that’s supposed to save the day after the beloved Taylor Hawkins died.”
While ultimately losing such a high-profile gig may have been crushing to most musicians, Freese was a bit flippant about it, posting this list in which he joked about the 10 possible reasons he got ejected
Reflecting on that split now and how it played out, it seems Freese wasn’t entirely invested in the music of the Foos, telling The New York Times, “Looking back, it was probably more an issue with their management. It wasn’t music that I really resonated with.”
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