Josh Homme reflects on Taylor Hawkins tribute show and “romance” with Dave Grohl

Queens of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has reflected on the tribute show held for Taylor Hawkins in 2022 and his friendship with Dave Grohl.

In a new interview with NME, Homme spoke about performing David Bowie‘s ‘Let’s Dance’ with Nile Rodgers in honour of Hawkins, who away passed in March last year, at Wembley Stadium last September.

“That felt really good, because I’ve always placed a really high value on escapism as a really top commodity,” he said.

“Being able to sing ‘Let’s Dance’ with Nile Rodgers at Wembley for my friend… Taylor would have loved that gig so much. It’s such a wonderful thing that perhaps only Dave [Grohl] could do as a send-off like that. [He was asking] ‘Is this a good way to say ‘I love you’?’ In the years past, I haven’t always known how to say ‘I love you’ to the people that I care about, you know?”

Homme also spoke about his close friendship with Grohl who has performed with his band over the years and previously teamed up with the Foo Fighters frontman in their side project Them Crooked Vultures with Led Zeppelin‘s John Paul Jones.

He added: “Dave has been one of the longest romances I’ve had that’s worked. He’s such a good guy, but I also love his dark side. I love mixing our watercolours together like that, just in conversation. We go to this place, that I won’t name, just to eat breakfast and waffles and talk about times.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Homme also spoke about going up against Elton John at Glastonbury, how he wrote “his way out of my troubles” on recent album ‘In Times New Roman‘ and the band’s recent show at The O2 in London.

Meanwhile, Homme recently paid tribute to Shane MacGowan during one of the band’s recent shows in Dublin when The Pogues frontman was still in hospital.

“He’s an absolute fucking poet. Everyone think wonderful thoughts about Shane MacGowan,” he told the crowd midway through the set. “When we the poets are gone, you’re left with a bunch of c***s. I think some poet said that one time.”

MacGowan has since passed away, having died from pneumonia aged 65.

Queens Of The Stone Age will  top the bill at Download Festival next June alongside Avenged Sevenfold and Fall Out Boy. You can purchase tickets here.