Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

The Foo Fighters were an important band for me. Their first album was released in 1995. I devoured it. I can recall a long drive with my family from the state of Washington back home to California in which I played my cassette copy of the Foo Fighters debut on repeat. My Walkman must have felt exhausted by the end of that trip.

Dave Grohl is the frontman of the Foo Fighters. He is also an amazing drummer. His first taste of fame was as the drummer of Nirvana. I was a couple years late to discovering Nirvana. By the time I had immersed myself in fandom of that band, the frontman Kurt Cobain had committed suicide. What a waste.

But what a joy, then, to discover Dave Grohl's awesome songwriting talents. The documentary "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth" chronicles the first 16(!) years of the band. In his interviews, Mr. Grohl has an unfortunate propensity for the "F word". His inability to speak articulately on camera unfortunately renders many of his remarks void. His multitudinous band mates -- several were fired or quit along the way --  are also interviewed, but their insights are secondary. It is clear that Mr. Grohl is captain of this ship.

My interest in the film waned once the events around the making of the band's 3rd album had been depicted. I'm not a big fan of what the Foo Fighters have become; they are now an arena band and belong to hordes. Still, their first three albums remain on my shelf. We had our moment, but now that moment is gone. My tastes have changed, Grohl's tastes have changed. Watching "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth" felt like visiting a past love interest: soon enough, you run out things to talk about and want to go home.