Indie “supergroup” Boygenius have revealed that Dave Grohl was supposed to have guest starred on their acclaimed debut LP The Record – but missed his slot in the studio after failing to set his alarm clock properly.
Speaking to the NME, Phoebe Bridgers explained how the Foo Fighters frontman was scheduled to join her and fellow members Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker to play on one of the album’s tracks, but the collaboration fell through after he “slept through it”.
“We have a friend who knows him and toured with Foo Fighters,” Bridgers said. “There was this missed connection where Dave was actually going to come to the studio and play on [The Record]. Then he slept through it or whatever, and we didn’t end up meeting.”
Boygenius have been hailed as an "Indie Supergroup".
Despite that missed opportunity, the band did get a chance to play with Grohl at their Halloween show at the Hollywood Bowl in October. He took up drumming duties on their track “Satanist”, appropriately dressed as the Devil, with Bridgers, Dacus and Baker in Father, Son and Holy Ghost costumes.
That performance has now prompted speculation that “Satanist” might have been the track the former Nirvana drummer was supposed to have guested on.
Bridgers also explained how their eventual meeting finally came about.
“I made friends with Dave backstage at a Billie Eilish show. He’s the coolest guy ever,” she said. “I was texting the boys, being like, ‘I met Dave Grohl, and he exceeds every expectation of how a rock star can be in the world’. I think we, as a group, look for that a lot – like, who is living their life the way that we want to get old and live our lives?
Boygenius was formed when Bridgers, Dacus and Baker – all successful artists in their own right – grew frustrated with being constantly held up as rivals to each other. "I hope people see the three of us and know there isn't competition," Dacus has said. "You don't have to compete with your contemporaries. You can make something good with people you admire. I think it’s dangerous for people to become jealous. It’s so toxic to want to take titles from somebody else. I hope people see that you don’t have to fight your way to the top.”
After releasing the lauded Boygenius EP in 2018, the three members took a step back from releasing new material, before reuniting for this year’s The Record. In another peculiar Grohl connection, they announced their return in Rolling Stone by recreating Nirvana’s famous 1994 cover shoot for the magazine.
The Record has cemented Boygenius as one of music’s most exciting prospects, topping the UK album charts and peaking at #4 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The trio have since been nominated for seven Grammys including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song (for the single “Not Strong Enough”).
Intriguingly, amongst their rivals in those last two categories are the Foo Fighters. Not that Bridgers seems overly concerned. “I think we’re gonna have to fight Dave Grohl in the parking lot,” she joked.
Boygenius' debut LP 'The Record' is Grammy-nominated for Album of the Year.
