For the fourth episode of the Foo Fighters musical travelogue Sonic Highways, Dave Grohland Co. headed to Austin, Texas Friday night to explore the history and culture of, as Grohl put it,some of the weirdest, freakiest stuff in the city that inspires people all over the world. Delving into everything from Austin City Limits and South by Southwest to Willie Nelson, Roky Erickson and Butthole Surfers, the episode deftly cast a wide net on the diverse city. When you bailed from your hometown, said Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes, you landed in Austin.
Ontheir new song What Did I Do?/God as My Witness,the Foos recruited blues rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr. and recorded in the famed Austin City Limits studio to feel the ghosts and spirits [of past performers] come out. I worry about cities like Austin, Grohl says, because its only a matter of time before that candle burns out. Grohl spoke to Rolling Stone about the episode and the effect of increasing gentrification on Americas weirdest city.
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You recorded What Did I Do?/God as My Witness in the old Austin City Limits theatre. Did you take anything away from its long history?
Definitely. When you walk into the front door and see that backdrop over that famous old stage, it just brings you right back to your living room in 1979 watching someone like Willie Nelson or Ray Charles performing.
Were you an ACL fan growing up?
Oh absolutely. I was 7 or 8 the first time I saw it. I was just learning how to play guitar and there werent too many shows like Austin City Limits back in the day. Here was a show that you could watch an entire live performance of a band not just one song after Johnny Carson walks off the couch in front of an intimate audience. Those experiences translate. When I was young, I was like, Wow, thats music! Thats how its done! Now its in my living room and it makes me want to do that too. You watch these brilliant musicians ripping on that stage week after week and it could onlyinspire young musicians. Maybe thats what it was for.
One of the most influentialfigures profiled in the episode is Roky Erickson. You seemed in awe when you talked to him.
[Laughs] His legacy is so mysterious and iconic and bizarre that sitting with him was like sitting with someone from another planet. You were sitting with someone thatwas not like anyone you ever met. Knowing his history and what he accomplished with his life, he just radiates and glows with this energy. Hes a treasure.
What was his demeanor like off-camera?
Roky walked in the studio and said, Hey, how you doing? Nice to meet you. He was really sweet and seemed a little nervous. I said, How you doing, Roky? He said, Oh, we went book shopping. I said, Oh yeah? Whatd you get? He said, Self-help books. Hes so for real. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
What do you think Gary Clark Jr. brought to the track?
Gary represents something very important. He is, maybe unknowingly, carrying the torch of these blues players that came before him. He would never say that; hes so humble. Thats a responsibility I dont know if anybodywants to have, but he has it in his soul. When he playsa guitar, theres no disconnect between his heart and the instrument.
When he put the lead down for God Is My Witness, he walked into the studio and didnt even bring a guitar. He just took one from Pat Smear Pat hadnt even played it yet and it still had a tag on it and does three takes and thats it. Pat said, Just fuckin keep it. [Laughs] When youre sitting next to someone like that on the couch watching him do that, your jaw is just on the floor because it is 100% pure human expression. Thats every musicians goal.
You touch on it in the episode, but do you think Austinis getting too big for its own good? Is it hard to stay weird as it grows out of this niche city?
I think the message in the Austin episode is that we have to be careful that we dont overlook the reasons why people are drawn to these cities. Theres something about Austin and its alternative culture thats an oasis in the middle of this country that attracted peopleto it in the first place. The personality and the fingerprint of this city is unlike anywhere else. The preservation of that needs to be a priority because if youre not careful, that could be wiped away and youre just left with a strip mall.
But thats not just Austin.
Right. Thats happening all over the country. Its also New York. Its also Washington, D.C. Thereare so many cities that communities have shaped. Its important for the community to fight to retain what theyve builtand not just let the money come in and erase it like a chalkboard. But its also inevitable [laughs]. My little HBO series might not make a dent, but at least I got my two cents in.