PAT SMEAR has officially left FOO FIGHTERS, ending months of speculation. In June, Smear walked out of the group after a massive backstage row in Paris. He was persuaded to remain with them until the end of their European tour. The roots of Smear's dissatisfaction have been linked to power battles within the band and Dave Grohl's relationship with Veruca Salt's Louise Post. However, when NME spoke to Grohl at the recent V97 Festival he dismissed the rumours as "a bunch of Internet crap".
Smear has been replaced by Franz Stahl, a veteran of the '80s Washington DC hardcore band, Scream. Dave Grohl once drummed with the group. More recently, Stahl was, with his brother Pete, a member of Wool. He made his debut with Foo Fighters at the MTV Awards in New York last Thursday (September 4).
"It's great to be playing back with Dave," Stahl said. "Being friends again in a musical sense. I think my brightest moments were playing music with Dave. I saw when Taylor (Hawkins, drummer) joined Foo Fighters there was an infusion of energy that reminded me of the time Dave came over to the basement to audition for Scream." Smear's immediate plans are not known. Rumours that he's joining former Foos bassist Nate Mendel and former Foos drummer William Goldsmith in a re-formed Sunny Day Real Estate have been denied. "Although I'm leaving Foo Fighters, making music is my passion," Smear said. "And I am really excited to begin new projects of my own. I truly appreciate everyone's kindness and support. I look forward to sharing more with you in the future."
There is also a Grohl related article referring to Nirvana's upcoming box set, here is a foo related excerpt:
"There's a few songs that are really good that nobody's ever heard. I don't even know if they have titles." He added that it would be at least two years before the box set is released, as he and Grohl planned to incorporate video disc and interactive technology into the release. Novoselic joined Grohl at a Foo Fighters gig in Seattle on August 29. With Grohl on drums the band performed versions of Prince's 'Purple Rain' and Led Zeppelin's 'Communication Breakdown'.
