Bob Dylan wanted to record a cover version of Foo Fighters song ‘Everlong’.
The ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ hitmaker invited the band to open up for him on a 2008 tour and frontman Dave Grohl recalled being “terrified” when summoned to meet with the legendary singer, only for him to heap praise on the group and their music.
Speaking to Uncut magazine, Grohl said: “All I could see was his silhouette, he had a black hooded sweatshirt pulled up over his head, a black leather jacket, black jeans and black boots on. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“I walked up to him and said, ‘Hey Bob, how’re you doing?’ He’s like, ‘Hey man, how’s it going?’
“We talked for a little bit and he thanked us for being on the tour and then he said, ‘Man, what’s that song you guys got? “The only thing I’ll ever ask of you is to promise not to stop when I say when.” ‘
“I said, ‘Oh, that’s ‘Everlong’. He said, ‘That’s a great song man, I should do that song.’
“I was like, ‘You know, I think you’ve got enough good songs to hold you over.’ “
The brief meeting remains one of the highlights of former Nirvana drummer Grohl’s career.
He said: “Honestly, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. It was f****** terrifying –but he couldn’t have been nicer.”
Producer Arthur Baker also recalled hearing Dylan sing a surprising choice of cover during downtime in the studio when they were working on his ‘Empire Burlesque’ record.
He said: “I was mixing something one night and hearing something really weird beneath it.
“So I turned the volume down quickly and it was Bob singing ‘Like a Virgin’ on acoustic guitar.
“He was figuring out how to play Madonna. We’d already finished the record and he’d say to me, ‘I’d like to make a record like Prince of Madonna. Can we do that?’ He was a joker. He liked to f*** with me, y’know?”
