Dave Grohl has an unexpected health hack, and yes, it involves whiskey.
At 57, the Foo Fighters founder is still synonymous with relentless live shows. Grohl formed the band in 1994 after first becoming a household name behind the kit as Nirvana’s drummer.
Because touring can be brutal on a singer’s voice, Grohl has previously acknowledged how important it is to stay in shape vocally during long runs on the road. With more dates on the calendar later this year, he’s now shared what he does to keep his voice holding up — including advice he says his doctor gave him.
On the Dish podcast, Grohl explained that ‘maybe eight years ago’ he decided it was time to ‘go get my vocal cords checked out’, something he’d ‘never done’ prior.
He admitted he was bracing for bad news. “And I was like, ‘Oh, Jesus. It’s going to look like string cheese’,” he quipped. “And I thought, ‘Okay, this is it. They’re gonna tell me that I’ve thrashed my vocal cords, and I’ll never be able to sing again’.”
Instead, he says the exam revealed his vocal cords were in excellent condition.
“And the guy sticks the camera down into my throat and he goes, ‘Just relax.’ And he’d say, ‘Okay, now say ‘eee’.’ And I’m going, ‘Eee.’ And then he looks at my vocal cords and he goes, ‘Wow, they look great.’ And I said, ‘You’re kidding’.”
That moment led Grohl to describe what he typically does in the hour leading up to a show.
“He said, ‘No, they look amazing. Do you do vocal warmups?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t.’ And he goes, ‘Okay, do you do like vocal cool downs after a show?’ I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Well, what do you do before a gig?’ I said, ‘Honestly? An hour before the show, I’ll open a beer and I’ll start drinking the beer. I might take an Advil because my knees hurt, my ankles hurt, whatever, I’m old.
“Then I have a shot of whiskey. And then once the beer is done, I’ll open another beer. Then we’ll maybe have a group shot of whiskey. Which we call ‘band prayer’ and then someone will say 15 minutes and I open one more beer and have one more shot. And then hit the stage’.
“And my doctor said, ‘Just don’t change what you’re doing. It’s working!’ And I was like, ‘Ok, great!’ And that’s it!”
Foo Fighters will release their new album My Favorite Toy on Friday ahead of a European tour this summer.
The band also has North American dates lined up for summer and fall, followed by an Australian and New Zealand run slated for 2026 and 2027.