BACK IN 1996, A NEW BAND CALLED THE FOO FIGHTERS SPLITWITH THEIR DRUMMER WILLIAM GOLDSMITH AFTER HE AND FRONTMAN DAVE GROHL BUTTED HEADS WHILE RECORDING THEIR 2ND ALBUM, THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE. GROHL CALLED UP AN ACQUAINTANCE FRIEND LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A NEW DRUMMER, AND THAT WAS ALANIS MORRISETTE’S TOURING BAND DRUMMER, TAYLOR HAWKINS. GROHL REALLY WANTED HAWKINS BUT FIGURED HE WOULDN’T WANT TO LEAVE THE SWEET GIG TO PLAY WITH A BAND THAT HADN’T QUITE MADE IT YET…HE WAS WRONG AND GRHOL WAS SURPRISED WHEN HAWKINS RECOMMENDED HIMSELF AS THE REPLACEMENT, EXPLAINING THAT HE WANTED TO BE DRUMMER IN A ROCK BAND RATHER THAN BE SUPPORT FOR A SOLO ACT. AND ON THIS DATE IN 1997, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE LATE TAYLOR HAWKINS MADE HIS DEBUT AS THE FOO FIGHTER’S DRUMMER AT A LIVE SHOW AT THE ALLIGATOR LOUNGE IN SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA…HARD TO BELIEVE HE WASN’T THEIR FIRST CHOICE AND EVEN HARDER TO BELIEVE THAT HE HAS BEEN GONE FOR OVER 2 YEARS…THERE IS NO SET LIST AVAILABLE FROM THAT SHOW, BUT THE FIRST VIDEO THAT HE APPEARED IN AS A FOO FIGHTER WAS FOR THE SINGLE “MONKEY WRENCH” EVEN THOUGH THE TUNE WAS RECORDED BEFORE HE JOINED THE BAND…’MONKEY WRENCH’ – TODAY’S ROXY’S ROCK REWIND ON 105.7 THE X
