Steven Tyler: Dave Grohl is my hero

Dave Grohl
Grohl and Tyler in 2012 (Image credit: Getty)

Steven Tyler says that Foo Fighers frontman Dave Grohl is one of his heroes and that the pair are “birds of a feather.”

The Aerosmith singer points to the fact that both of them emerged from behind the drum kit to take on vocal duties – and reports that he and Grohl have remained down to earth despite their success.

When asked who his heroes are, Tyler tells Rolling Stone: “There’s so many, but really anyone that survived trauma. People like Dave Grohl.

“He could have gone the way of the rest of Nirvana, but he came out from behind the drums and became a guitar-playing lead singer.

“The two of us are birds of a feather. You won’t meet two more country, down-to-earth, help-my-wife-make-the-pie type of people than myself and David.”

Tyler also says that while being famous has its perks, it can sometimes feel like “being pecked to death by chickens.”

The singer continues: “I’m one of those few people that loves notoriety. I love being loved by people that love the songs that my band loved enough to record.

“Now, the other side is everybody’s got a camera attached to their iPhone, so you can’t go anywhere without a picture. I have a great t-shirt that says ‘Go fuck your selfie’ that I walk through airports with.

“Sometimes, you’re in the gym at 7:30am, and you haven’t had your coffee and everyone you meet is like, ‘Oh, my God!’ It’s like getting pecked to death by chickens. But then I have moments that I’m so grateful that some nine-year-old kid comes over and says they loved the Skittles halftime commercial at the Super Bowl, or some 40-year-old got married to I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.”

Tyler released the single Red, White And You from his upcoming country album in January, which is tentatively due for release this year.

In 2015,Tyler admitted his Aerosmith bandmates were “not happy” about his solo album, as it resulted in the band cancelling most of their 2016 tour plans, according to guitarist Brad Whitford.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.