Given that he's played with some of rock's biggest names - Nine inch Nails, The Offspring, Weezer and Paramore to name but a few, in addition to his own band, The Vandals - Josh Freese is unlikely to be unemployed for too long after his shock ejection from the Foo Fighters. "While I’m not angry – I’m shocked and disappointed" he posted on Instagram after receiving the news, pointing out that "in my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band."
Freese ended his post by writing, Stay tuned for my ‘top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters’ list', which was an entertaining enough way of laughing off his termination, but even more amusingly, he has also produced said list, which readers are advised not to take too seriously.
Here's where he thinks he fucked up, maybe.
"10) Once whistled “My Hero” for a week solid on tour.
9) Could only name one Fugazi song.
8) Two words: polyrhythms.
7) Metronome-like precision behind the kit deemed
“soulless.”
6) Demanded starting every rehearsal with a 20 minute cowbell sound bath.
5) Never even once tried growing a beard.
4) Didn’t show up to studio because Mercury was in retrograde.
3) Promised Noodles he could be 4th guitarist.
2) Refused to perform unless he was guaranteed a Ouija board and nunchucks after every show.
1) The whole poodle thing was getting to be a bit much”
Only Dave Grohl can say for sure whether Freese has knocked the nail on the head here.
Freese never recorded with Foo Fighters, but he played on their tours in support of 2023’s But Here We Are, their first album since the death of former drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.
Foo Fighters are due to play their first show of 2025 at the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix on October 4. There has been no news as yet as to who will replace Freese in the band, following his two year stint as a Foo.
