Dave Grohl is an absolute renaissance man. He played in some of the biggest bands in the world and with some of the most famous musicians of all time. He was already a musical legend for being one of the best drummers of his entire generation with the 90s rock band Nirvana and yet Dave is now probably more known to many fans as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of one of the most popular rock band bands of the past 25 years, the Foo Fighters. The Foo released their tenth studio album, Medicine at midnight2021.
Grohl is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a current 16-time Grammy Award winner (with 3 awards this year), and one of the most productive employees in all mainstream music. He has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide by combining the stats of his multiple bands, has performed for US presidents and has led sold-out stadiums around the world. As if that wasn’t enough, Grohl is also a successful director, producer and a New York Times #1 bestselling author with his book, the storyteller.
Updated October 24, 2022: If you love Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with additional content and submissions.
Grohl has appeared in big screen movies such as The Muppets, Bill and Ted are in front of the music, and Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. He has also acted in multiple TV shows and currently holds the musical guest record on Saturday Night Live with 14 appearances. Also, let’s not forget: Grohl has appeared in dozens of music videos, guest-hosted on TV talk shows, scored the music for a movie, and appeared on multiple movie and television soundtracks. That said, for those who have followed Grohl’s career over the years, you’ve probably seen that one of his most creative work has been with the film and television projects he helps set up himself.
While Grohl has been interviewed or appeared in archival footage for nearly a dozen documentaries over the years, this best-of list will focus on the movies and shows he starred in and was more involved in behind the scenes as well. With the new Foo Fighters horror comedy film Studio 666these are the best Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters documentaries, ranked.
7/7 We are the thousand
With the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins this year leaves a huge hole in the hearts of band fans, the 2020 documentary We are the thousand seems even more striking. One of the best feel good movies We are the thousand tells the fascinating true story of 1000 Foo Fighters die-hard fans in the small town of Cesena, Italy, who together played the band’s famous hit, Learn to fly. They wanted to convince the Foo Fighters to come to Cesena.
We are the thousand can give you goosebumps and give you the beautiful feeling that anything is possible. “It’s a movie that inspires, makes you want to try the silly, impossible, wonderful thing,” wrote The Austin Chronicle.
6/7 Play
Play is a 23-minute instrumental composition composed and performed by Dave Grohl. Grohl plays every instrument everywhere. In 2018, a short black and white film was released as a documentary to coincide with the vinyl release of the song. The idea of the film is about capturing the joy of playing music, something Grohl was reminded of when he saw his own daughters perform.
“When I see my kids start playing music and learning to sing or drum, it takes me back to the time when I was their age… And even now I’m still trying to figure it out… it’s not something that one day you really master. You’re always chasing the next challenge and you’re always trying to find a way to improve on what you’ve learned,” Grohl said. Variety.
5/7 From cradle to stage
From cradle to stage is an unscripted six-part television series directed by Dave Grohl. The show is based on the highly recommended book written by Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, From Cradle to Stage: Stories of the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Starswhich tells of the experience of the parents of superstar musicians through revealing interviews and anecdotes.
In each episode, we see Grohl and his mom as they visit famous moms and learn about how specific music artists grew up and became the superstars they are today. The series features episodes starring Pharrell Williams, Brandi Carlile, Rush’s Geddy Lee, country star Miranda Lambert, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, and Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds.
4/7 What drives us?
What drives us? tells the stories of some of music’s greatest artists, recalling the days when they were just starting out and touring in vans to fulfill their dreams and make a name for themselves, performing before performing. Featured artists include Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Brian Johnson of AC/DC, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, members of U2, Guns N’ Roses, No Doubt, L7 , and others. Early touring footage of the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl himself is also featured. Both What drives us? and From cradle to stage arrived at streaming services in 2021.
3/7 Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways is a 2014 documentary miniseries, again directed by Dave Grohl. The documentary was shot while the Foo Fighters were recording their eighth album of the same name. Sonic Highways. The series aired on HBO. Grohl described the project as “a love letter to the history of American music.”
Each of the eight episodes is presented as “an exploration of the music history of another American city through a series of interviews conducted by Grohl.” Dave is then shown incorporating what he learned from his interviews into the lyrics and recording a new song in each featured city. The cities discussed are Chicago, Washington, DC, Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and New York. The show even features Dave’s sit-down interview with then-US President, Barack Obama.
2/7 Sound City
Sound City is a 2013 documentary both produced and directed by Dave Grohl in his directorial debut. The film is about the history of the famous recording studio Sound City Studios in Van Nuys (Los Angeles), California. This is the studio where Nirvana recorded their breakthrough album, Never mind.
Grohl was inspired to make this documentary after he bought the Neve 8028 analog mixing console when the studio closed in 2011. The film discusses the historical importance of Sound City Studios and the famous recording console itself. Artists such as Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Elton John, Nine Inch Nails and others recorded in Sound City during its heyday. The film eventually led to a short tour and a soundtrack called Sound City: Real to Reel and the album won two Grammy Awards, including for a semi-Nirvana reunion with Beatles legend Paul McCartney for the song Cut me some slack.
1/7 Foo Fighters: Back and forth
Foo Fighters: Back and forth is a 2011 documentary directed by James Moll. The film documents the entire history of the Foo Fighters up to that point, including the somewhat messy breakup the band had with former bandmates. The film also documented the recording process for the Foo Fighters’ excellent seventh studio album, Wasting light. The title of the film is taken from a song of the same name on that album. In 2012, Back and forth won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. So this perfect rockumentary should be a must-see on every music lover’s movie list.