The musician comes first: Dave Grohl's SXSW Keynote Address

I don't post too much on the state of the music industry or conferences or speeches, even though I used to be part of the industry, and I guess, in some small way, I still am. Here's Dave Grohl at SXSW giving the Keynote Address. It's a funny, entertaining, inspiring, unflinchingly honest look at Dave's experience with the wondrous gift of music.

Dave fronts one of my favourite bands. Foo Fighters are a band that sound like what I always thought perfect hard rock with a good pop sensibility should sound like. It's probably in part because we grew up with the same influences. I even remember the sister of a childhood friend when she got a mohawk. And I loved 70's KISS. I even liked Foo Fighters before I knew that "the drummer from Nirvana" was Foo Fighters.

The main idea: the musician comes first.

Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein", the song that changed Dave Grohl's life.

What was mine? There were so many, but this one came to mind first. Manfred Mann's version of "Blinded by the Light".

And I can't forget KISS. I wanted to be Ace Frehley when I grew up. Here's "Shock Me".

Here's one of the tracks from the début Foo Fighter's album "This is a Call".

Wow, Dave. You've made me nostalgic and made me remember how much I love music. I think I'll dust off the guitar and start building some calluses.

Favourites: Childhood memories

When I was less than 10 years old, my dad bought me a radio. My parents listened to classical music and CBC AM radio. The only pop or rock music I heard was on our old black and white TV with 3 channels (Do you remember Solid Gold or the Kenny Everett Video Show or The New Music?) or on this new radio. I discovered stations like CHUM-FM and CILQ-Q107 and my ears were opened. I heard songs like:

"Sausalito Summernight" by Diesel

Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light" as done by Manfred Mann

"Mama Let Him Play" by Doucette

"A Million Vacations" by Max Webster


"Surface to Air" by FM


"Something on my Mind" by Teenage Head


And since almost all these artists are Canadian, I'll say this is a great post for Canada Day.