Alex Skolnick Defends Dave Grohl Against Backlash By ‘Toxic’ Foo Fighters Fans

In a recent series of tweets, Alex Skolnick reflected on Foo Fighters fans’ criticism against Dave Grohl.

Following Grohl’s public diss at Taylor Swift for not playing live, Skolnick shared a screenshot of his reply to a user on Instagram. Here is what the user wrote on Dave’s video from the concert:

“I saw the Dave Grohl clip yesterday morning and didn’t think anything of it. Seemed like he was just having a bit of fun with the crowd without actually trying to be mean. That’s how I took it from watching the whole clip and not reading from the crazy headlines that popped up everywhere yesterday. He poked fun at his own band and yes he made a little dig about the performing live but I didn’t think it was actually what it’s now being made out to be? Just me?”

What Did Alex Say In His Response?

The guitarist agreed with the user, writing in his comment:

“100%. Dave was making fun of both his own show and Taylor’s. Yes, her musicians – some of whom I’ve met – all play live BUT there is also much slick pop production, pre-tracking etc that mistakes are easier to hide, while his show is only guys playing rock and roll live. His comment was good-natured – the only thing not smart about it was the lack of foresight about the internet hive mind-heard mentality.”

One commenter under Skolnick’s tweet expressed surprise at the negative behavior of Grohl’s fans. They noted that they can be very toxic and hypocritical. Alex was also surprised as he wrote:

“That is surprising. It reminds me of Bernie Bros. Not that I agree with Bernie Sanders all the time (a few serious disagreements) but he seems genuine and not toxic like some of his fans (the ‘Hillary Haters’ among them, not all).”

Grohl’s Recent Words On Swift’s Band

The Foo Fighters frontman made these comments against Swift during the band’s sold-out show at the London Stadium on Saturday, June 22. Meanwhile, Swift was performing 15 miles away at Wembley Stadium. Grohl said:

“I tell you, man, you don’t want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift. So we like to call our tour the ‘Errors Tour.’ We’ve had more than a few eras and more than a few f*cking errors as well. Just a couple. That’s because we actually play live. What? Just saying! You guys like raw, live rock’n’roll music, right? You came to the right f*cking place.”

Then, Swift responded to Grohl. She told the audience the next night at her third Wembley show:

“Every one of my band members, every single one of our crew, my band, who’s gonna be playing live for you for 3.5 hours tonight, they deserve this so much. And so does every one of my fellow performers. And you just gave that to us so generously, we will never forget it.”

Some people said on social media that the Foo Fighters singer had a valid reason to criticize Swift. Grohl’s 17-year-old daughter, Violet, received cyberbullying from Swift’s fans after she posted about Swift’s use of her private jet. Violet allegedly received death threats for her comments, and Swift did not intervene or ask her fans to stop the bullying.

You can see Skolnick’s tweets below.

pic.twitter.com/aHDm3El0Di

— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) June 24, 2024

That is surprising. It reminds me of Bernie Bros. Not that I agree with Bernie Sanders all the time (a few serious disagreements) but he seems genuine and not toxic like some of his fans (the “Hillary Haters” among them, not all)

— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) June 24, 2024