Chris Shiflett Discusses Loss of Taylor Hawkins
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett discussed the death of his bandmate Taylor Hawkins in a new interview. Speaking on an episode of The Plug With Justin Jay, Shiflett compared the loss to that of his father.
"I remember for a long time after my dad died, you're sad about it, but you almost, like, forget for a second," he said, noting how he would often think to call his dad before remembering he had died. "Even, like, waking up in the morning ... and for a foggy second, you forget that he's dead. And then, 'Oh, fuck, that's right, he's dead.'" Shiflett said it's been a similar experience dealing with Hawkins' death, especially as the band prepped for the Hawkins Tribute Concerts.
"Being at our rehearsal studio ... it's like you just expect him to walk in the room," he said. "That's the part that's really bizarre. ... You know it's true, you know it's reality — I don't know when that sinks in for real."
When asked about performing at the first Hawkins Tribute Concert in London earlier this month, Shiflett said the most poignant moment for him was when Hawkins' son, Shane, came onstage to play drums with the band. "That was heavy. I mean, he's such a mini Taylor," he said. "It was like an uplifting moment. That's probably the one that sticks out the most, but really just the whole month getting ready for it, there's so many little moments like that that just drive it home."
Shiflett said that he has a new appreciation for bands that have dealt with losses. "It's made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about Jim Morrison dying, or Randy Rhoads or any of those rock 'n' roll tragedies," he said.
"Most people that I've encountered have been respectful about it or try to avoid it,” Shiflett added, noting that many people have tried not to bring up the subject too much around him. "It probably will be [more of a thing] when we ever get around to putting out another Foo Fighters record and go back into the promo boogie-woogie." Shiflett, who recently released the solo singles "Born & Raised" and "Long, Long Year," is scheduled to appear with Foo Fighters Tuesday night at the Hawkins Tribute Concert in Los Angeles.