In between getting fired from Foo Fighters and rejoining Nine Inch Nails, drummer Josh Freese has had a whirlwind year.
Freese, who joined Dave Grohl and company in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, was let go from the Foos in May. In July, he announced his return to NIN, who he’d previously played with from 2005 to 2008.
Reflecting on his time with Foo Fighters in an interview with The New York Times, Freese says he felt “like I had to be firing on all cylinders all the time.”
“I’m coming in as Dave Grohl’s drummer, and the guy that’s supposed to save the day after the beloved Taylor Hawkins died,” Freese says.
When Freese shared the news that he was no longer in the Foos, he wrote that “No reason was given.”
“Looking back, it was probably more an issue with their management,” Freese now says. Speaking on his current feelings about the Foos, Freese replies, “It wasn’t music that I really resonated with.”
Freese’s return to Nine Inch Nails completed an apparent drummer trade. According to The Hollywood Reporter, longtime NIN drummer Ilan Rubin will be replacing Freese in Foo Fighters, though the Foos haven’t publicly commented on the situation.
“Ilan’s a phenomenal drummer, a phenomenal musician,” Freese says. “He’ll be perfect for the gig.”
Meanwhile, Freese’s name continues to pop up in speculation about another high-profile gig: Pearl Jam. The grunge outfit’s drummer of the last 27 years, Matt Cameron, announced in July he’d left the band.
“Whatever happens, I’m going to be out there playing,” Freese says of his drumming future. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
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