51 pages • 1 hour read
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
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Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 5: “Living”
Chapter 21 Summary: “Bedtime Stories with Joan Jett”
Grohl reflects that after spending the past several years taking his daughters on tour with him have turned them into bonafide globetrotters, comfortable with the frequent changes and traveling. He shares an anecdote from a trip to London, when he decided to take Violet and Harper to Harrods’ toy department and gave them each one hour to find a toy that would fit in their suitcases. Grohl watched with fatherly joy as his daughters frantically ran around the store, eventually narrowing their search down to Barbies. When time ran out and neither girl had chosen one, Grohl picked up a random Barbie and joked that it was for him. When he looked at it, he realized that he had unknowingly picked up a Joan Jett Barbie, and he ended up buying it for himself. The girls each picked out their own doll, and the three of them headed for the hotel.
At the hotel, the girls asked if they could play with Grohl’s Joan Jett Barbie. Grohl realized they do not know who the real Joan Jett was, and he explained that she was “a feminist icon who proved to the world that women can rock even harder than men” (326). Vital to the voice of women in music, Joan Jett led the way in the punk rock genre. Grohl played a music video for his daughters, and they loved it; Grohl knew that his girls had just found a new role model.
Grohl, his family, and the Foo Fighters continued on the tour, reaching Madison Square Garden in New York. Pat Smear, the lead guitarist of the Foo Fighters, knew Joan Jett, and the band decided to invite her to their show as a special guest. Pat had been friends with Joan since the 70s, when he played with a punk group called Germs. Joan happily agreed to perform, and when Grohl met her, he once again acted as any humble fan would. He was thrilled and grateful to be meeting one of his musical heroes and felt small in her presence. He noticed that everyone else did too, as people parted the way for her when she walked by.
The performance went well, and afterward Joan suggested partnering up for some song writing. Joan came to stay at Grohl’s house for the weekend, leaving his daughters in silent awe upon meeting her. At night, Violet asked if Joan could read her a bedtime story, and Joan happily obliged. In reflecting on this moment, Grohl hopes that his daughter will remember it for the rest of her life, along with the reassurance that “some superheroes are indeed real” (331). He hopes that his daughters will follow in Joan’s footsteps, carving their own paths and influencing the world in their own ways.
Chapter 22 Summary: “The Daddy-Daughter Dance”
Grohl remembers a time when he had a show in Australia the same day as a daddy-daughter dance. He had attended the dance every prior year with Violet, and it was Harper’s first chance to attend. Grohl knew how important it was for them and promised he’d be there. He called his manager to try to move or cancel the show, although he had a connection with Australia as well and did not want to disappoint concertgoers. They decided to take a risk and move the show two days later, hoping that Grohl could catch a flight and make the show right after the dance. To top it off, the dance was in the middle of a tour, so Grohl would also have to fly home for it.
Grohl managed to make it to the dance and was proud that he was able to keep his promise and be a dependable father. A picture from the day is included, with Grohl, Violet, and Harper smiling widely. Grohl jokes that he is a terrible dancer, which is part of the reason he chose to become a drummer. At the dance, the girls went off with their friends, and Grohl watched them and reflected on them growing up and becoming more independent, which filled him with pride. Years later, Harper asked Grohl what his longest flight ever was; Grohl responded that it was the flight to the daddy-daughter dance, and they reflected on the event together, knowing how important it was for each of them.
Chapter 23 Summary: “The Wisdom of Violet”
In 2015, Grohl was asked to perform “Blackbird” at the Academy Awards, a classic Beatles song that Grohl knows and loves. When he found out that it was for the In Memoriam section of the show, he questioned whether he was qualified to do it. Grohl had performed the song once before, at Violet’s school a year prior. He and Violet performed the song together after rehearsing for days, and Grohl considers it “the most important gig of [his] life” (354) because it was for his daughter. Violet showcased her singing voice for the first time and got a standing ovation. Grohl muses that there is a certain vulnerability associated with bearing one’s heart on stage for the world to see and is proud of his daughter for being so brave, stating that “courage is a defining factor in the life of any artist” (355).
Grohl initially decided to decline the offer to sing at the Oscars, but when he told Violet about it, she told him he had to do it. Grohl knew that he had to complete the circle and show the same courage his daughter did the year before. At the Oscars, Grohl was styled by a woman who confessed to having met him before—she was the girl from the “Heart-Shaped Box” music video. This was a sign to Grohl that his world was coming full circle. He saw irony in this moment as well, as the video was a “representation of the innocence Nirvana had lost with [their] traumatizing rise to fame” (357) and Grohl was now performing at one of the most famous shows in the world. On stage, Grohl found the courage to perform by remembering his own daughter’s courage, thereby living through “the wisdom of Violet” (349).
Part 5 Analysis
Feminism is a topic in these final chapters, beginning with Grohl’s and his daughters’ experiences meeting Joan Jett. Grohl describes Joan as “a feminist icon who proved to the world that women can rock even harder than men” (326). As a father of three daughters, at least two of whom are showing keen interest in music like himself, Grohl understands the importance of strong female figures who refuse to compromise themselves for the world. He takes great pride in knowing that his daughters see Joan Jett as a hero, and he is just as nervous and enthralled as they are when she comes to stay with them. Throughout the book but especially in these chapters, Grohl emphasizes the value of his daughter’s thoughts, feelings, and dreams. In sharing the anecdote of traveling across the world in a single day to attend both a daddy-daughter dance and perform at a concert, he explicitly states that his family life and career are equally important and that his roles as father and frontman both deserve his full attention and care. Just as Grohl deemphasizes his celebrity throughout the book, he provides a holistic view of fatherhood; he is not an all-knowing patriarch and draws inspiration from his daughter’s courage when facing his own challenges. The book’s theme of people inspiring people is present here, adding the extra dimension that inspiration comes from people of all kinds, not just celebrities and heroes.
Grohl structures the book in a way that the narrative comes full circle just as he says his life has. In closing the memoir with the anecdote about playing “Blackbird" with his daughter at her school and again at the Academy Awards, he wraps up several narrative threads: his idea that music has a genetic memory (the music within the musician), the full-circle idea of parent teaching child, the importance of staying humble in the face of fame, being grateful for life-changing moments, and the value of inspiration. It’s especially meaningful for Grohl to pass his love and talent for music on to his daughters, just as his mother did to him. Because of his dedication to staying grounded rather than developing a rockstar’s ego, he is able to draw on his daughter and peers for inspiration and courage and recognize the value of this special performance. The evening becomes one of Grohl’s fondest memories, and the circle of gratitude and inspiration propelled by music feels more complete.
Grohl concludes his memoir by expressing gratitude. Despite his amassed fame and success, he still feels lucky every time he meets a musician, has the privilege to perform, or learns something new from one of his three daughters. Grohl’s memoir follows a loose chronological order that drifts back and forth through time, mimicking the way memories work in real life. It is not perfectly organized, but neither is life. This structure helps cultivate a tone of sincerity that is often difficult to achieve in the wake of stardom. Although it is the conclusion of Grohl’s memoir, he concludes that he has much more to learn and discover in his life.
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