The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

Grohl asserts that he was born with music in his DNA. Like his mother before him and his children after, Grohl’s life has been shaped by music and the gifts that it brings. Music provides a person with inspiration, comfort, a sense of belonging and understanding, and emotional richness. Grohl explains what music is to him when he writes, “Music had always represented light and life to me” (173). Grohl’s first chapter discusses his conception of music as part of the person. As his daughter learns to play the drums, he sees himself in her and remembers how his musical awakening was the most natural and inevitable thing he could have experienced as a child. Watching his daughter, Grohl believes “this wasn’t divine intervention. This was flesh and blood” (20).

The person that Grohl is today, the values he holds, and the people he loves are all connected to music. The musicians that Grohl grew up listening to, such as the Beatles and Naked Raygun, sent Grohl on an unpredictable journey as a professional musician. Grohl holds a special place in his heart for each musician who has inspired him over the years with their songs, their passion for life, and their ability to hold true to themselves.