The Band You Never Want to Be In

Taylor Hawkins loved the band Queen. Taylor was the drummer in Foo Fighters who died at the age of 50 on March 25, 2022.

Roger Taylor, Queen’s drummer, became such good friends with Taylor Hawkins, the Taylor family considers Hawkins as Roger’s son Rufus “Tiger” as his “almost godson.” It was Freddie Mercury who gave Tiger his nickname; clearly, it stuck.

Freddie Mercury died November 24, 1991 when he was 45 and Tiger was eight months old.

I’m sure others figured this out a lot sooner than I did, but the close ties between the two bands, with Taylor Hawkins as the connector, has to be spooky in that Queen and the Foo Fighters each lost a beloved member who had been with them for over two decades.

What I hope is Roger Taylor and Brian May are a support for Dave Grohl (whose best friend was Taylor Hawkins) and the other Foo Fighters members as they grieve their drummer Taylor. What a sad club they belong to, with such an amazing connection being the wonderful Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins even shares a name with Roger and Tiger Taylor. 

My head spins as I consider it all. Theirs must as well.

Tributes

This first video was made by the three remaining members of Queen… John Deacon, Brian May, and Roger Taylor… as a tribute to Freddie Mercury. It’s exquisitely, sadly, beautiful. It was the last video John Deacon ever did before retiring from Queen, and music, altogether. There was an enormous Tribute Concert for Freddie, but I wanted to share this kind gift his bandmates gave him privately.

Bring tissues.

This second video is from the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert held in London on September 3, 2022. Taylor’s 16-year old son Shane is featured as drummer in his dad’s place as they sang “My Hero.” 

I can’t watch this without chills or tears.

Again, I hope… no, am sure… each comforts the other… Queen and Foo Fighters.

I’m so glad they have been friends for so long.