Fans of the Foo Fighters know that the band—particularly frontman Dave Grohl and late drummer Taylor Hawkins—loved to mug for the camera and ham it up for videos whenever they have the chance. They even did it as a full-length horror/comedy, Studio 666. Their promo clips run the gamut—dramatic, comedic, and straight-up performance—but we love them best when they’re just clowning around. Here is a recap of the five funniest Foo Fighters videos.
Videos by American Songwriter
5. “Run” (2017)
The first entry on this list falls into the funny, freaky, and poignant categories all at the same time. In this Dave Grohl-directed clip that feels inspired by the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a geriatric Foo Fighters with long white hair play a gloomy nursing home whose residents have had their spirits broken. But as soon as the Foos start playing, one of the elderly men stagedives onto some aides and the old people start a moshing beatdown of their oppressive caretakers. Then they escape their confines and terrorize young people in a car before dancing feverishly in a foggy haze that invokes Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Pretty trippy, man.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Foos Tickets Are Available! – Get ‘Em Right Here]
4. “Breakout” (2000)
Dave plays a dork on a date. Things immediately go wrong when his date’s dog repeatedly dry humps in front of the house. He drives too slow and makes his moves too fast. At the drive-in movie theater he acts awkward, gets bullied by his bandmates, and sees his girl getting frisky with another guy while he was out procuring eats. The clip ties in to the song’s use in the Jim Carrey comedy Me, Myself & Irene, and many of the actors from the film, including Traylor Howard and Anthony Anderson, make appearances. Grohl even has a split personality breakdown like Carrey’s character which transforms into the charismatic rock star that his potential girlfriend prefers over his normal self.
[RELATED: Remember When: Dave Grohl Falls Off Stage and Breaks His Leg]
3. “Big Me” (1996)
Remember those commercials in the ‘90s where people popped a Mentos into their mouth to inspire them to solve simple dilemmas? The Foos did the same with their own Footos candy shenanigans. They directly lampooned all three scenarios from real Mentos spots – a woman getting four big workers to carry her car out of an extremely tight parking spot; Dave sliding through the back of an executive’s limo after it cut him off from his friends in a sidewalk; and a young kid pretending to be a rocker to sneak onstage with the Foos. Hey, life’s more fun and problems are more easily solved with Footos!
2. “Long Road to Ruin” (2007)
‘70s soap star/teen idol Davy Grolton seems to have it all, but he’s miserable. He’s got the adoration of his young pop rock fans. They are way too young for him, though. His male soap castmates mock him behind his back, and his female co-star has ended their romance.
The constantly weeping Grolton plays this all in his mind as he races in his sports car at high speed. In the end he flies off a cliff, bursting into a fireball! It’s a comedic clip with a dark twist. And, it was obviously inspired by Rick Springfield, the ‘80s heartthrob who many thought was an actor turned rocker. In fact, it was the reverse—he became famous on General Hospital just before his dormant music career exploded. Sadly for Grolton, it was his car that exploded.
1. “Learn to Fly” (1999)
The Foos get to dress up as all sorts of characters as they go on a wild flight inspired by Airplane! Everyone’s coffee accidentally gets laced with cocaine thanks to the cleaning crew (Jack Black and Kyle Gass). Once the pilots pass out, the sober Foos have to step in to save the day. Grohl, Hawkins, and guitarist Nate Mendel play four to six roles apiece here. Hawkins plays a jaded female flight attendant who gets checked out by his rock star self. Grohl gets to ogle himself twice. First as a schoolgirl getting a rock star to sign an autograph. Then as a flirty captain checking out his male flight attendant. These are mostly caricatures, but clearly everyone had fun making this, and the goofiness is infectious.
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