The Struts’ frontman Luke Spiller shared a poignant memory of his last interaction with Taylor Hawkins in an interview on Lipps Service. They met at Hawkins’ house for rehearsals of planned Queen tribute performances before the Foo Fighters drummer’s final tour.
“Just going back just to the whole record itself, I remember my last interaction with Taylor before he went on that last tour of his. I was around his house and we were playing and rehearsing for – we were meant to do a bunch of, kind of, shows where we were going to be playing Queen and whatnot – and I had a few demos from this album,” Spiller recalled.
“I played him a track called ‘If This Isn’t Love.’ And it got from the verse and then to the chorus and he stopped [it],” he continued. “He stopped and he was like, ‘Luke, Luke, Luke.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘I just have to say – You know I love you. You know I love the band and everything. But this…’ He was like, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever heard you do.'”
The song reminded Hawkins of Queen’s ‘The Game’ era. He expressed this connection in their final conversation: “It’s one of [my favorite songs on the record] for, you know, not just that reason, but again he was speaking my language and completely understanding where I was coming from. He was like, ‘It’s like Queen, ‘The Game’ era.'”
This revelation about Hawkins’ last musical interactions adds depth to his growing legacy of unreleased material.
NHC Project
Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Hawkins completed a fully mastered album with his band NHC. The project featured Jane’s Addiction members Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney, marking one of Hawkins’ final musical endeavors.
The collaboration highlighted Hawkins’ versatility as a musician. Navarro has expressed his desire to release the album as a tribute to the drummer’s artistic vision.
Ozzy Osbourne Collaboration
Metal Injection reveals Hawkins’ substantial contributions to Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Patient Number 9′ album. He provided both drumming expertise and songwriting input for the project.
The recording sessions yielded additional unreleased tracks. These compositions may appear in future projects, further establishing Hawkins’ influence in rock music.
Musical Impact
Hawkins’ musical influence extended throughout the rock community beyond his work with The Struts and collaborative projects. His exceptional versatility as a drummer allowed him to move seamlessly between different musical styles.
His final recordings demonstrate this adaptability. The works span multiple genres and showcase his ability to enhance various artists’ musical directions with his distinctive style.
