Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl presented KISS' Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley with the prestigious Founders Award at Wednesday night's ASCAP Pop Music Awards. Grohl began his tribute to the band by recounting the first time he ever heard KISS' 1976 album, Destroyer.
"With nuclear anticipation, I let the needle drop on that legendary intro to 'Detroit Rock City,' perhaps the greatest introduction to any rock 'n' roll album ever recorded," Grohl said. "It filled my speakers and my imagination. Thirty-four minutes later and 27 seconds later, KISS had filled my soul. I was now a member of the infamous KISS army."
After that moment, Grohl turned his room into a "shrine" to KISS, filling it with posters and action figures of the band.
"Every morning, I would wake up in my tiny bedroom and take a good look at my superheroes before walking to school," he said. "They got me through those years and ultimately inspired me to follow this unreasonable dream of becoming a professional rock 'n' roll musician."
Grohl is a fan of KISS to this day, and his connection to the band has become stronger in recent years, since his and Stanley's kids attend the same elementary school.
"These days I still spend every morning before school with Paul Stanley...in the parking lot of our kids' f**kin' elementary school, chatting about [Led] Zeppelin and Electric Lady [Studios] and touring and school fundraisers," Grohl said. "So I'd say that my unreasonable dream definitely came true."
You can read Grohl's entire speech on Billboard.com.
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