Foo Fighters and God’s Currency

Being a rock star is hard. You’re on the road away from your family, friends and refrigerator for months at a time. This means that you’re homesick, lonely and hungry for a long time. There’s nothing worse than pulling your tour bus up to the stage door of the Wiltern only to find that there’s no bacon waiting inside for you. If you’re a rock star with a bit of fame to your name, though, there’s a time-tested solution known as the Rock ‘n Roll Rider that can help get you through those hungry moments. 

Here’s how a Rock ‘n Rolld Rider works: You grow up, you hate your parents, you buy a guitar, you write a song, you go hungry, you write another song, you’re still hungry, you get thrown out of a bar, you write another song, you get famous, you demand bacon in your rider, you reconcile with your estranged parents over a plate of the candy of meats. It’s a whole thing.

I’m pretty sure that the Smithsonian has a wall dedicated to incredible documents. On the far left of that wall is the Magna Carta, followed by the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, the Money-Back Guarantee, the Get Out of Jail Free Card and finally, in a halo of sunlight, the Rock ‘n Roll Rider. 

We’ve covered riders before; Just a couple of weeks ago we told you about Metallica and their love of bacon. But the power of rock lives on – and this time it’s the Foo Fighters‘ turn to put some bacon in their show. Turns out they don’t just like to rock – they also like to eat. Here’s the bacony portion of their 2008 rider:

“Bacon. I call it ‘God’s currency.’ Hell, if it could be breathed, I would. Bacon in any form is great. Not as an entrée, but just in general.”

The band also said this:

“Breathe out, so I could breathe you in. Hold you in.”

I guess we finally know what that song was all about. I had always wondered.

– Mike

photo credit: http://www.foofighters.com/blackbox/pictures/2008_04_25_melbourne/