Dave Grohl vs. John Joseph, the Covid-19 Vaccine Battle
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, I likely don’t need to tell you, is quite a popular fella. From his internet drum-offs with children to his charitable work to his general demeanor to his boat loads of hit songs, the dude’s whole thing is making people feel good amidst the sea of shit the world has to offer. Unsurprisingly, seeing as he’s a man of logic and reason, he is strongly in favor of the Covid-19 vaccine.
John Joseph, formerly of Cro-Mags, is well known in the world of hardcore, a genre predicated on channeling one’s anger into positivity. Except for Joseph and his newer band Bloodclot, who performed for nearly 3,000 people in New York City this April — when Covid-19 numbers were still quite high and vaccines weren’t yet available to everyone (especially younger people) — at which social distancing and masking were widely ignored. After catching flack for playing that show, he pushed back hard, falsely comparing the event to last year’s Black Lives Matter protests, decrying “government overreach,” questioning the efficacy of Covid-19 safety protocols and, you guessed it, coming out against vaccination.
Dave Grohl likely doesn’t give a hoot what Joseph thinks, although being the well-rounded musical man he is, I’m betting has plenty of respect and appreciation for Joseph’s work with Cro-Mags.
Joseph, on the other hand, is mad at Dave Grohl. Very mad!
Speaking to Christina Rowatt of The Void With Christina, Joseph addressed Grohl’s decision to make a handful of Foo Fighters shows this summer open only to fans who can provide proof of vaccination.
“I forget what the dude’s name is — he’s in some big fucking band — he’s, like, ‘I’m not playing any vaccinated-only shows. He was in a big English band; I forget what the name of ’em is. [Then] you’ve got motherfuckers like Dave Grohl who used to play drums for [1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band] Scream and open up for the Cro-Mags, now he’s with the Flu Pfizers, the Flu Fighters, and it’s, like, ‘We’re playing vaccinated-only shows.’ What kind of bullshit is that? What kind of fucking bullshit are you fucking dealing with in your fucking head that you would play a vaccinated-only fucking show?”
It’s smart bullshit is what it is, John, and it’s the only way tours are going to go on as planned the rest of this year. That’s not a matter of opinion; it’s fact.
There is plenty of precedent for vaccine requirements in America, of course, a concept seemingly lost on Joseph. Children have needed to provide proof of various vaccinations in order to attend schools for decades, and several countries require particular inoculations for entry via air travel.
The good thing about America is that Joseph won’t need to require vaccinations for his own band’s shows. He also doesn’t have to go see the Flu Fighters in concert if he doesn’t want to. Weird how that works!
In the unlikely event Grohl engages in this internet battle we’ll keep you posted. In the more likely event he doesn’t, we’ll update you all next time Joseph says something completely ridiculous.
[via Blabbermouth]
