In a hilarious interview, host Veronica Castro talked to Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins about being in their respective bands and Foo Fighters’ appearance on the Smith-hosted, “LANDMARKS Live in Concert,” which aired on November 10, 2017 on PBS stations.
Video Content: Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (2017)
In this extended version of the interview, SIDEWALKS host Veronica Castro talked to Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters about being with their respective bands, their first performance, and the Foo Fighters appearing on PBS’ “Foo Fighters – LANDMARKS Live in Concert: A Great Performances Special” that Smith hosts.
Mini-Biographies:
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on October 25, 1961, Chad Smith placed #10 in Spin magazine’s “100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music.” He is known for playing drums for The Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. Along with playing for The Chili Peppers, Smith is also the drummer for rock supergroup Chickenfoot and the instrumental funk rock band, Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats. Smith has recorded projects with Glenn Hughes, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, The Dixie Chicks, Jennifer Nettles, Kid Rock, Jake Bugg, The Avett Brothers, and comedian/actor Dick Van Dyke. Since January 2017, Smith has hosted “LANDMARKS Live in Concert,” which began with episodes featuring Alicia Keys and Brad Paisley.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 17, 1972, Taylor Hawkins was best known in the music world as the drummer of the Foo Fighters. He joined the band in 1997 to play drums, percussion, and backing vocals. Before Foo Fighters, Taylor was the drummer for Sylvia and touring drummer for Sass Jordan and Alanis Morissette. Additionally, Hawkins has his own side projects, including Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders and The Birds of Satan. He released a solo EP called “KOTA” in 2016. The Foo Fighters’ official social media accounts announced that Hawkins had died at age 50 on March 25, 2022.
Interview Credits:
Recorded: November 2, 2017
Host / Producer: Veronica Castro
Editor: Richard R. Lee
Special Thanks To: City Drive Films / PBS