Matt Cameron and Chad Smith apologize for "misleading" quotes used in Taylor Hawkins article

Both drummers say the Rolling Stone piece was "sensationalized" with their words "taken out of context"

By Gabrielle Sanchez  |  May 18, 2022 | 3:29pm
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Matt Cameron and Chad Smith apologize for
Matt Cameron, Taylor Hawkins, Chad Smith Photo: Jeff Kravitz

In a Rolling Stone article published on Monday, Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith were interviewed about the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Now, both musicians have released statements distancing themselves from the piece, with Smith calling the article “sensationalized.”

In the piece, both Smith and Cameron are quoted discussing the rigorousness of the Foo Fighters’ tour schedule. Cameron recalled a conversation in which Hawkins reportedly told him he “couldn’t fucking do it anymore.”

“He tried to keep up,” Cameron stated. “He just did whatever it took to keep up, and in the end he couldn’t keep up.”

In addition to pointing out an incident where Hawkins reportedly collapsed on a Chicago flight, Smith talked about a discussion he said Hawkins had with Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters management (which representatives for the band said never happened).

“That was one of the straws that broke the camel’s back,” Smith said in the piece. “After that, he had a real important heart-to-heart with Dave [Grohl] and the management. He said, ‘I can’t continue on this schedule, and so we’ve got to figure out something.’”

However, hours after the Rolling Stone article whent live, Cameron shared a statement on Instagram, writing, “My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative I had never intended.”

“I have only the deepest love and respect for Taylor, Dave and the Foo Fighters families,” Cameron continued. “I am truly sorry to have taken part in this interview and I apologize that my participation may have caused harm to those whom I have only the deepest respect and admiration.”

In a separate statement, Smith wrote, “I was asked by Rolling Stone to share some memories of our time together, which I thought was going to be a loving tribute he deserved. Instead, the story they wrote was sensationalized and misleading, and had I known I would have never agreed to participate.”

 
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