Grammys 2014: Paul McCartney needed Nirvana lesson for 'Cut Me Some Slack'
Beatles icon Paul McCartney didn't immediately recognize the surviving members of Nirvana when they got together to record "Cut Me Some Slack" with Dave Grohl a couple years ago, he confessed backstage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
"Tell you the truth, I didn't know who they were," the British music legend, 71, admitted, referring to Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and guitarist Pat Smear.
Seconds earlier, the four men had stormed the stage together to pick up the golden gramophone for Best Rock Song for the soundtrack collaboration, which gained widespread popularity after they performed it on "Saturday Night Live" in late 2012.
"Seriously. I knew who Dave was cause I've met him. But then he said, 'I've got a couple of friends coming along.' And then during the session, I hear them talking, and they're [saying], 'Wow, we haven't played together since Nirvana,'" McCartney said, his jaw dropping for dramatic effect.
"I found myself in the middle of a Nirvana reunion. And I was very happy," he recalled.
"It was magic for me playing with these guys," he said.
Grohl said he originally invited McCartney to simply jam with the group for his "Sound City - Reel to Reel" film about a historic recording studio in Van Nuys, Calif.
"We've jammed with each other before, and I called him up and very gently said, 'Maybe if you have a day off in Los Angeles, come over and have a little jam. Maybe we could jam on some old classic song,'" Grohl recalled. "He was the one who said, 'No, no, no. Let's write a song. Let's write and record a new song.'"
McCartney said the process was "quicker" than usual for him.
"As Dave said, we only had three or four hours. It was an excuse for my wife and daughter to go over and visit their family and eat and play with the kids," he said, referring to Grohl's wife and two daughters, ages 4 and 7.
"We sneaked out," McCartney said. "I blame Johnny Depp. He'd just given me this little cigar box guitar, which I was wildly excited about. So I took it along."
Grohl said he bought his daughters a Beatles records box set to give them a strong "foundation" in classic rock music.
"There aren't too many things that last forever. And I honestly think that what Paul and the band did will last forever," Grohl said backstage with McCartney by his side.
McCartney said he was open to another collaboration with the Nirvana musicians.
"They really are great to play with, because they're a great band," he said. "They were a great band with Kurt. And I say, that's what I experienced on the day, just playing with a really good band. Which is a great privilege, a very special thing, and I should know."
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