Dave Grohl: There’s that tragic story about Temple of the Dog, right? That’s rock and roll. Andrew Wood, lead singer from Mother Love Bone overdoses on heroin. There was so much heroin back then. Too much. And so this super group forms. And you get Chris Cornell saying, ‘Hey, I know this guy. He’s a surfer and a singer.’ They bring him in to sing background vocals. Turns out that guy’s Eddie Vedder. That’s how Pearl Jam is formed.

Paul Newman: And one you know better than anyone.

Dave Grohl: I do. I do. And I wish I didn’t, but I do. What about you? 

Paul Newman: As far as tragedy, we’re a simple story, devoid of most trauma. People ask me what happened, and I swear, and no one believes me, but Spin cycle had its run, we got antsy to try other avenues, and we split. It’s boring. 

Dave: I saw the interview with SPIN. 

Paul: Well, that didn’t help.

Both: (Laughter)

Dave: They ask the same questions hoping for a different answer.

Paul: What people don’t see in that interview is I hadn’t slept for three days. I’d just had my first child, my daughter, who was born prematurely and was held in an incubator while my wife was held due to blood loss. I was a mess. The interviewer tried to twist the standard, ‘Why did the band split?’ by leading me, ‘How much truth is there to the rumors that you and Brett decided to break up the band over a card game?’ We rarely played cards, and we definitely weren’t at that point. It was a stupid question, but it was also good because it caught me off guard. It didn’t help that Brett and I tended to get into fist fights. 

Dave: We argued, but there were never, like, you know, knuckles connecting to cheek bones. 

Paul: We fought when we were friends in high school! We fought the day after we officially formed the band, over I think it was our logo. And then we’d make up. We bickered, one of us always pushing the envelope. Now, I didn’t exactly agree with him near the end, creatively, and over time maybe that’s smoothed over, but I don’t know. Your band is thriving, though. How do you do it?

Dave: It’s hard to live with the same people for decades. It’s why they say love is so hard to find. Tolerance, too, for that matter. I don’t know.

Paul: Come on. You do though. You have to. 

Dave: I think it’s about honesty, and communication, and genuinely enjoying each other’s company. We struck the lottery on that accord.