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Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ Fan Letter May Overestimate Its Career Significance

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl has set a lofty standard for his upcoming directing debut, studio documentary Sound City, in a message sent to fans who spent $10 to pre-order the movie through its website (via the Hollywood Reporter/Antiquiet). “I really feel like Sound City is my life’s most important work,” the Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana drummer, who is also reprising his role as Queens of the Stone Age drummer, says in the note. “I hope that you do too.”

In the letter, Grohl says Sound City started as “a crazy idea” and “blossomed into something truly epic.” He describes the making of the film as “like a keg party with a camera.” And he emphasizes that the movie is about more than just a famous Los Angeles recording studio, but also about “that human connection.” Finally, much like the signature mid-2000s breakout single by British indie-rock band Art Brut, he also suggests you “start a band.”

The dispatch from Grohl comes after he announced a February 1 release date for a video download of Sound City. The movie will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, held January 17 through 27 in Park City, Utah. Prominent artists interviewed for the film include Trent Reznor, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Rick Rubin, and many, many more.

Grohl, who recently revealed he won’t be touring with QOTSA despite drumming on their in-the-works album, will be the on the air in front of a massive global audience on Wednesday as part of the 12-12-12 concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief.

Read the full message below.

Hey there….

Thanks for scraping up your hard earned dough and buying the movie direct from our site! We’re stoked! Hope you love it as much as we do….

Ummm………Holy shit! I made a movie!

I started this project a little over a year ago with ONE of my good old friends (Jim Rota from the band Fireball Ministry). That’s right….just me, my drinking buddy, and a crazy idea that we should tell the story of a studio we had loved hanging around for years, and our heartbreak to see it close. It soon blossomed into something truly epic! I don’t think either of us ever imagined our little project would become what it is now. Like all the best things in life, it just…….happened.

From day one, it was the most incredible experience of my life. I swear. Sitting down with Neil Young talking about recording guitars, John Fogerty telling me about the day he decided to become a musician, Stevie Nicks telling me the story of how she joined Fleetwood Mac, Trent Reznor schooling me on the world of computers and digital technology, etc etc etc…..can you imagine? All I had to do was listen…I am the luckiest man on earth.

And, being a completely independent film, no one told us how or what to do! Me and my crew of under 20 people did it OUR way. It was like a keg party with a camera. WE got to tell the story of a place we all held so dear. WE wanted to do it justice. And I think we did.

But, SOUND CITY is only part of the story…..

What is it that happens when 4 people turn on, plug in, and really play that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up? What is it about those moments when you hear something and it immediately puts its hooks in you, and you feel…..understood? What is it that will inspire the next generation of kids wanna do what I did when I was a little punk growing up in Springfield, Virginia? That feeling like, “Wait……I can do this too…..

That’s what I’m talking about. That human connection. That human feel. That human sound…that isn’t perfect…but it’s sooooo good.

I really feel like SOUND CITY is my life’s most important work. I hope you do too.

Psyched that you get to see it! Show it to your friends! Get together, start a band, sound like shit, and change the world. GO!

Thank you, thank you, thank you………Dave