Foo Fighters Fallout and The Who’s Fake Farewell

23 May 2025 / 35:17

In this week’s Listener Land, we unpack the surprise Foo Fighters drummer sacking and the mysterious silence around it. Then we spiral into tales of The Who’s eternal farewell tours, Billy Idol’s odd duet with Avril Lavigne, and whether Stevie Nicks is actually Fleetwood Mac’s biggest star. Also in this episode: 🥁 The man who ran the Rolling Stones from his desk 🎸 Kenny Jones vs. Keith Moon drama 🎤 Is The Who actually as big as The Stones? 👀 John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) wants to duet with… Taylor Swift? 📺 Avril Lavigne, Craig David and the 00s nostalgia wave 📣 Bruce Springsteen and De Niro vs. the “orange one” And we ask: • Can a band member be more famous than the singer? • Who was the biggest name in Fleetwood Mac? • Why do all bands lie about farewell tours? This one’s a rambler — and it’s brilliant. 00:00 – New background, new beer, same chaos 01:00 – The man who actually started the Rolling Stones 03:00 – Ian Stewart: fired for being too “normal” 05:00 – He ran the band from a desk at ICI?! 08:00 – Foo Fighters sack drummer Josh Freese with no reason given 10:00 – Speculation, drama & Grohl family rumours 12:00 – The Who’s long farewell — since 1982? 15:00 – Pete Townshend and Quadrophenia goes musical theatre 17:00 – Which member was bigger than the singer? (Fleetwood, AC/DC, Eagles) 20:00 – Angus Young’s 10-minute solo meltdown 23:00 – Avril Lavigne & Billy Idol’s duet: why? 25:00 – 2000s indie & pop nostalgia: Hard-Fi, Kooks, Avril 28:00 – Craig David’s career ruined by Bo Selecta? 30:00 – John Lydon trashes Taylor Swift… then begs for a duet 32:00 – Trump, Springsteen, and celebrity takedowns 35:00 – End ramble: fake goodbyes and real regrets #ListenerLand #FooFighters #TheWho #AvrilLavigne #BillyIdol #TaylorSwift #RollingStones #StevieNicks #MusicPodcast #RockLegends #CraigDavid