Prior to his days as a Foo Fighter, Taylor Hawkins was just a kid with a dream. Well a dream, and a drum kit, and some sticks, and a high school band, and some serious skills.
Footage has emerged of the notoriously turbo-charged skin belter behind the kit in his formative years, absolutely tearing through a rendition of Van Halen’s Panama during a fairly raucous Battle of the Bands performance.
Oh and he does it all, while wearing an adorable bow-tie.
According to Consequence of Sound, the footage dates back to 1987 and was filmed at Laguna Beach High School.
While Hawkins may have since dropped the bow-tie, and grown out his locks, his love of all things glam metal remains, evident by his Foo Fighters side project, the 70s dirt rock cover band Chevy Metal, who have taken on a Van Halen cover or two in their day.
Watch the 15-year-old Hawkins shred on drums, below, followed by a clip of modern-day Hawkins doing the same. It’s times like these you learn to love glam metal again.
Watch: Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) playing drums in 9th grade (1987)
Watch: Chevy Metal – Panama
