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Dave Grohl’s memoir grew partly out of short true stories he began posting on Instagram when the pandemic stopped touring. The drummer of Nirvana and founder of the Foo Fighters turned them into The Storyteller, published in 2021, which went straight to number one on The New York Times best-seller list. It is not a band history but a set of episodes, from a suburban childhood in Virginia to Nirvana, the Foo Fighters and meeting his heroes. He also reads the audiobook. This guide covers his 1 key book and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 1 key books · 2021–2021 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Dave Grohl has written one book, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (2021), a memoir in short chapters that became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. Start there, in print or in the audiobook he narrates himself.
Where to Start with Dave Grohl
If you want his life in his own words
→ The Storyteller (2021) — the 2021 memoir.
If you would rather listen
→ The Storyteller (2021) — the audiobook, read by Grohl.
1 Dave Grohl Book
The Storyteller
A memoir told in stand-alone stories rather than a continuous history: growing up in suburban Virginia, playing drums in the punk band Scream, joining Nirvana, the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, founding the Foo Fighters, and meeting musical heroes such as David Bowie, Joan Jett and Paul McCartney. It reached number one on The New York Times best-seller list, and an extended paperback with new essays followed in 2023.
How to Read Dave Grohl
There is only one book. The chapters are self-contained, so it can be read straight through or dipped into.
The audiobook is read by Grohl himself and suits a book that started life as stories told out loud.
A reading path
1. The Storyteller (2021)
2. The Storyteller audiobook, read by Grohl
The years · 1969–2021
Quick facts about Dave Grohl
- Known for
- Dave Grohl is known as the drummer of Nirvana and the founder, singer and guitarist of the Foo Fighters.
- 1969
- Born in Warren, Ohio
- 1990
- Joins Nirvana as drummer
- 1995
- First Foo Fighters album
- 2014
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Nirvana
- 2021
- The Storyteller
- Born
- 14 January 1969, Warren, Ohio; grew up in Virginia
- Bands
- Scream, Nirvana (1990–1994), Foo Fighters (since 1994)
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted with Nirvana (2014) and with the Foo Fighters (2021)
- Book
- The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, 2021
- Audiobook
- Narrated by Grohl himself
The red mark is 2021: The Storyteller, his memoir.
How Dave Grohl Writes
The Storyteller grew partly out of short true stories Grohl posted on Instagram during the pandemic, and the book keeps that form: each chapter is a single episode with a beginning and an end, rather than a year-by-year account of his bands.
The tone is conversational and close to how he talks in interviews. Much of the book is about other people — bandmates and the musicians he admired as a teenager — and about being a fan who ended up on the same stage as his heroes.
Nirvana and Kurt Cobain’s death are covered, but they are one part of the book rather than its centre. For other musicians’ memoirs, see Patti Smith and Nick Cave.
Watch
Dave Grohl on The Storyteller
Dave Grohl talks to Waterstones in 2021 about his memoir The Storyteller.
Frequently asked questions about Dave Grohl’s book
How many books has Dave Grohl written?
One: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (2021).
How many books has Dave Grohl written?
There is only one so far: The Storyteller (2021). An extended paperback with new material followed in 2023.
Where should I start with Dave Grohl?
With The Storyteller, in print or as the audiobook he reads himself.
What is Dave Grohl’s most famous book?
The Storyteller (2021), his only book, which was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.
Did Dave Grohl write The Storyteller himself?
Yes. No co-writer is credited; the book grew partly out of short stories he posted on Instagram during the pandemic.
Does The Storyteller talk about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain?
Yes. Several chapters cover his years in Nirvana and Cobain’s death in 1994, alongside his childhood and the Foo Fighters.
Who narrates The Storyteller audiobook?
Dave Grohl reads it himself.
Is The Storyteller worth reading if you’re not a Foo Fighters fan?
The book is built from self-contained stories about childhood, friendship and music in general, so it does not assume you know the band’s records.
Was The Storyteller a bestseller?
Yes. It went to number one on The New York Times best-seller list after its publication in October 2021.
Footnotes
- The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music — Wikipedia
- Dave Grohl scores No. 1 New York Times bestseller — Radio X
- The Storyteller tops the New York Times list — Blabbermouth
- The Storyteller in paperback with new content — Blabbermouth
- Dave Grohl to publish autobiographical book The Storyteller — Rolling Stone, 2021
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“There is a common thread that runs throughout everything that I do: storytelling.”
— Dave Grohl, announcing The Storyteller (Rolling Stone, 2021)
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