Dave Grohl: Kurt Cobain made me want to quit Nirvana

According to a new biography, the Foo Fighters founder wanted to throw in the towel after he overheard the grunge singer slagging off his musicianship on a plane.

The book, This is A Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl, by Paul Brannigan, reveals tensions in Nirvana had caused the band to split into two camps, with Grohl and the band’s bassist Krist Novoselic in one and Cobain and his wife Courtney Love in the other.

According to the author, “the sickness at the heart of Nirvana” came to breaking point on the 1993 flight from Seattle to Los Angeles.

“Kurt was kinda f**cked up and I heard him talking about how shitty a drummer I was,” Grohl is quoted as saying.

Grohl then phoned the band’s manager Alex McLeod and told him he “wanted out” of the band.

“I just want to play f****ing music,” he said. “I don’t want any of this craziness.”

Luckily McLeod managed to talk Dave out of leaving and Brannigan writes that Grohl's drumming ability was never a problem - it was just that Cobain was enamored with the drumming style of Dan Peters of Mudhoney, a popular group before Nirvana hit the stage.

“He wanted Dave to play more like Peters,” Brannigan writes.

Despite the insult the Best of You singer decided to stay with the band.

“In the cold light of day Dave decided that everyone had to eat a little shitt at work sometimes,” he wrote. “So he tried to carry on in a measured and professional manner.”