Dave Navarro recently returned to Jane's Addiction after a long battle with COVID-19. In a new interview, the guitarist reveals that he was also going through a tough time mentally following the death of his good friend Taylor Hawkins.
Just months before the tragic passing of the Foo Fighters drummer in March 2022, the two musicians had debuted their new band NHC, which also featured bassist Chris Chaney. While speaking with Guitar worldNavarro revealed that he was devastated by the loss of Hawkins.
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“I had just finished recording a record with Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney,” Navarro said. “We mixed and mastered it, and then we lost Taylor. That was in the middle of COVID, and it was actually very painful for me to get back into guitar after that. I didn’t play guitar for about a year. He was such an inspiring artist — not only was he a phenomenal drummer, but he was also an incredible composer and lyricist… one of those human beings that everyone loved.”
He continued: “After losing Taylor, I didn’t play for a long time. Then, after a year, I picked up the guitar, started playing some covers, and somehow got used to the instrument in my hands again.”
Navarro went on to say that he began to rediscover his love for the guitar by studying some of his favorite musicians.
He explained: “Since I had the disease, I was housebound for a long time, and that’s when I really started getting interested in some eccentric guitarists that I didn’t normally study, like [session great] Jay Graydon. I started studying Jay and digging into Van Halen, looking for tones and reading everything I could about the team. [Eddie Van Halen] used, may have been used, or is rumored to have been used.”
Navarro made his live return to Jane's Addiction at a show in London in May. However, he had already reunited with his longtime band in the studio by the time the concert took place.
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