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Why Ex-NIN Drummer Ilan Rubin Was Able to ‘Spread His Wings’ at His New Gig, According to the Band’s Frontman

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl says the band’s new drummer, Ilhan Rubin, was able to play more untethered when he left Nine Inch Nails.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

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The saga of Nine Inch Nails drummer Ilan Rubin leaving the industrial band to play for the Foo Fighters has played out very interestingly. Now, Dave Grohl is speaking out about the change, saying that Rubin finally “started spreading his wings” when he joined the Foos.

In a new interview with Studio Brussel, Grohl offered some “funny” insight into the differences between playing with his band and playing with NIN. Essentially, he boiled it down to stylistic differences that require separate drumming approaches.

“So [Ilan] was with Nine Inch Nails for 17 years or something [before he joined the Foo Fighters],” Grohl explained. “And with Nine Inch Nails, their music, it requires this very........

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