Drummer Josh Freese of Nine Inch Nails recently revealed an amusing story about his contribution to Avril Lavigne’s debut record. MusicRadar reported the story.
Freese explained that when he worked on Lavigne’s first record, he was unfamiliar with the artist. He didn’t retain much information about the project at the time. He described the recording session as a quick, straightforward job.
“When I worked on Avril Lavigne’s first record, I’d never heard her name before, because no one had heard her name,” Freese said. “I think I was more worried about just knowing the contact name I was gonna bill on Monday at the record label, because I was like, ‘I don’t know what this music is, or who this artist is. And chances are, no one’s going to.'”
The producer may have mentioned her name, but it didn’t stick with him. The session itself was efficient: “We were in the studio with a Pro Tools rig one evening. No-one else was there. They already had these tracks done, either with a drum machine or guide drums they didn’t like. And I knocked out four or five songs in an evening.”
Months later, when Lavigne’s album became a massive success, people began telling Freese about his involvement. He was initially skeptical but eventually discovered his name credited on the record. “People were going, ‘Hey man, I saw you’re on that Avril Lavigne record.’ And at this point, I knew who she was, because everyone at this point knew who she was. I went, ‘Nah, I didn’t play on that record.’ They go, ‘Your name’s on it!’ So I went and looked online and I’m like, ‘Holy shit! My name is on it!'”
This remarkable story of musical amnesia speaks to Freese’s extraordinary prolific career. MusicRadar noted that Freese was credited for playing drums on five tracks from Lavigne’s 2002 debut album Let Go, including the opening track “Losing Grip.” He was notably absent from the album’s two massive hit singles—”Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi”—which featured different drum arrangements.
The timing of Freese’s involvement was particularly interesting. Wikipedia’s entry on Let Go shows that Freese’s drums appeared on tracks 1, 5, 6, 10, and 12 of the album. Other drummers handled different sections. His quick evening session resulted in high-quality work that would become part of one of the most successful debut albums of the early 2000s.
What makes this incident even more striking is the context of Freese’s career trajectory. Wikipedia reveals that Joshua Ryan Freese has been a member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989. He has worked with numerous major artists across multiple genres, accumulating credits on more than 400 albums. With such an extensive discography spanning decades, it’s understandable that even significant recordings occasionally slip his mind.
The experience was so memorable to Freese that he later immortalized it in a song. Ultimate Guitar reported that Freese created a track called “I Didn’t Know I Recorded With Avril” on his 2024 album Just a Minute: Vol. 2. This album is comprised entirely of 60-second tracks. The song was inspired by the avant-garde art rock style of The Residents, featuring what Freese describes as “a weird drum loop thing.”
Notably, Freese’s relationship with Lavigne extended well beyond that initial session. Ultimate Guitar documented that Freese went on to perform drums on three of Avril’s subsequent studio albums: Under My Skin (2004), The Best Damn Thing (2007), and Goodbye Lullaby (2011). This demonstrates that despite his initial forgetfulness, Freese became a trusted collaborator for Lavigne throughout her career.
