Luke Spiller from The Struts revealed his final interaction with Taylor Hawkins in an interview with Lipps Service.
“Just going back just to the whole record itself, I remember my last interaction with Taylor before he went on that last tour of his,” Spiller said. “I was around his house and we were playing and rehearsing for – we were meant to do a bunch of, kind of, shows where we were going to be playing Queen and whatnot – and I had a few demos from this album.”
“I played him a track called ‘If This Isn’t Love.’ And it got from the verse and then to the chorus and he stopped [it],” he continued. “He stopped and he was like, ‘Luke, Luke, Luke.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘I just have to say – You know I love you. You know I love the band and everything. But this…’ He was like, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever heard you do.'”
“It’s one of [my favorite songs on the record] for, you know, not just that reason, but again he was speaking my language and completely understanding where I was coming from,” Spiller added. “He was like, ‘It’s like Queen, ‘The Game’ era.'”
Their final meeting occurred while they prepared for planned Queen tribute performances. Hawkins passed away shortly after this conversation.
This meaningful exchange stands among several significant final interactions Hawkins shared with fellow musicians before his death.
A report from Happy Mag revealed Hawkins’ last voicemail to Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell. His message stated: “Take care of each other. And I’ll take care of myself. And I’ll see you in São Paulo. I love, love, love you. Sleep well.”
Hawkins’ musical legacy extends beyond his role as Foo Fighters’ drummer. Coverage from TooFab highlights his work with Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. He also contributed to the supergroup NHC.
7News documented Hawkins’ deep connection to Queen’s musical style. His appreciation for their sound often influenced his own musical compositions. This context makes his final discussion with Spiller about the Queen-influenced track especially significant.
