Pearl Jam and Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron says Taylor Hawkins Quotes “Taken Out of Context”

Legendary drummer Matt Cameron came out with a statement on Tuesday (May 17) saying that a recent Rolling Stone article that quoted him about his friend, the late drummer Taylor Hawkins, took his quotes out of context.

Said Cameron on Instagram, “When I agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone article about Taylor, I assumed it would be a celebration of his life and work. My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative I had never intended. Taylor was a dear friend and a next level artist.

“I miss him. I have only the deepest love and respect for Taylor, Dave and the Foo Fighters families. I am truly sorry to have taken part in this interview and I apologize that my participation may have caused harm to those for whom I have only the deepest respect and admiration.”

In the feature published on Monday, Cameron was quoted saying that Hawkins felt “he couldn’t keep up” with the rigorous tour schedule of being a drummer in a big-name band like the Foo Fighters.

Said Cameron in the piece: “He had a heart-to-heart with Dave and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t fucking do it anymore’ — those were his words,” Cameron was quoted as saying. “So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that.” (In a statement to Rolling Stone, a representative for Foo Fighters denied that such a conversation ever took place.)

“He tried to keep up,” Cameron was quoted later in the piece. “He just did whatever it took to keep up, and in the end, he couldn’t keep up.”

Others were also quoted in the Rolling Stone piece, including Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Chad Smith, who also talked about the hectic tour schedule associated with the Foo Fighters.

Members of the Foo Fighters and Hawkins family were not quoted in the piece.

Hawkins died shockingly about two months ago. He was just 50 years old. After the news broke, many in the music industry relayed their deepest sorrows at his death.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic