Pixies Respond to Dave Grohl Calling 'Surfer Rosa' the 'Perfect Record' — and Name Their Own Favorite Foo Fighters Album
Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering confirmed they agree with Dave Grohl's glowing assessment of the band's 1988 debut Surfer Rosa, in an interview with NME backstage at Mad Cool 2026 in Madrid, Spain. Grohl had called the album "the perfect record" earlier this month in an interview on BBC Radio 6Music.
Grohl's praise and Pixies' response
Asked on BBC Radio 6Music to name an album he considers a masterpiece, Grohl picked Surfer Rosa, citing producer Steve Albini's recording techniques being widely heard for the first time, singer Black Francis's lyrics moving between the abstract and the absurd, and the rare blend of Black Francis's and Kim Deal's voices. Grohl said he's probably listened to the record 10,000 times.
When told about the comment backstage, Santiago said immediately: "I have to agree." Lovering laughed and added: "I agree, that's my favorite one." After Santiago pressed for Grohl's exact wording and learned he'd said "perfect," he joked: "As long as he didn't say 'great,' he's right."
Both musicians noted that despite their bands having run parallel careers since the 1990s, Pixies and Grohl aren't close — their encounters have been limited to brief run-ins at airports or shared festival bills.
Pixies' pick for a 'perfect Foo Fighters record' and new music updates
Asked in return, Santiago named Foo Fighters' 1997 second album The Colour and the Shape, praising its "great sound" and the work of producer Gil Norton — who has also produced several Pixies albums.
On new music, Santiago revealed the band is still working: "We've been at it, same pattern as always. We have some time off in October, so we'll get together and piece more songs together." Last year, Santiago told Rolling Stone that the band had recorded new demos with producer Tom Dalgety, who produced Pixies' 2024 album The Night The Zombies Came.
The interview took place backstage before Pixies' main stage performance at Mad Cool 2026, according to NME.