Voices: After all that, it transpires that Dave Grohl is no longer ‘one of the good guys’

In case you missed it, Dave Grohl , who has forever been known as one of the kindest men in music, has recently confessed to fathering a child outside of his marriage . In some circles, this is known as “having an affair”, by the way. But I’ll get to that.

First, allow me to get you up to speed. The 55-year-old has been married to Jordyn Blum, 48, since August 2003 , after having met two years prior at Sunset Marquis Whiskey Bar in West Hollywood. The couple have three children together : Violet Maye, Harper Willow, and Ophelia Saint, born in 2006, 2009, and 2014, respectively. Grohl is, to all intents and purposes, a family man, and has regularly spoken about the importance of his children in interviews, telling Time in 2009: “I used to tour nine months out of the year. Now I don’t like being away from my kids for more than 12 days.”

Now, that tightknit family unit has unravelled in the most dramatic fashion. Earlier this week, the former Nirvana drummer posted a statement on Instagram revealing the news. “I’ve recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage,” it read. “I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her.”

He also went on to say: “I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness. We’re grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward together.”

A lot of people seem surprised by this revelation. But Grohl was always so dedicated to his family? He constantly talked about how much he loved his wife and kids? He could never do something like this, could he?

Well, evidently yes, yes he could. Because – and I hate to be the one to break this to you – anyone is capable of behaving badly, regardless of whatever front they may put on to the world. In fact, sometimes it’s the ones putting on the best front that are the worst.

It’s not exactly like Grohl’s half-hearted statement is doing him any favours, either. The way he phrases it – “I’ve recently become the father…” makes it sound like the kid dropped down from space and arrived on his doorstep, swaddled in a cashmere blanket and cooing to the tune of “The Pretender”. He has clearly worked very hard to phrase things in a way that totally eradicates the fact this all happened because he cheated on his wife .

Some people have praised Grohl for his honesty. And I suppose he could’ve just kept quiet about it all and allowed the rumour mill to circulate. Maybe there’s a case to be made for being open about his infidelity making things easier for the child in question. Sure. Fine. But is the bar really that low? Do we really need to praise men who behave terribly for such pathetic displays of mediocrity?

Besides, isn’t Grohl’s statement more to do with attempting to salvage his own reputation above all else? Where is the apology? The recognition of what he’s done? And a sense of regret at the literal lifetime of pain that he’s caused his family?

There is none. Because right now the musician is in crisis mode. And evidently, the crisis he’s prioritising is a PR one.

As for the personal crisis, you know, the one involving his family, well, that doesn’t seem to be much of a priority. If it was, perhaps he wouldn’t have cheated in the first place.