Never change, Dave - we salute you

You see? Would Billy Corgan film himself getting soapy for the whole world to see? (DEAR GOD, WE HOPE NOT)

He's a champion of 'real music': Speaking to Sky Magazine last year about the impact of reality singing shows, Grohl dropped a rant that went viral - and with good reason. Here comes some real words of wisdom: "When I think about kids watching a TV show like American Idol or The Voice , then they think, 'Oh, okay, that's how you become a musician, you stand in line for eight fuckin' hours with 800 people at a convention centre and then you sing your heart out for someone and then they tell you it's not fucking good enough. Can you imagine? It's destroying the next generation of musicians! Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy an old fuckin' drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they'll suck, too. And then they%u2019ll fuckin' start playing and they'll have the best time they've ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they%u2019ll become Nirvana. Because that%u2019s exactly what happened with Nirvana."

He's got the most infectious smile in rock!

Lovely as he is, he will not suffer fools: At Foo Fighters' iTunes Festival show at London's Roundhouse in 2011, he spotted some douche fighting in the crowd. His response became the stuff of Youtube legend: "Who's that there? Let me see him. Who's fighting? Let me see him. Hey you in the striped shirt, look at me, look at me… Get the fuck outta my show right now. Get the fuck out. I don't put up with that bullshit - you people come here to have a good time and that guy can fuck off."

He'll play in your garage: Back in 2011 to promote Wasting Light, Foo Fighters embarked on a tour of their fans' garages. (Yes really - watch a brilliant documentary about it on Youtube). One lucky winner said: "I didn't win the lottery, but I got this. If I won the lottery the first thing I would do is pay to have Foos play in my garage." Us too.

He was in Nirvana: Were you in Nirvana? No? Now bask in his rock-God glory.

He has awesome friends: As if being in Nirvana and Foo Fighters wasn't enough, so nice is rock's Mr Nice that he's acted as a magnet for some of the music world's most brilliant figures. As a result, he's recorded drums on some of Queens Of The Stone Age's greatest tracks, formed supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and even formed a semi-reunion of Nirvana with no less than Sir Paul McCartney on vocals for the brilliant soundtrack to his Sound City movie (which features tons and tons of amazing artists in collaboration).

He's even cool as a finger puppet

He keeps his cool when it comes to Courtney: After Kurt Cobain's death, his widow Courtney Love has had nothing but unkind words for Dave Grohl - with wave after wave of verbal attacks in the media and on Twitter. In the face of it all, Grohl has remained largely graceful and classy in keeping his distance from the madness. Since then, they've hugged it out and have been bonding over strippers and such.

He's totally honest: Never afraid of seeming uncool, Grohl was speaking at SXSW last year when he confessed that 'Gangnam Style' by Psy was his favourite song of the last decade, adding: "Is it any better or worse than the latest Atoms For Peace album? Hmmm, if only we had a panel of celebrity judges to determine that for us. What would J-Lo do? Paging Pitchfork! Come in, come in we need you to help us determine the value of a song! Who fucking cares? Who is to say what’s a good voice? The Voice? Imagine Bob Dylan standing there singing 'Blowin’ In The Wind' in front of Christina Aguilera."

He won't tolerate intolerance: Back in 2011, the hate-mongering, homophobic enemies of sanity the Westboro Baptist Church boycotted a Foo Fighters gig in the States. Dave Grohl and co's response? To dress up as 'rednecks' and performing a spoof country song 'Keepin' It Clean' - about tolerance and homosexuality to them in the street, featuring the lyrics: "I don't care if you're black or white or purple or green, whether you're Pennsylvanian or Transylvanian, Lady Gaga or Lady Antebellum, it takes all kinds! Men loving women, and women loving men, and men loving men, and women loving women … God bless America!"

He keeps his promises: In 2006, two men became trapped down a mine in Tasmania before they requested iPods with Foo Fighters music to keep them sane while they awaited rescue. When Grohl heard about this he told them: "Two tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and two cold beers". True to his word, Grohl played two acoustic dates at the Sydney Opera House, and invited the miners along. He told reporters: "I was willing to foot the bill to have them come half way around the world just to hang out and have a beer, and then it turned out they couldn't come." Still, what a guy.

He's modest: Despite his mammoth status as a God of percussion, he still maintains that Taylor Hawkins is a better drummer.

He lives for his fans: Whether you love the Foos or hate them, anyone who's seen Grohl on stage can vouch that he's a born showman for all of the right reasons.

He doesn't take himself too seriously: Most rockstars of his standing and legacy would place themselves on some kind of crazy tall pedestal to be worshipped from afar - but not Grohl. Master of disguise and prone to a little cross-dressing, Dave couldn't be any less pretentious if he tried. He's funny without being 'wacky'. Ironically, this only makes him more God-like.

He's a hero: The nicest man in rock this year made the dying wish of a terminally ill Foo Fighters fan come true. Aussie Ken Powell, also known as hardcore fan Ken the Foo Fighter, has been battling melanoma cancer 14 years. After surgery and treatment have failed, the 56-year-old inspiration made it his life ambition to meet the band. The Australian tour was cancelled, so Dave sent him the above picture - and VIP tickets to see them in Los Angeles.