May described their earliest encounter when Hawkins was on tour with Morissette in London: “We instantly bonded, Taylor became very close to Roger and Roger’s son, Rufus, who very much follows in Taylor’s footsteps — he’s a wonderful drummer.”
From then on, May said he followed the young musician’s career closely: “I saw the Foo Fighters from those very early small gigs. I think I saw them at Brixton Academy first and they were wonderful — just full of exuberance.”
And when Hawkins himself became famous, he returned the love in public, even declaring that Queen’s Keep Yourself Alive was the track that inspired him to become a drummer.