Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Episode 101: Ilan Rubin.
Ilan Rubin is the new drummer for Foo Fighters and one of the most respected musicians in modern music. He and I go way back to our early teen and even pre-teen drumming years, so this is an extra fun one for me.
He spent 17 years with Nine Inch Nails as their longest-running drummer, earning a reputation for precision, versatility, and the ability to step into any musical environment at the highest level. From there, he has continued to evolve, now joining Foo Fighters and stepping into one of the most iconic bands in music. Alongside that, Ilan has been a core part of Angels & Airwaves, working closely with Tom DeLonge not just as a drummer, but as a collaborator, multi-instrumentalist, and creative partner. Their relationship goes beyond just playing live. It is about building songs, shaping sound, and pushing ideas forward together.
In this conversation, we talk about Ilan’s journey as a musician, how he built his career starting at just 9 years old, how he has landed some of the biggest gigs in music, and how he has kept those gigs for years. We dive into how he got the gig with Foo Fighters, how much fun he's having with them, and the positive vibe they all have together. We get into what he learned from working with Trent Reznor, all sorts of stories from playing with Nine Inch Nails, his open handed drumming technique, being the frontman of his own band The New Regime, fun stories with Tom DeLonge, and some great stories of him and I over the years. We also dive into how he approaches his role inside elite bands, his work ethic, how he thinks about growth, his approach to music, and what it takes to stay consistently at the top for two decades.
This is a fun conversation about discipline, evolution, and becoming someone artists trust at the top of the game. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the great Ilan Rubin! Let’s go.
Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.
Big thanks to our friends Moises for supporting the show! If you need stems, they’re the best in the game. Check them out! moises.ai
0:00:00 - INTRODUCTION
0:03:20 - INTERVIEW STARTS
0:05:07 - JOINING FOO FIGHTERS
0:07:33 - DAVE GROHL
0:10:39 - NO CLICK
0:13:49 - FOO FIGHTERS ARE A FAMILY, LIVE SHOWS
0:16:23 - PLAYING WITH DAVE, BRINGING THE ENERGY
0:22:33 - LEARNING THE MATERIAL
0:25:00 - DRUMMING
0:25:58 - LOCKING IN WITH THE BAND
0:27:17 - PLAYING "EVERLONG" LIVE
0:28:11 - PLAYING "MONKEY WRENCH" AND "BEST OF YOU" LIVE
0:28:54 - DAVE KEEPING THE TEMPO ON GUITAR
0:29:26 - SURREAL MOMENTS
0:30:18 - FROM NIN TO FOO FIGHTERS, JOSH FREESE
0:35:59 - FIRST SHOW WITH FOO FIGHTERS
0:42:20 - ILAN'S EARLY LIFE
0:44:28 - WHEN ELMO AND ILAN FIRST MET
0:54:18 - WARPED TOUR, YOUNG DRUMMERS
0:56:01 - NOFX, FAT MIKE STORY
0:58:56 - ERIC MELVIN STORY
0:59:23 - OPEN HANDED DRUMMING
1:03:24 - DAVE WECKL
1:05:13 - NAMM
1:06:40 - BIGGER GIGS
1:11:43 - LOSTPROPHETS
1:13:56 - TRENT REZNOR, NINE INCH NAILS
1:21:47 - AUDITION MENTALITY
1:27:10 - PLAYING WITH NIN
1:30:30 - TOM DELONGE, ANGELS AND AIRWAVES
1:31:13 - HOW TO KEEP THE GIG
1:32:36 - “THE PERFECT DRUG,” FLOPPY HI HATS
1:34:20 - ILAN’S HAIR
1:35:43 - PRE SHOW ROUTINE
1:38:28 - FOO FIGHTERS BACKSTAGE
1:39:43 - ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
1:42:06 - PROFESSIONALISM
1:46:25 - THE NEW REGIME, JULIETTE LEWIS
1:48:44 - ANGELS AND AIRWAVES, TOM DELONGE
1:50:44 - TOM DELONGE & TRENT REZNOR STORY
1:52:09 - TOM DELONGE
1:53:45 - AI IN MUSIC
1:56:51 - WATCHES
1:58:53 - MONEY TALK, INVESTMENTS, FINANCES
2:04:39 - SCORING MUSIC
2:05:47 - LESSONS FOR MUSICIANS
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, Zoom hangs, invite only events, and discussions about music and music careers. patreon.com/gowithelmo
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Ilan:
instagram.com/ilanrubin
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
Follow Jammcard:
youtube.com/@jammcard
instagram.com/jammcard
jammcard.com
Episode 101: Ilan Rubin.
Ilan Rubin is the new drummer for Foo Fighters and one of the most respected musicians in modern music. He and I go way back to our early teen and even pre-teen drumming years, so this is an extra fun one for me.
He spent 17 years with Nine Inch Nails as their longest-running drummer, earning a reputation for precision, versatility, and the ability to step into any musical environment at the highest level. From there, he has continued to evolve, now joining Foo Fighters and stepping into one of the most iconic bands in music. Alongside that, Ilan has been a core part of Angels & Airwaves, working closely with Tom DeLonge not just as a drummer, but as a collaborator, multi-instrumentalist, and creative partner. Their relationship goes beyond just playing live. It is about building songs, shaping sound, and pushing ideas forward together.
In this conversation, we talk about Ilan’s journey as a musician, how he built his career starting at just 9 years old, how he has landed some of the biggest gigs in music, and how he has kept those gigs for years. We dive into how he got the gig with Foo Fighters, how much fun he's having with them, and the positive vibe they all have together. We get into what he learned from working with Trent Reznor, all sorts of stories from playing with Nine Inch Nails, his open handed drumming technique, being the frontman of his own band The New Regime, fun stories with Tom DeLonge, and some great stories of him and I over the years. We also dive into how he approaches his role inside elite bands, his work ethic, how he thinks about growth, his approach to music, and what it takes to stay consistently at the top for two decades.
This is a fun conversation about discipline, evolution, and becoming someone artists trust at the top of the game. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the great Ilan Rubin! Let’s go.
Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.
Big thanks to our friends Moises for supporting the show! If you need stems, they’re the best in the game. Check them out! moises.ai
0:00:00 - INTRODUCTION
0:03:20 - INTERVIEW STARTS
0:05:07 - JOINING FOO FIGHTERS
0:07:33 - DAVE GROHL
0:10:39 - NO CLICK
0:13:49 - FOO FIGHTERS ARE A FAMILY, LIVE SHOWS
0:16:23 - PLAYING WITH DAVE, BRINGING THE ENERGY
0:22:33 - LEARNING THE MATERIAL
0:25:00 - DRUMMING
0:25:58 - LOCKING IN WITH THE BAND
0:27:17 - PLAYING "EVERLONG" LIVE
0:28:11 - PLAYING "MONKEY WRENCH" AND "BEST OF YOU" LIVE
0:28:54 - DAVE KEEPING THE TEMPO ON GUITAR
0:29:26 - SURREAL MOMENTS
0:30:18 - FROM NIN TO FOO FIGHTERS, JOSH FREESE
0:35:59 - FIRST SHOW WITH FOO FIGHTERS
0:42:20 - ILAN'S EARLY LIFE
0:44:28 - WHEN ELMO AND ILAN FIRST MET
0:54:18 - WARPED TOUR, YOUNG DRUMMERS
0:56:01 - NOFX, FAT MIKE STORY
0:58:56 - ERIC MELVIN STORY
0:59:23 - OPEN HANDED DRUMMING
1:03:24 - DAVE WECKL
1:05:13 - NAMM
1:06:40 - BIGGER GIGS
1:11:43 - LOSTPROPHETS
1:13:56 - TRENT REZNOR, NINE INCH NAILS
1:21:47 - AUDITION MENTALITY
1:27:10 - PLAYING WITH NIN
1:30:30 - TOM DELONGE, ANGELS AND AIRWAVES
1:31:13 - HOW TO KEEP THE GIG
1:32:36 - “THE PERFECT DRUG,” FLOPPY HI HATS
1:34:20 - ILAN’S HAIR
1:35:43 - PRE SHOW ROUTINE
1:38:28 - FOO FIGHTERS BACKSTAGE
1:39:43 - ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
1:42:06 - PROFESSIONALISM
1:46:25 - THE NEW REGIME, JULIETTE LEWIS
1:48:44 - ANGELS AND AIRWAVES, TOM DELONGE
1:50:44 - TOM DELONGE & TRENT REZNOR STORY
1:52:09 - TOM DELONGE
1:53:45 - AI IN MUSIC
1:56:51 - WATCHES
1:58:53 - MONEY TALK, INVESTMENTS, FINANCES
2:04:39 - SCORING MUSIC
2:05:47 - LESSONS FOR MUSICIANS
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, Zoom hangs, invite only events, and discussions about music and music careers. patreon.com/gowithelmo
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Ilan:
instagram.com/ilanrubin
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
Follow Jammcard:
youtube.com/@jammcard
instagram.com/jammcard
jammcard.com
