Dave Grohl vs The Muppets' Animal Means Everyone Wins

Tonight, Dave Grohl takes on The Muppets' Animal in an epic drum battle, which means we all win! The internet is abuzz with chatter of Grohl's appearance of tonight's episode of The Muppets, "Going, Going, Gonzo," and with good reason. For many viewers, both have incredible nostalgic value.

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Children of the 70s and 80s revelled in The Muppet Show- a hilarious variety show format, featuring the cream of the celebrity crop. The show was such a success it produced two equally fun movies.Even the children of the 90s were served a helping of Muppets magic with The Muppet Babies and new Muppets movies, including a 1992 adaptation of Dickens', A Christmas Carol. It seems the Muppets are part of nearly every American viewer's childhood repertoire. Watching The Muppets (2015) puts many of us back in that place of innocence and happiness.

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For people of a certain age, Dave Grohl has ties to a more angst-ridden period of their lives-- adolescence. Nirvana was a breakthrough band-- 90s era teens had a new soundtrack... it was gritty, it was, at times, sardonic, and it was honest. Sure, other bands played music similar to Nirvana, but the band had an unshakable IT factor. Like lots of teens of the time, I shed my keds for Docs and cornered the market on flannel. So much for bucking conformity.

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Tonight, two wonderful worlds will collide when Animal, drummer for the Muppets' Dr. Teeth and Electric Mayhem, battles Dave Grohl of Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and Them Crooked Vultures fame (the list of his contributions goes on and on).

The moment I first saw Dave's lanky body hunched over his drums with his long hair in his face, he reminded me of someone-- I just couldn't place it. The moment he started to punish his drums, I knew who he reminded me of- Animal. It was perfect.

Since Dave went on to play Animool in The Muppets (2011), I'm guessing I'm not the only person to make that association. Animool was the drummer for the Moopets, a sad cover band fronted by Fozzie Bear after the Muppets parted ways. Hilarious on all counts!

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The association, though, also speaks to the general spirit of drummers, possessed by the percussion-- it moves through them and they thrash it out.That's the magic of Animal. Shoot, only one character rivaled Animal's influence in my book, but her body of work is far more modest and her audience far more narrow. One word- Watts... no one made me want to pick up drum sticks more. Man, when I think of her, I still want to take up the task.

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Now Dave is a grown up- kids and all, but he plays harder now than ever. He's never taken himself too seriously, one of his most endearing qualities-- just look at any number of his early Foo Fighter videos. Or check him out as Beezleboss in Tenacious D's Pick of Destiny.

Maybe fatherhood inspires him to tangle with The Muppets... maybe he was inspired by Animal... maybe he even sees a little of himself in Animal- whatever his reason, I'm grateful this is finally happening.

 I've been lucky enough to see Dave perform live on multiple occasions, the most recent experience being the Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary 4th of July Bash in Washington, DC. His love for his craft and fans is genuine and infectious. I'm a sucker for an underdog, and he had to overcome numerous obstacles after Kurt Cobain's tragic death. But here he is, grounded, successful, playful, animal. I, for one, can't wait for tonight's battle between two of my all time favorites.

You can get in on the fun by watching the below video and by watching the full episode of "Going, Going Gonzo," at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on ABC. You can also share your favorite Muppet memory in the comment section.