Pat Smear
From Punkopedia - The Punk, Hardcore, and Indie Encyclopedia
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| Homebase | Los Angeles, CA |
| Born | August 5, 1959 |
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Pat Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. He is also known as an actor and for co-hosting the MTV fashion show House of Style with friend and supermodel Cindy Crawford. He is currently playing with Foo Fighters as a touring guitarist.
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[edit] Early Life
He was born and raised in West Los Angeles, California. He was born to an African-American/Native American mother and a German/Jewish immigrant father. As a teenager in 1972, Pat Smear met Darby Crash and together they formedThe Germs with bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Dottie Danger (the pseudonym of Belinda Carlisle who went on to front The Go-Gos).
Carlisle was soon replaced by Don Bolles and, in 1979, the band released their first album, GI. Produced by Joan Jett, the record is now defined as a milestone in the history of punk rock. The Germs endured for one more year before finally disbanding in 1980 after Crash committed suicide.
[edit] 1980s/90s
Pat would go on to play with Nina Hagen, and make two solo albums of his own; So You Fell In Love With A Musician and Ruthensmear. Around this time Pat received an offer to join the Red Hot Chili Peppers, replacing guitarist John Frusciante, (who had left the Chili Peppers) which he turned down. While working on Breakin', Smear became friends with Courtney Love. In 1993 he received a call from her husband, Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain, asking him to join his band. Pat accepted immediately and played his first show with Nirvana on Saturday Night Live on September 25, 1993. Smear primarily played Hagström guitars during his stint in Nirvana. He toured with Nirvana for about six months before Cobain died on April 1994, and also appeared on their album MTV Unplugged in New York. For a short stint, Pat played with the Meat Puppets.
Following the end of Nirvana, drummer Dave Grohl was beginning to form his own band, which would become known as Foo Fighters. Smear joined the group from its inception, but because the band's first album was a collection of demos recorded solely by Grohl, he wouldn't appear on a Foo Fighters album until 1997's The Colour and the Shape. Later that year due to fatigue, Smear announced his departure from the group during a live performance atop Radio City Music Hall, right before that year's MTV Video Music Awards.
[edit] Recent Activities
Since leaving Foo Fighters, Smear has kept a fairly low profile, producing the band Harlow's debut album and making only scattered television appearances.
Most recently, he has been employed as a creative consultant in a motion picture about The Germs and Darby Crash, entitled What We Do Is Secret, after one of the band's best-known songs. It is slated to be released in 2007, and he is being depicted by the actor Rick Gonzalez.
In 2005 he began performing reunion shows with The Germs, with actor Shane West (who portrays Darby Crash in the film) filling in as lead vocalist.
In May of 2006, the Foo Fighters announced they would play limited acoustic dates across North America. To the surprise of fans, it was announced Smear would be one of the touring musicians aiding the band during the shows. He also appeared with them on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in September 2006 and on the same stage as Bob Dylan and The Eagles at Genentech's 30th Anniversary party. On October 21 and 22, 2006 he also joined the band for both days of the Bridge School Benefit Concert, hosted by Neil Young. In addition he is a featured musician on the Foo Fighters live album Skin and Bones. In August 2007 he also appeared on stage with the Foo Fighters at the Uk's V Festival, Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh and Marlay Park, Dublin, Ireland.
The previously unrecorded Germs song Golden Boys which appears on Smear's 1988 SST album Ruthensmear appears on the soundtrack of the 2007 film Cthulhu.
On Sunday, September 9, 2007, Smear joined the Foo Fighters for their MTV Music Video Awards party room show. Smear has been added to the band as a touring guitarist for their upcoming tour to support the album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Smear also is credited with playing guitar on the song "Let It Die" off the same album. On Saturday, October 13, 2007, Smear joined the Foo Fighters for an appearance on Saturday Night Live.
[edit] Projects
With The Germs
- Forming/Sexboy (live) 7", 1977, What? Records
- Lexicon Devil 7" EP, 1978, Slash Records
- (GI) LP, 1979, Slash Records
- The Decline of Western Civilization Soundtrack (live tracks) LP, 1980, Slash Records
- What We Do Is Secret LP, 1981, Slash Records
- Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever LP, 1981, Mohawk/Bomp Records
- Germicide LP, 1985, ROIR
- Germs (MIA) - The Complete Anthology LP, 1993, Slash/Rhino Records
Solo
- So You Fell in Love with a Musician... 1992, SST
- Ruthensmear 1988, SST
With Nirvana
- MTV Unplugged in New York (1994) 5X Platinum
- From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996) Platinum
With Mike Watt
- Ball-Hog or Tugboat? (1995)
With Foo Fighters
- The Colour and the Shape (1997) Platinum
- Skin and Bones (2006)
- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)
