Pat Smear
Encyclopedia
Pat Smear is a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who has been a guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
in several well-known bands including The Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
and Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
. He is currently a guitarist for the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
. He is also known for appearing regularly on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
fashion show House of Style
House of Style
House of Style is an MTV show that premiered January 1, 1989, focusing on America's growing fascination with the "supermodel" craze. The show focused on fashion, lives of models, the modeling industry, and controversial topics such as eating disorders....
with friend and supermodel Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
.
Early life
He was born and raised in West Los Angeles. He was born to an African-American/Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
mother and a German Jewish immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
father. His parents forced him to take piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons at a young age, and a few years later, he began teaching himself to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. He lists his influences as Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, Brian James, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, and Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
.
The Germs (1977-1980)
As a teenager in 1977, Smear met Darby CrashDarby Crash
Darby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
, and together they formed The Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
with bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Dottie Danger (the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
, who went on to front The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
).
Carlisle was soon replaced by Don Bolles and, in 1979, the band released their first album, (GI)
(GI)
is the only studio album from American punk band The Germs. The title stands for "Germs Incognito", an alternate name the band used to obtain bookings when their early reputation kept them out of Los Angeles-area clubs...
. Produced by Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, the record is now defined as a milestone in the history of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. The Germs endured for one more year before finally disbanding in 1980 after Crash committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. After The Germs, Smear had a brief stint as a member of punk band The Adolescents
The Adolescents
The Adolescents are an American punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. It is a punk supergroup, made up of early members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion. They are often credited as one of the leading bands of the 1980s hardcore punk scene....
.
1980s
Following the demise of the Germs, Smear played in 1981 with ex-Screamers keyboardist Paul Roessler and his sister Kira in a band called Twisted Roots. Although short-lived, the band was the toast of the Hollywood punk scene. Smear would go on to play with Nina HagenNina Hagen
Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...
and make two solo albums of his own, Ruthensmear
Ruthensmear
-Tracklist:# Sahara Hotel# Golden Boys# Odenara# Blue Funk Punk# Princess# Magicandle Tragicanary# The Area Of The Circle# Xmas Song# Eyes & Hearts# A Gentle Axe-Personnel :* Pat Smear: Vocals, Guitar...
and So You Fell in Love with a Musician...
So You Fell in Love with a Musician...
So You Fell In Love With A Musician... is the second solo album by guitarist Pat Smear, released by SST Records in 1992. The year following this album's release, Smear joined the wildly popular grunge band Nirvana.-Track listing:# I'll Find You...
. While working on Breakin, Smear became friends with Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
.
Nirvana (1993-1994)
In 1993, he received a call from NirvanaNirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's frontman Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, asking him to join his band. Smear at first thought that it was his friend, Carlos "Cake" Nunez, playing a joke on him; however, Courtney Love had told Smear a few days prior that Cobain was going to call him. Smear accepted immediately and played his first show with Nirvana on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on September 25, 1993. He toured with Nirvana for about six months, and also appears on their albums MTV Unplugged in New York
MTV Unplugged in New York
MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American rock band Nirvana. It features an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993 for the television series MTV Unplugged. The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and first aired on the cable television...
, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released on October 1, 1996 and features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994...
, Nirvana (album), and With The Lights Out
With the Lights Out
With the Lights Out is a box set, containing three CDs and one DVD, of previously rare or unreleased material, including b-sides, demos, rough rehearsal recordings and live recordings, from the American rock band Nirvana. It was released in November 2004...
.
Smear's time with Nirvana, which brought him his first mass audience exposure, came to an end with Cobain's death in April 1994.
Foo Fighters (1994–1997)
Following Cobain's death, Nirvana drummer Dave GrohlDave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
formed a band to support his self-titled album, the first effort from the band which would become known as Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
. Smear joined the group from its inception, but because the band's first album
Foo Fighters (album)
Foo Fighters is the debut album by the Foo Fighters. At the time, the only official member of the Foo Fighters was Dave Grohl, who wrote and recorded the entire album himself at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington in 1994, prior to organizing the band...
was a collection of demos recorded solely by Grohl, Smear did not appear on a Foo Fighters album until 1997's The Colour and the Shape
The Colour and the Shape
-Track information:DollGrohl stated that is "basically a song about being afraid to enter into something you're not prepared for."Monkey WrenchGrohl stated that it was "a song about realising that you are the source of all of the problems in a relationship and you love the other person so much, you...
. Later that year, Smear quit the band: he announced his departure during a live performance atop Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
(introducing his replacement Franz Stahl
Franz Stahl
Franz Stahl was the guitarist of the Washington, DC hardcore punk band Scream. Stahl is the brother of Scream lead singer Peter Stahl. Stahl was also briefly a member of Foo Fighters from 1997 to 1999, replacing the band's original guitarist Pat Smear...
), right before that year's MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
.
Hiatus from the Foo Fighters 1997-2005
During his absence from Foo Fighters, Smear kept a fairly low profile, producing the band Harlow's debut album and making scattered television appearances.He has been employed as a creative consultant in a motion picture about the Germs and Darby Crash, entitled What We Do Is Secret
What We Do Is Secret (film)
What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of...
, after one of the band's best-known songs. The film was released at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 23, 2007, and had a limited theatrical release in 2008. It is now available on DVD. In the film, he is depicted by actor Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, and as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper.-Early life:...
.
In 2005, he began performing reunion shows with The Germs, with actor Shane West
Shane West
Shane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr...
(who portrays Darby Crash in the film) filling in as lead vocalist.
The previously unrecorded Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
song, "Golden Boys", which is on Smear's 1988 SST album Ruthensmear, originally appeared on the soundtrack of an early cut of the 2007 film Cthulhu
Cthulhu (2007 film)
Cthulhu is a 2007 American horror movie, directed by Dan Gildark and co-written by Grant Cogswell and Daniel Gildark. The film is loosely based on the short story "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" by H. P. Lovecraft....
, but the producers replaced it due to rights issues.
Rejoining the Foo Fighters (2006-present)
In May 2006, the Foo Fighters announced they would play limited acoustic dates across North America. 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 DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and The Eagles at Genentech
Genentech
Genentech Inc., or Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. Trailing the founding of Cetus by five years, it was an important step in the evolution of the biotechnology industry...
'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
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. In addition he is a featured musician on the Foo Fighters live album Skin and Bones
Skin and Bones
-Live in Los Angeles :-Live in Hyde Park :Note: The whole setlist is not included on the DVD. The song "The One" is excluded, as Taylor Hawkins made a mistake on the drums...
. In August 2007, he appeared on stage with the Foo Fighters at the UK's V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
, Meadowbank Stadium
Meadowbank Stadium
Meadowbank Stadium is a multi-purpose sports facility located at Meadowbank, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It hosted the Commonwealth Games of 1970 and 1986.-Layout:...
, Edinburgh and Marlay Park
Marlay Park
Marlay Park is a suburban public park located in Rathfarnham in the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, in Co. Dublin, Ireland. Lying about nine kilometres from Dublin city centre. The parkland comprises woodlands, ponds and walks...
, Dublin, Ireland.
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 supporting tour of the album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
The album debuted at the top of the UK album chart, selling 135,685 albums in its first week. The album also went platinum in its first week in both Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., it entered the Billboard 200 album chart at #3, selling 168,000 copies in its first week, and has since been...
. 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
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and also joined the Foo Fighters on stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
, confirming his return to the band as a full member.
He appeared with the band on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
on November 9. He played both Foo Fighters dates at the O2 Arena, London on November 17 and 18, 2007. On February 10, 2008, Smear also performed live with Foo Fighters at the 2008 Grammy Awards broadcast on CBS from a stage outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. On January 23, 2008, on the first show for the Foo Fighters' "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" tour in Dallas, he performed several songs with the band, and on February 20, 2008, he appeared on stage (with the whole touring band) when Foo Fighters played "The Pretender" on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
.
On Monday, February 25, he performed for approximately half of the set list for the Foo Fighters at the Allstate Arena
Allstate Arena
Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Rosemont, Illinois.It is home to the Chicago Rush, of the Arena Football League, DePaul University's men's basketball team, the Chicago Wolves, of the AHL, and the Chicago Sky, of the WNBA.It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and...
in Rosemont, Illinois (a Chicago suburb). On Monday, March 3, 2008, Smear joined the Foo Fighters for the acoustic portion of their show at Cox Arena in San Diego, California. Despite urging by Grohl, though, Smear did not play a guitar solo during band introductions. On Thursday, March 6, 2008, Smear joined the Foo Fighters for all portions (acoustic/plugged) of their show at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Urged by Grohl, Smear did play a guitar solo (eight notes) during band introductions. Since then, he has played a solo whenever asked to by Grohl.
He also played at the two concerts at Wembley Stadium on June 6–7, 2008. While Pat did participate in the concert, it was only for certain songs and the stage lights were not on him. This also occurred at several concerts with Pat playing basically in the dark. These concerts provide video for the Foo Fighters Live at Wembley Stadium DVD and Blu-ray, which also featured special appearances by Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and John Paul Jones. On June 21, 2008, Smear performed live with Foo Fighters at the 2008 Hurricane Festival in Germany. He also appeared recently at the Foo Fighters' private gig for Bethesda's Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
game launch party in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at the LA Center Studios complex.
Smear once again joined the Foo Fighters on their tour which kicked off in Seattle, Washington on July 9, 2008. At the Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
Festival at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore, Maryland on August 9, 2008, Smear performed with the Foo Fighters, even being introduced by Dave Grohl. Smear also performed with the Foo Fighters at the Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
105th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 29, 2008 and, more recently, at President Obama's
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
2009 White House Fourth of July celebration.
Smear appeared alongside Foo Fighters on the November 3, 2009 live broadcast of the Later... with Jools Holland music show on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in the UK.
During album sessions recorded for the Foo Fighters' 2011 release, Wasting Light
Wasting Light
Wasting Light is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released April 12, 2011, on RCA Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and described by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl as their "heaviest album yet." The title is taken from the lyrics of the...
, with producer Butch Vig
Butch Vig
Butch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling album Nevermind by Nirvana....
, Smear has been fully integrated back into the band. As photographic evidence and video snippets posted on the Foo Fighters' Twitter page confirmed, he recorded and developed many guitar parts in the new songs. Album artwork from the album depicts Smear along with the band's other members. Smear appeared on the Daily Show to promote Wasting Light on April 11, 2011 on Comedy Central.
Surviving Nirvana reunion
On 22 December 2010, the remaining members of Nirvana played together for the first time since the death of Kurt Cobain, at a last-minute Foo Fighters show at Paladino's in Tarzana, California. This concert was recorded for a documentary. While new material from the band's forthcoming album was aired, the biggest surprise was kept for the encore. Grohl made his way behind the drum kit, and he and Smear were joined onstage by Nirvana bassist Krist NovoselicKrist Novoselic
Krist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
for a version of the 1993 Nirvana B-side "Marigold
Marigold (song)
"Marigold" is a song written and composed by American rock musician Dave Grohl, that was first released on Pocketwatch, an album Grohl issued under the pseudonym Late! in 1992....
".
Guitars
Smear almost exclusively uses HagstromHagström
Hagström is a musical instrument manufacturer in Älvdalen, Dalecarlia, Sweden. Their original products were accordions that they initially imported from Germany and then Italy before opening their own facility in 1932. During the sixties, the company started making electric guitars and later...
guitars. Smear's most used guitar since 1997 is a custom made Black Hagstrom, which has no name or designation but it looks like the models F-20t and Hagstrom F-200p. He has been using them since his days with Germs and has been collecting them ever since. He has been noted as having one of the largest collections of Hagstrom guitars in the United States. When playing the song 'I Should Have Known' in live shows, he can be seen using a double necked guitar by Hagstrom with the top half being a bass for the bass-break. He lists Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
guitars as his second favorite, notably the SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
.
During his time in Nirvana, Smear sometimes used numerous Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
models that Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
bought for him. In an interview with Smear, he stated he had 3 of each Strat and had to scratch them to tell the difference. These guitars were normally used on the songs "Scentless Apprentice", "Heart-Shaped Box
Heart-Shaped Box
"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. The song was released as the first single from the group's third and final studio album, In Utero, in 1993. It was one of two songs from the album mixed by Scott Litt in order to augment...
", "On A Plain
On a Plain
"On a Plain" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the eleventh song on their major label debut, Nevermind .-History:...
", and "All Apologies
All Apologies
"All Apologies" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by frontman Kurt Cobain. It was released as the second single from the band's third album, In Utero, which was released on September 21, 1993...
". Sometimes Smear used a blue Mosrite
Mosrite
Mosrite is an American guitar manufacturing company, based in Bakersfield, California, from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Founded by Semie Moseley, Mosrite guitars were played by many rock and roll and country artists....
guitar that Cobain gave him as well.
For amplifiers, Smear uses Peavey 5150 and 6505 heads.
In popular culture
Smear is mentioned in the chorus of Sonic YouthSonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's "Screaming Skull" on Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is the eighth album by alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in May 1994. The album includes one of the group's biggest hits, "Bull in the Heather"...
.
With The Germs
- Forming/Sexboy (live) 7", 1977, What? RecordsWhat? RecordsWhat? Records was a short-lived record label started by Word Records and A&M Records, intended to focus on creative and unusual rock and roll records with spiritual messages....
- Lexicon DevilLexicon Devil (EP)Lexicon Devil is a three-song, seven-inch EP by The Germs, released strictly through mail-order by Slash Records in 1978.The Germs were already gaining notoriety ever since the release of their first single, "Forming", and their early live performances. However, their increasing success was not...
7" EP, 1978, Slash RecordsSlash RecordsSlash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album... - (GI)(GI)is the only studio album from American punk band The Germs. The title stands for "Germs Incognito", an alternate name the band used to obtain bookings when their early reputation kept them out of Los Angeles-area clubs...
LP, 1979, Slash Records - The Decline of Western Civilization Soundtrack (live tracks) LP, 1980, Slash Records
- What We Do Is Secret (EP)What We Do Is Secret (EP)What We Do Is Secret is a 12" compilation of material recorded by The Germs and released posthumously by Slash Records in the United States in 1981 as SREP-108...
1981, Slash Records - Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever LP, 1981, Mohawk/Bomp Records
- GermicideGermicide (album)Germicide is an album by the punk rock band The Germs. Performing live at the Whisky a Go Go in 1977, Darby Crash and the Germs were at the beginning of their career. At this time, Darby performed using the name Bobby Pyn...
LP, 1985, ROIRROIRROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format... - Germs (MIA) - The Complete AnthologyGerms (MIA) - The Complete Anthology- Personnel :*Chris Ashford – Producer*Nickey Beat – Drums*Don Bolles – Drums*D.J. Bonebrake – Drums*Don Bonebrake – Drums*Pat Burnett – Engineer*Ed Colver – Photography*Darby Crash – Vocals*Chris D. – Remixing...
LP, 1993, Slash/Rhino Records
With Nirvana
- MTV Unplugged in New YorkMTV Unplugged in New YorkMTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American rock band Nirvana. It features an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993 for the television series MTV Unplugged. The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and first aired on the cable television...
(1994) 5X Platinum - From the Muddy Banks of the WishkahFrom the Muddy Banks of the WishkahFrom the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released on October 1, 1996 and features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994...
(1996) Platinum - Nirvana (2002) Platinum
- With the Lights OutWith the Lights OutWith the Lights Out is a box set, containing three CDs and one DVD, of previously rare or unreleased material, including b-sides, demos, rough rehearsal recordings and live recordings, from the American rock band Nirvana. It was released in November 2004...
(2004) Platinum
With Foo Fighters
- The Colour and the ShapeThe Colour and the Shape-Track information:DollGrohl stated that is "basically a song about being afraid to enter into something you're not prepared for."Monkey WrenchGrohl stated that it was "a song about realising that you are the source of all of the problems in a relationship and you love the other person so much, you...
(1997) Double Platinum - Skin and BonesSkin and Bones-Live in Los Angeles :-Live in Hyde Park :Note: The whole setlist is not included on the DVD. The song "The One" is excluded, as Taylor Hawkins made a mistake on the drums...
(2006) Gold - Echoes, Silence, Patience & GraceEchoes, Silence, Patience & GraceThe album debuted at the top of the UK album chart, selling 135,685 albums in its first week. The album also went platinum in its first week in both Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., it entered the Billboard 200 album chart at #3, selling 168,000 copies in its first week, and has since been...
(2007) Platinum - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on "Let It Die" - Wasting LightWasting LightWasting Light is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released April 12, 2011, on RCA Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and described by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl as their "heaviest album yet." The title is taken from the lyrics of the...
(2011)