Technicality and musical excellence: how Pat Smear nurtured Nirvana
The death of Darby Crash left The Germs’ Pat Smear with nothing much more than a handful of strong influences up his sleeve. Fortunately, he also held onto a special skill set that not many others could boast at the time: technical adeptness and the ability to write songs. While he unintentionally helped to revolutionise punk rock in the 1970s, it wouldn’t be until the 1990s that his talent would truly shine.
In the realm of rock ‘n’ roll and every offshoot that stemmed thereafter, technical prowess is always admired but very rarely stumbled upon. While many outfits thrive on intuition alone, some dynamics require such know-how lest they dismantle entirely and get left behind. The punk movement might have, in hindsight, looked like an aggressive conduit for anti-establishment noise, but many of its players were hard at work trying to create with genuine artistic intent.
Smear was one of the few at the fore of this drive, which caught the attention of many in the burgeoning genres, like Kurt Cobain and the rest of Nirvana. Around 1993, Cobain was looking for a guitarist to join the band on their upcoming tour, but he also ended up gaining more than he expected when Smear turned out to be the ideal partner when helping Cobain realise what he needed to focus on the most.
According to Dave Grohl, however, their first meeting was completely unexpected, especially as the then-drummer expected Smear to turn up looking somewhat haggard and troubled by drug misuse. In a strange turn of events, though, he serendipitously showed up looking extremely polished and indisputably switched on—a far cry from the fate of the frontman of his previous band.
Other than being a great guitarist, Smear’s contributions to Nirvana were more than technical. With Smear on stage, Cobain was able to focus more on performing, but his addition also added a certain uplifting quality to the band’s dynamic that hadn’t been there previously. According to Steve Albini, Smear’s ability to address negativity head-on while making everybody laugh was something that came from his days with The Germs.
During an episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Grohl, Albini, and Krist Novoselic discussed the various ways Smear saved the band from some of its most intense moments, with Albini recalling the ways his attitude stemmed from his earlier days with Crash and The Germs. Their sound had an “uncomfortable quality”, the sound engineer explained, thanks to Smear’s guitar, but that was all a part of his appeal both as a musician and in terms of the atmosphere he created within the group.
Aside from reminding the band of the importance of shunning negative press, as he did once a day after they received a bad review for one of their shows, Smear seemed to glue them all together in ways they hadn’t previously experienced while maintaining a realistic head that prioritised productivity and positivity over industry-related lethargy. Now, as an integral part of Foo Fighters, Smear continues to exude his signature self-assured composure, navigating the rock world with his perfect amalgamation of expertise and musical ability.
