“That’s disgusting”: Pat Smear on why the legacy of Germs sucks
Pat Smear is one of the great unsung heroes of punk and alternative rock. Although, in more recent years, the California guitarist has been hailed for his work with the Foo Fighters and, previously, as a touring member of grunge icons Nirvana, his impact on the face of abrasive punk rock stretches back much further than the release of Nevermind. Seemingly, though, Smear himself is not overly pleased with the legacy of some of his earliest work despite the anachronistic brilliance of the Germs.
Originally formed in 1976, the year that punk rock came to the forefront of many local music scenes around the world, the Germs became the defining sound of Los Angeles punk for many years. Their one and only full-length album, 1979’s GI, remains one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time and proved to be particularly influential on the development of hardcore punk, which a wealth of incredible groups like Minor Threat, Discharge and Hüsker Dü would adopt.
Smear’s buzzsaw guitar playing was an essential part of what made the Germs so timeless and influential. With the band, Smear spearheaded a style of playing that would later be adopted by punk rock guitarists around the world for decades to come. However, when most people think back to the career of the Germs, any musical exploits are largely overshadowed by the tragic tale of the group’s frontman, Darby Crash.
In many ways, Crash was the archetypal punk rocker who used his music and lifestyle to rebel against a tumultuous upbringing. It was Crash’s vocal style and onstage antics that gave Germs their legendary reputation for raucous live shows and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it punk rock. Of course, a lot of this violent, unpredictable performance style came from Crash’s ever-worsening addiction to drugs. Although, in his earlier years, the frontman had been a disciple of LSD, by the time the Germs came around, he was much more infatuated with heroin.
Heroin plagued the punk rock movement worldwide and claimed multiple casualties over the years. On December 3rd, 1980, the drug claimed the life of another punk icon when Darby Crash took an intentional overdose of heroin. It was later hypothesised that his suicide was intended as a tribute to Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, who died of an overdose in February 1979. Any publicity that the frontman hoped to garner with his overdose, however, was overshadowed by the murder of John Lennon in New York only a day later.
The death of Crash forms a depressing end to the incredible story of the Germs. Expectedly, the fact that the suicide of his longtime friend and bandmate often overshadows the work they created together is a rather sore subject for Pat Smear. “The Germs’ contribution to history sucks as far as I’m concerned,” Smear once told Spin, explaining, “It’s about somebody committing suicide and becoming a legend because of it, and that’s disgusting. I think it’s sad that somebody had to be so sad to become a legend.”
Thankfully, Smear has been able to turn his heartbreak and distress over Crash’s death into something positive, continuing his work in the field of punk guitar playing with both Nirvana and Foo Fighters. He has even reunited the Germs on various occasions, often utilising actor Shane West as the band’s frontman. Hence, the legacy of the Germs lives on, and it is sure to do for years to come.
