I was really saddened to see the sudden blurb on my FaceBook feed this Tuesday night (December 12) about Pat’s passing. Even though I knew about his recent injury, I never would’ve guessed he was in ill health.
When the Smithereens received their big debut on MTV’s 120 Minutes with “Blood and Roses,” during the Summer of 1986, I was hooked. I had to have that song. It took a while to get since the band’s album, Especially For You, finally appeared in the late Fall. My alma mater‘s radio station had “In a Lonely Place” on rotation too. Having acquired a CD player with my Christmas money and my parents’ irrational ire, I scored the CD version before heading to Philly for the Summer of 1987. How I played it whenever I could.
Then I had some luck in seeing them open for Los Lobos at the legendary Tower Theater. I was stoked, two great bands on one ticket. Neither disappointed. However, shortly after the Smithereens’ set, I spotted Pat talking to someone not far away from my seat. I leapt at the chance to speak to him. He was a champ. I probably gushed on about how I loved the album and I was a DJ at WMUR and could the band come by should they play in Milwaukee, blah blah. The autograph he gave me (see above) was one of the many I have always treasured. I had no trouble finding it this week due to how I continued to think about it. The pick he gave me was in 1992. More about it later.
Their success continued as they were a headliner for the Rock Stage at Milwaukee’s Summerfest in 1988. I cut out from work that afternoon to make sure I had a good spot to see them. During the encore they played the opening of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” and I think (maybe) they covered The Who’s “The Seeker.”
By 1992, I was living in Central Illinois and the Smithereens’ tour passed through Illinois State’s auditorium. Their fourth album Blow Up was frequently played on my boombox. A mutual friend of Steve (Bryant) and I camped out early one morning to get awesome seats; we scored first and second row. Can’t recall the song they were playing but Pat spotted me wearing the shirt from their first tour and put the pick you see in my hand. Pretty funny how a little piece of plastic can make you feel specially.
As I moved on to Austin, Pat and his band continued to be an act I would seek out. Their first album for RCA (their fifth release) demonstrated they were still talented but sadly they were no longer relevant. In an interview Pat gave to Coverville, he summed it up to the band’s audience growing up and being pre-occupied with post-college, adult life. Yeah, there weren’t enough irresponsible 25-26-year olds like me to keep buying their records. Despite A Date With The Smithereens being a commercial flop, I will always love the song making a dig at the current trend “Sick of Seattle.”
I got to see them one last time at La Zona Rosa (July 14, 2001) promoting God Save The Smithereens, a title the Go Go’s oddly had about a year later; Pat made a joke over this on stage…it fell flat on most attendees. I scored another autograph from Pat and the rest of the band; this one is framed and in a box I can’t find lately. By then I had honed my interaction skills with celebrities. I thanked Pat for all the great music he wrote while I was in college, letting him know the records were a big part of my life.
Pat’s death makes me regret not seeing the Smithereens the last time they came to Austin, they were the headlining act for our annual Bat Fest (around August). I had other plans and I foolishly thought, they’ll be back because they were making tribute albums in the Aughts (Beatles, The Who). Now it’s too late.
However, I want to celebrate Pat DiNizio’s fantastic song writing and all the joy he brought me, even when the songs were sad, melancholy or about pain. He had a way with lyrics. While I was reading more about him, I learned (allegedly) Kurt Cobain was a fan. To me it was a surprise. Why? Nirvana’s appearance in 1991 signaled a sea change in music and often the new bands on top tend to crap on those before them. Pat also managed to remain in the public eye through TV (his reality show), a satellite radio show and a brief stint in Las Vegas. The Smithereens will live on as one of the bigger musical acts from their home state New Jersey alongside the heavyweight Bruce Springsteen.
Goodbye Pat. Thank you for everything, especially for the five minutes you spent with a budding 19-year-old music geek at the Tower Theater.
