Pat Smear has quietly had one of the best careers in grunge and alternative music of any guitar player over the last three decades. He may not be a household name the way that his longtime collaborator Dave Grohl is, but he's been involved in several iconic acts.
Smear got his start as a punk guitarist, but his real breakthrough came when he joined Nirvana as a touring member in 1993. Nirvana disbanded following the death of lead singer Kurt Cobain, and Dave Grohl, the band's drummer, went on to form Foo Fighters. Smear joined Grohl's band in 1995, but he has not been a consistent member. We're here to detail why.
Smear left Foo Fighters due to tension in 1997
Smear played guitar in the Foo Fighters from 1995 to 1997 before deciding to exit. There were several reasons why the guitarist felt the need to make distance between him and his famous band mates. One was exhaustion. According to Far Out Magazine, Smear was physically spent following the tour for The Color and the Shape, and wanted to step back from performing for a bit.
The other reason, according to the outlet, was the tension between Smear and Grohl. The latter had divorced wife Jennifer Youngblood, who was a friend of Smear's, which made the day in, day out grind of spending time together less pleasant than it had been. Grohl recalls asking Smear to stay, but the decision had been made.
Pat Smear kept a relatively low musical profile during the late 90s and early 2000s. He participated in a reunion with his punk band the Germs, but the more notable reunion occurred in 2005, when he got back in the mix with Foo Fighters. Smear was initially brought on as a touring member only, but he got an official reinstatement in 2010.
Smear officially rejoined the band in 2010
Smear has been a consistent member of Foo Fighters since. Chris Shiflett, the guitarist who was brought in to replace Smear, was initially reluctant to welcome him back. He told Far Out that he did not want to give up his job to someone who had walked away. "To me, Pat was just a guy that wanted my job," Shiflett said. "So when I found out about that, I was like, 'You gotta be f**king kidding me.'"
Fortunately, Smear and Shiflett have gotten along, and learned to co-exist in a way that has enhanced Foo Fighters overall. Smear took part in a third and very surprising reunion in January 2025, when he took the stage with Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic to play Nirvana songs with female vocalists. He might've played a minor role in Nirvana history, but his overall legacy is ironclad.