The essence of joy and heartbreak
December 12, 2017 10:24 PM   Subscribe

"He channeled the essence of joy and heartbreak into hook-laden three minute pop songs infused with a lifelong passion for rock & roll." Pat DiNizio, lead singer and songwriter of the Smithereens, has passed away at the age of 62.

Rock critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine says "At their peak, the Smithereens could sound like the best band in the world, " and not many would argue.

Maybe you remember these:

"Behind The Wall Of Sleep" -- "She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton, back in 1965..."
"Only A Memory"
"A Girl Like You" -- written for the movie Say Anything, but not used because it gave away too much of the plot in the lyrics, apparently.
"Blood and Roses" -- that hypnotic bass line
"House We Used To Live In"
"Yesterday Girl" -- so Beatley

I saw the Smithereens in 1988 at the First Avenue in Minneapolis and they put on a hell of a show. I wish I could see them again.

.
posted by litlnemo (39 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
Great band, great songwriter, great singer. This is terribly sad news.

.
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 10:35 PM on December 12, 2017 [1 favorite]


Aw, this sucks. "11" solidly occupied a great period of my early 20s and thankfully has aged very well and prepared me well for getting more into garage rock later on. One of my first dozen CDs. A great rock singing voice, too. I wish I had seen him perform.

.
posted by rhizome at 10:36 PM on December 12, 2017 [4 favorites]


I wish I had seen him perform.

I once spent a month trying to get someone to go see John Lee Hooker with me, and nobody would go with me so I didn't go, and three weeks later he was dead.

Long story short: go see people you want to see. You never know when you won't get another chance.
posted by hippybear at 10:38 PM on December 12, 2017 [8 favorites]


.
posted by Lyme Drop at 10:39 PM on December 12, 2017


.
posted by thelonius at 10:45 PM on December 12, 2017


Someone on YouTube posted their own "Best of the Smithereens" compilation -- an hour of great stuff, including songs I really should have included in the FPP.
posted by litlnemo at 10:48 PM on December 12, 2017 [5 favorites]


Oh no.

.
posted by droplet at 11:24 PM on December 12, 2017


Well damn. I didn't think he was that old, but then I was listening to him 30 years ago. "Behind the wall of sleep" and "Blood and Roses" are still incredibly strong songs after all this time.
posted by happyroach at 11:38 PM on December 12, 2017 [2 favorites]


.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:42 PM on December 12, 2017


Here's a show from 2016 with good sound.
posted by rhizome at 11:52 PM on December 12, 2017 [3 favorites]




I was lucky enough to see the Smithereens three times in and after college, including one show in the tiny Toy Tiger lounge in Louisville, Kentucky. They led a sing-along of "Yellow Submarine" during the encore.

Today is a sad day, which makes it perfect for The Smithereens' rocking-but-morose sound. Thank you, Pat DiNizio, for the music.
posted by Gelatin at 2:12 AM on December 13, 2017 [4 favorites]


.

In a Lonely Place
posted by hawthorne at 2:31 AM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


The Smithereens had to cancel a tour when DiNizio fell in his home this past September. I couldn't find anything to indicate what had happened, whether DiNizio got medical treatment, or whether it was related to this.
posted by ardgedee at 2:49 AM on December 13, 2017


Oh man, I loved that album, and somehow it fell out of my mind. Sad day, they made good music. I’ll spin it again today and rediscover it in his honor.
posted by wenestvedt at 3:12 AM on December 13, 2017


.

"Blood and Roses" is one of the finest songs ever written. I am sad to hear this.
posted by Kitteh at 3:16 AM on December 13, 2017


And 2017 just got that little bit suckier, dammit.

.
posted by ninthart at 3:43 AM on December 13, 2017


Not an underrated band, at least not by those who appreciate great power pop, but certainly an undervalued band, both by the public and by the critics. DiNizio simply wasn't handsome enough or cool enough to satisfy the video obsessed era of 80's rock, but no band, other than perhaps REM, consistently delivered more satisfying hooks and melodies than The Smithereens. They made it look routine, and they have a legacy of great songs that not many bands can match.

Too nostalgic (and not political enough) for college radio and too outside the mainstream to be commercial, The Smithereens carved out their own little niche of retro pop heaven and their fans are grateful that they did. Other than The Pretenders (awesome for the exact same reasons), they simply had no equal when it came to 60's revival rock. They will be missed by anyone who appreciates good music.

PS, now that I think about it more, the comparison to The Pretenders is spot on. I can't think of another singer more suited to do a Smithereens cover than Chrissie Hynde.
posted by Beholder at 3:58 AM on December 13, 2017 [9 favorites]


"Drown In My Own Tears"

.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:28 AM on December 13, 2017


11 is probably their most even album, though their following album Blow Up has a song called Evening Dress which is so good, it's almost criminal. God, they made great pop. Beauty & Sadness, Especially for You, Green Thoughts, 11, Blow Up, A Date with The Smithereens, a digital only album (their last) from 6-7 years back. Their entire back catalog is worth exploring, but especially 11.
posted by Beholder at 4:43 AM on December 13, 2017


.

I've been wanting to learn bass for years, partly so I could learn to play the amazing riff from "Blood and Roses", which is life itself.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:44 AM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


I've been wanting to learn bass for years, partly so I could learn to play the amazing riff from "Blood and Roses", which is life itself.

do it!
posted by thelonius at 5:28 AM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


The Smithereens were formed in my home state of NJ, through a local newspaper that's mostly focused on the rock music scene (The Aquarian). That was way before my time in the scene, but I remember plastering front pages from the paper up on my walls when I was a teenager, and they're still in print now.

"Bring Back the One I Love" has made it onto a lot of my mix tapes recently. So damn catchy.

.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:29 AM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


.

Not two days ago I was listening to their "Green Thoughts" album and it was as excellent as always. Dammit.
posted by mogget at 7:17 AM on December 13, 2017 [2 favorites]


.

Damn. I really loved the cover albums they did too. (The Beatles & Tommy!? take my money)
posted by DigDoug at 8:08 AM on December 13, 2017


This is the first song of theirs I heard. Seems apropos right now.

.
posted by talking leaf at 9:08 AM on December 13, 2017


The House We Used To Live In. God I loved his aching voice!
posted by Oyéah at 9:22 AM on December 13, 2017


Saw them for the first time a CBGBs. What a night.
posted by Splunge at 9:29 AM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


.
posted by mondo dentro at 9:46 AM on December 13, 2017


.
posted by dilettante at 12:42 PM on December 13, 2017


The Smithereens got me through high school and college. What a loss.

.
posted by rednikki at 1:33 PM on December 13, 2017


.
posted by 4ster at 1:53 PM on December 13, 2017


.
posted by camyram at 3:15 PM on December 13, 2017


I am lucky enough to own a copy of The Mega Box Set. There was a time when DiNizio was doing something he called living room concerts (basically, he'd come to your living room and perform a set) and I must have entered the contest for that like nine times. I did not win (I'm guessing even if I legitimately won, flying to Hawaii would be too much to ask) but I loved that he was doing this. Very sorry that he's gone.

Cigarette is my obscure favorite.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:26 PM on December 13, 2017 [2 favorites]


I've been wanting to learn bass for years, partly so I could learn to play the amazing riff from "Blood and Roses", which is life itself.

You know, that's a great exercise for beginning bass players - it will confront you with one of the hardest things to do on bass, which is skipping strings to play broken chords, and it is a great part that will motivate you to Keep Going.

btw I think The Smithereens tuned down to E flat, if you ever try to learn it from the record. There are no doubt Youtube lessons on the part and song, too.
posted by thelonius at 6:05 PM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


I tried it last night and I didn't have to retune. Then again, I didn't tune either... maybe my bass was already out of tune. :)
posted by litlnemo at 7:26 PM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


Damn. They appeared regularly at the State Theater in Falls Church, where I saw them a few years back. The State just announced their January show a couple of days ago.

After the show I got all the band members to sign my copy of Best Of The Smithereens (Guitar Recorded Versions). DiNizio had just quit smoking and was hoping he could stick with it, so I offered my experience as encouragement.

Variety has a good obituary.

Damn.

.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:35 PM on December 13, 2017 [2 favorites]


I tried it last night and I didn't have to retune.

The video I find for it is in concert tuning. But I do think they tuned down a lot - I'm pretty sure "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" was downtuned, when I learned it years ago.
posted by thelonius at 3:29 AM on December 14, 2017


Best Of The Smithereens (Guitar Recorded Versions).

Some pretty steep prices for that! Out-of-print, I guess. I had to buy the Hal Leonard Warren Zevon book in Kindle, since it was in the same situation. At least there's a Kindle edition, although it's awful for sheet music.
posted by thelonius at 3:31 AM on December 14, 2017


. Damn, one of my favorite bands from the '80s.
posted by octothorpe at 2:17 PM on December 14, 2017


« Older Is this a stain I see before me? Out, out damned...   |   The Doomsday Diet Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments