Pat Smear

Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles–based punk band the Germs and for being a rhythm guitarist for grunge band Nirvana (which he joined as a touring guitarist in 1993), and Foo Fighters (with whom he has recorded six studio albums). After Nirvana disbanded following the suicide of its frontman Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl went on to become the frontman of rock band Foo Fighters with Smear joining on guitar. He left Foo Fighters in 1997—before rejoining as a touring guitarist in 2005—and has been a full-time member since 2010. Early life Smear was born and raised in West Los Angeles, California, to a mother of African-American and Native American descent and a German Jewish immigrant father. His parents enrolled him in piano lessons at a young age, and a few years later he began teaching himself to play the guitar. Before becoming a musician, he was a very religious child. At age 13, he left home to join a commune. Later, he attended Innovative Program School (IPS), an alternative school within University High School in Los Angeles. It was there he met vocalist Darby Crash, alongside whom he would play in the Germs in the late 1970s. Smear and Crash were both expelled from IPS due to concerns they were inciting unruly behavior among the students. Career