Dave Grohl recently shared an interesting story about Red Hot Chili Peppers’ attempt to recruit Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear. He revealed the details during a concert performance captured in a fan’s video.
The Foo Fighters frontman recounted how the Red Hot Chili Peppers once approached Pat Smear about joining their band. However, Smear had an unexpected condition.
“Pat, can I tell the Chili Pepper story? There was a time when the Chili Peppers were looking for a guitar player, and they called Pat to see if he would play in their band,” Grohl said.
“And he basically said, ‘Yeah, totally. If you stop playing funk music.’ And here we are. Now we play funk music,” he continued with a laugh.
Grohl shared the story during Foo Fighters’ performance at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California. The anecdote highlights the ironic twist that the band now incorporates funk elements into their music despite Smear’s original condition.
This anecdote sheds light on the long musical history and friendship between these rock legends. It also reveals Pat Smear’s particular musical preferences that have shaped his career choices.
Wikipedia reported that Pat Smear, born Georg Albert Ruthenberg, is a seasoned guitarist with deep roots in the Los Angeles punk scene. He was a founding member of the influential punk band The Germs in the late 1970s. This established him as a key figure in the early punk movement before his rock career expanded into mainstream success.
Smear’s connection to grunge history runs deep. Last.fm noted he toured as a guitarist with Nirvana during their “In Utero” tour in 1993-1994. This collaboration with Kurt Cobain’s band positioned him perfectly to later join Dave Grohl’s new project, Foo Fighters, when the band formed after Nirvana’s end.
His journey with Foo Fighters has been marked by both departures and returns. Kiddle documented that Smear initially left the band in 1997 but maintained a close relationship. He eventually rejoined as a full-time member in 2010. His return contributed significantly to the band’s Grammy-winning album “Wasting Light” and their continued evolution.
The guitarist’s versatile musicianship spans multiple genres and decades, from his punk origins with The Germs to his mainstream rock success with Foo Fighters. His initial resistance to funk music in the Red Hot Chili Peppers story adds an amusing layer to the Foo Fighters’ current willingness to experiment with different musical styles. This includes the very funk influences Smear once playfully rejected.
