Pat Smear (born Georg Albert Ruthenberg) turns 63 today. He’s best known for being the cofounder and lead guitarist of legendary Los Angeles punk outfit The Germs, a band that Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain had loved immensely. He’s also been a touring member of Nirvana, famously playing with them for their MTV Unplugged, which was performed and filmed a few weeks before Kurt Cobain’s suicide. He went on to join Dave Grohl in Foo Fighters, touring with them after the release of the self-titled debut and making his recorded debut with the band on 1997’s The Colour and The Shape before leaving the band. Smear returned to the band as touring guitarist in 2005 and has been a full-time member since 2010.
Simply put the man has had an incredible career, playing with some of the biggest — and arguably most important — bands of any day. So let’s celebrate Pat and wish him a very happy birthday, huh?
