Interview: Pat DiNizio, Smithereens

Ushered into a secluded room in EMI 's Manchester Square offices, I am greeted by a great bear of a man called Pat DiNizio. Vocalist, frontman, and main songwriter for the SMITHEREENS for the past 12 years. Pat cuts an unlikely figure as the lead part in one of America's hottest selling attractions. Immaculately dressed and looking dapper in an expensive suit, he wears the persona of a university lecturer or an uptown doctor, and doesn't really meet the visual expectancy of the rock n' roll hero. Laid in front of him are an array of tabloids, and he stares with interest at a picture of Paula Yates half un-dressed and crashing out at a party.

"Yeah she completely ignored us after the show and turned her back on me when I went to speak to her later," he laughs. "I obviously made a lasting impression."

Flopping into comfy leather chairs with Marlboros and coffee, I give Pat my reaction on his latest album Blow Up and am relieved that he's pleased, not offended by my comparisons to THE TURTLES, KINKS, and BADFINGER. He enlightens me further.

"I was heavily influenced by Lennon and McCartney, and I feel every songwriter owes a great deal to THE BEATLES, whether it is obvious or insidious. I also grew up listening to the Kinks, STONES, THE MOVE, and West Coast bands like the BEACH BOYS and The Turtles."

It is strange that your major influences come from England and the West Coast. Isn't there anything from home (New Jersey) that's left a lasting impression?

"Not really, but I'm halfway between the two, so it was always a case of looking from side to side. Sure, a lot of good stuff comes out of New York and New Jersey but nothing that's really formulated my writing ideas."

You're a massive name on home ground, how are you perceived over there?

"Well, in terms of success, like you say, we're a lot bigger back home than anywhere else. Audience-wise, I don't know how we we're judged. We attract a pretty strange crowd, ranging from 12 year olds to people in their late 40s. I know they come for the music because we certainly ain't a fashionable band. Never being in fashion means we are never going to go out, so at least we can feel secure on the songs not the image."

Being a hard band to label did you find it hard being accepted

"Yeah, we've been together 12 years right now, six of those were spent working hard trying to get a deal. Part of the problem was not having an image that was considered marketable at the time, but now I believe we can transcend trends and marketing angles because we are seen for what we are. The Smithereens are their own scene and the image is simply no image."

I notice you're the main songwriter in the band, is that a pressure on you?

"Yes, because I have a responsibility for the careers of the other members in the band. Things were easy for the first album because we were able to put down songs that had been around for five years or so. For the second album I was given a deadline of just over a month. It was my first experience of real musical pressure. I just locked myself in a room and worked solid."

Not the best way for the right result?

"It doesn't sound like it, but I felt that the material was superior. I was forced into a situation, and I believe that extra pressure pulls the best out of you."

Are you a motivated writer or someone who's following a company timetable?

"That's a tricky one. I really don't know. Maybe I am a bit of both. I do my best writing around enforced schedules, but I do have a constant flow of ideas. I wouldn't call myself a writer with a particularly strong motive. I know I'm never going to change the world with a song, but I'd feel good if I made a difference to just one person's life. I want to write things that connect and make people feel good."

It goes without saying that your musical interests are enveloped in the past how do you feel about newer acts around today?

"Although my writing influences are pop-based, I am also a heavy rock fan. I don't think anyone around at the moment can match bands like ZEPPELIN and SABBATH. GUNS N' ROSES' new album has nothing special to offer, and bands like the SMASHING PUMPKINS are just regressive. No one seems to be exploring new ideas. If you go around LA you'll find 1000 bands looking and sounding like the Roses, and if you took a trip to Seattle you'd see 500 bands jumping on that Sub-Pop bandwagon. We might have our hearts in the 60s, but we've always tried to find a Smithereens sound. To me there's no point in doing it unless you are trying to be yourself."

Do you still buy records?

"Yeah, I've just bought the Guns N' Roses record, which, as I said, is OK, but nothing to get too excited about, and I also bought the TIN MACHINE album, which is a major disappointment. BOWIE was one of the most inventive writers ever, but I think he's dried up. Maybe he feels he can hide behind a band, but if you've delivered the goods before, people want to taste them again."

Do you have the needed sauce to know when to call it a day?

"I hope so because the ego is a dangerous thing and some people just have to cling on to their high profile despite all the warning signs. All the members of this band are really close friends and have too much respect for each other to let egos destroy the relationship. I believe we're self critical enough to know when we've failed to make the grade. We set out with the aim of making music that firstly turns us on and secondly the audience. If we can't please ourselves we won't please anyone else and the day we don't enjoy it is the day we stop."

Mike Harris
Riff Raff
November 1991

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