Surviving Nirvana stars should play old songs, says Pat Smear

Sacado de // From: http://portalternativo.com/ (traducción) and  http://www.digitalspy.co.uk 

Muchos fans de Nirvana se rasgarían las vestiduras si los ex-miembros de la banda decidieran tocar temas del grupo en ausencia de Kurt Cobain. Los propios miembros vivos, Krist Novoselic y Dave Grohl, siempre se han mostrado muy cautelosos al respecto.

Sin embargo, el guitarrista Pat Smear, que pasó a ser miembro del grupo en su final, no vería problema en hacerlo si se presentaran ocasiones como la del pasado 12 de diciembre cuando tocaron con Paul McCartney.

¿Tocar canciones de Nirvana? Creo que es diferente para los chicos que para mi. Sé que Nirvana es algo extraño. Significa mucho para mucha gente. Personalmente no tendría problema con ello. Si, ¿por qué no tocaríamos canciones de Nirvana? Esa es mi actitud. Lo entiendo, sabes, pero no sé… Para mi es como, “¿Por qué no deberíamos?”

Preguntado por quien podría sustituir a Cobain, Smear asegura: “Nunca he pensado en quien podría hacerlo.”

Hablando con Digital Spy de su tiempo en Nirvana, el guitarrista asegura:

Nunca antes había estado de gira así que había muchos interrogantes para mi. Esa era la auténtica presión. Sabía que encajaría realmente bien con la música así que eso no me preocupó. También me encantaron los chicos.

Siempre se han hecho apuestas por hacia donde se habría dirigido el sonido de Nirvana y Smear tiene su opinión:

Sé hacia donde miraba él en ese momento. Creo que buscaba hacer lo opuesto a “In Utero”. No pulido pero suave. No sería como el ‘unplugged’ pero sin duda menos ruidoso. Creo que él, todo el mundo, se sacó de encima el material ruidoso, en serio. Tengo la sensación de que bandas con la misma gente, da igual lo diferente que crea la banda que es, los oyentes dicen, “Oh si, es otro disco de Nirvana”. Creo que las bandas siempre suenan a quienes son, a menos que hagan locuras estúpidas.

IN ENGLISH

Smear joined up with surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic at a Foo Fighters show in 2010, and again – fronted by Paul McCartney – for concerts in December 2012 and July 2013.

The supergroup played new song ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ and, at July’s show on McCartney’s tour, a selection of Beatles songs, but – aside from the Grohl-penned ‘Marigold’, released on the ‘Heart Shaped Box’ single – have not performed any Nirvana material.

«Playing Nirvana songs?» Smear told Digital Spy. «I think that’s different for those guys than it is for me.

«I know Nirvana’s a strange thing. It means a lot of things to a lot of people. I personally wouldn’t have a problem with it.

«Yeah, why the f**k wouldn’t we play Nirvana songs?! That’s my attitude. I get it, y’know, but I don’t know… for me it’s like, ‘Why wouldn’t we?’

«It was one of those crazy things. It was fun, it was amazing. It’s great to play with those guys again – always. We’ve done it enough times now that it kind of feels comfortable.»

Of who else could ever front the trio other than the ex-Beatle, Smear said: «I’ve never thought about who else could do it.

«It was one of those things that just happened. I can imagine the three of us hanging out together, somewhere, with something or jamming.

«So I don’t really know. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t. There’s no-one in particular that I’ve thought of or thought about.»

After Nirvana’s disintegration following Kurt Cobain’s death in April 1994, Smear reunited with Dave Grohl in Foo Fighters.

He left the group in 1997 but returned in 2006 as a touring player and rejoined the band fully for 2011’s Wasting Light.

Asked about first joining Nirvana in 1993, Smear said: «It was different! It was a lot different than I was used to, but I got comfortable with it really fast.

«I’d never even been on tour before, so there were a lot of unknowns for me. That was the real pressure.

«I knew I’d fit really well with the music so I wasn’t worried about that. I really liked the guys too.»

Of where the band might have gone musically had Cobain not died, Smear said: «I know where he was looking to go at that time.

«I think that he was looking to do the opposite of In Utero. Not polished, but soft.»

Asked if that meant music more like the MTV Unplugged recording, he replied: «Not that far but definitely less noise. I think he got, everybody got, their noisy stuff out of their system, really.»

He added: «I just feel like bands with the same people, no matter how different the band themselves thinks it is, the listeners go, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s another Nirvana record’.

«I think that bands always sound like who they are, unless they do crazy, stupid s**t.»

Asked why Nirvana are still so highly regarded nearly two decades after their demise, Smear said: «Because Nirvana was better! Seriously. There’s also something to be said for bands that weren’t long enough to start doing crap.

«That doesn’t necessarily always happen – I certainly don’t think the Foo Fighters have been there yet! But you just never know.

It was a really good band that made really good records, and all that’s left of them is really great stuff.»

Of the legacy of Nirvana’s final studio album In Utero, he added: «I don’t know. It’s a really good record

«I think if anything, it said you could make a pretty great record without polishing it up too much. Maybe that’s the legacy.»