Why Did Pat Smear Leave Foo Fighters: The Real Story Behind His 1997 Exit

Pat Smear’s decision to leave Foo Fighters is a topic fans have pondered for nearly three decades, and the answer starts with a surprise announcement on live television in September 1997.

Smear, the punk veteran who played guitar for The Germs and toured with Nirvana, was one of the founding members of Foo Fighters. He joined in late 1994 as Dave Grohl assembled a band to play the songs from his self-titled debut. That record was largely made by Grohl alone, so Smear’s recorded debut with the group came on The Colour and the Shape in 1997. Within months of its release, he was gone.

Pat Smear Quits Foo Fighters on Live TV

The exit was staged in dramatic style. Foo Fighters opened the warm-up show for the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards by playing “Monkey Wrench” on top of the Radio City Music Hall marquee in New York. When the band returned for a second song, “Everlong,” Smear casually told the audience that the track they had just played was his last with the group.

He then introduced his replacement, Franz Stahl, who had been in the D.C. band Scream with Grohl. Stahl took over for “Everlong,” and the band carried on as if nothing unusual had happened. Smear reportedly said nothing about the departure when he presented an award later that evening.

Why Did Pat Smear Leave Foo Fighters? His Own Explanation

Smear’s public statement was upbeat. He said that although he was leaving the band, making music remained his passion and that he was excited to start new projects of his own, both musical and otherwise.

Later accounts are blunter. Smear has indicated that by the late 1990s he had simply grown tired of the band and the grind that came with it. His career path helps explain that. After Kurt Cobain’s death, Smear had considered stepping away from music entirely, and it was Grohl who gave him a copy of the first Foo Fighters record and drew him back in. A few years of touring and recording later, the enthusiasm had worn off.

The timing also matters. Foo Fighters had just been through a turbulent stretch. Drummer William Goldsmith left during the making of the second album, and Taylor Hawkins came in. The band’s camp had been fighting rumors of Smear’s departure ever since, which suggests the decision was no surprise to people close to the group.

The Replacement Who Did Not Last

Franz Stahl’s tenure was brief. He left roughly two years later in a split the band described as amicable but necessary, and never recorded a full album with them. Chris Shiflett then took over guitar duties and has been a mainstay ever since.

Smear Returns to Foo Fighters

Smear’s story did not end in 1997. He has said that whenever a new Foo Fighters record came out, he got excited and missed being part of it badly. In the mid-2000s he rejoined as a touring musician, playing acoustic guitar during the In Your Honor era. By 2010 he was a full-time member again, and the group became a three-guitar band for the Wasting Light album.

It was an unusual comeback, but one that fits the band’s family-like culture. Smear’s connection to Grohl runs back to the Nirvana years, and the two have been close ever since.

A Recurring Fan Question

Searches for Smear’s departure still spike regularly, often because of confusion about whether he is currently in the band. He is. He has missed individual shows for injury, including time off after a gardening accident that broke bones in his foot, but he remains a member rather than a former one.

The short answer to why Pat Smear left Foo Fighters is that he was burned out, wanted to move on and chose to announce it in the loudest way possible. The longer answer is that he missed the band within a few years, and the band was glad to take him back.