Jim Babjak reflects on 46 years of The Smithereens

Founding Smithereens guitarist, songwriter, and singer Jim Babjak shares how a childhood glimpse of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan set him on a lifelong rock-and-roll path. He talks about learning guitar by ear, forming The Smithereens as teenagers, and grinding through years of financial struggle before finally landing a record deal. Babjak opens up about balancing stadium stages with cubicle life, weathering shifting music trends, and losing lead singer Pat DiNizio. Through it all, he says it’s the sheer love of playing, and the fans still singing along, that keeps him onstage, now with a rotating cast of guest vocalists.