“People were saying, ‘You’re not gonna make it.’ We just kept going. It took us six years”: The Smithereens’ Jim Babjak on how they went from broke to touring with Tom Petty –and became Kurt Cobain’s tonal reference for Nevermind

Jim Babjak of the Smithereens crouches onstage with his red Rickenbacker. The stage is lit in green.

It’s only taken 45 years for the Smithereens to have hit the big time. Yes, they’ve bagged gold records and have toured the world, but recently they’ve hit what is surely the pinnacle of success with the propagation of Smithereens tribute bands.

There’s Broken Pieces, Blood & Roses and Dead Äire, among others, and if the trend continues, guitarist Jim Babjak just might get in on the act. “I was joking to my manager, ‘These tribute bands are probably making more money than me,’” he says. “Maybe I should form a Smithereens tribute group and be in it.”