The Smithereens Go Giddy for Ed
Hot on the heels of their first studio album in years, we were thrilled to have 80's legends, The Smithereens, live on the show today. They did a couple of songs from their new album of Beatles classics, "Meet The Smithereens" and also their first hit song, "Blood and Roses."
They were especially excited to be on the show on the same day that Ed McMahon was. From historic studio one where they were performing, they were peeking out into the hallway to catch a glimpse of Ed. Lead singer, Pat Pat DiNizio, whispered to me how they'd love to get a picture with him (they did) and they'd love it if Ed could introduce one of their songs that they were going to perform (Ed did; Heeere's Johnny style.)
The guys were like school kids when Ed came into the studio telling him how they grew up watching him and mentioned that they missed being on the Tonight show with him and Johnny by about a week. They were on during Jay Leno's first week as the host.
DiNunzio also mentioned to me that he spends a huge amount of time here in Chicago to be near his daughter who lives here. He's got a place in the DePaul/Lincoln Park neighborhood while also maintaining an apartment in New York.
After the show, The Smithereens, did an extended "web-only" performance of "Blood and Roses."
Enjoy, Dean