Dennis Diken (The Smithereens)

Caropop · Oct 19, 2023 · 1h 15m

Drummer Dennis Diken and New Jersey friends Jim Babjak (guitar) and Mike Mesaros (bass) bonded over their love of British Invasion music and found the perfect singer-songwriter-guitarist to join them: Pat DiNizio. The Smithereens delivered catchy, crunchy power pop, with a teenage vigilante movie introducing their unexpected breakthrough song, “Blood and Roses.” Hits such as “Only a Memory,” “A Girl Like You” and “Too Much Passion” followed. Diken, who named the band and propelled its attack, reflects on the Smithereens’ rise, what rankled him about the hit album 11, how grunge affected the…