Pat Dinizio

DiNizio, who died Tuesday, told Fresh Air in 1988 that his music was influenced by the songs he grew up listening to on AM radio in the 1960s. The Smithereens formed in Carteret, NJ, in 1980.

Lead singer/guitarist Pat DiNizio and drummer Dennis Diken from the band The Smithereens. Their new album, Meet the Smithereens, is a track-by-track homage to the Beatles' Meet the Beatles.

Pat DiNizio fronts the rock band The Smithereens, whose new album is called Green Thoughts. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his musical inspirations and straightforward approach to lyric writing.