Four Guys From The Beach

The members of the Offspring were out of the lime light for a pretty long while, who wrote history with their last album Smash. No other indie band could ever sell as many records as these ironically mean South-Californian punk rockers. The reason for the disappearance was that they didn't want everyone to wanna puke every time when they hear the word "Offspring", and secondly to record their new album. Ixnay on the Hombre is amongst the hands of the jurors, well the fans that is. Mike W. asked the lead man of The Offspring, Dexter Holland the most important Qs.

Imagine that you're foolin' around in a punk rock band, having fun with your buds, Playing gigs in shitty clubs in the suburbs, drinking beer and smokin' MOTA, and of course trying to get your very first album together, 'cause your NONAME record co. just went bankrupt. Despite this your having a helluva time, 'cause the company 's good and so 's the music. Responsibility? What does that word mean again? WHAT responsibility? People don't give a shit 'cause punk is dead! "Don't you get it man, punk is through, finished, get it outa yer head!!!" But you keep on playing anyway, under another indie label, and keep writing songs. Then you get a couple of songs on snowboarding and skateboarding videos, and the skater dudes start to pay attention. Then someone makes a decision, that your songs don't suck that much, and starts playing them, and starts playing them on a popular radio station. The reviews ain't terrible, so MTV starts playing your video, and suddenly people wanna buy your album and go searching for it in stores. A couple of thousand sell, the a couple of ten thousand, and another coupla hudred thousand, then a couple of million, even more. You can't be who you used to be despite the fact you never changed one single bit. Everyone thinks you're a star. Like Dexter Holland for example.

Dexter Holland: I REALLY HATE being called a star you know. We're just for kids from the beach who put together an album that some people liked. We'd been happy if like 50 people say our album is good, but I mean millions is just crazy.

Metal Hammer: Well I guess ever since MTV got in the picture you're private lives were shot...

Don't you believe that! I was never chased down the street in fans wearing Offspring shirts. Everyone thinks if they sell a couple of records, they won't be able to go down to the news stand anymore. That's absolutely not the way it works. I've got such an average face, that hardly anyone ever notices me. I can go to the post office or the supermarket with no trouble whatsoever, and that goes for all of us. After the tour we continued our regular lives, and that helped allot in not going completely bonkers.

The what went boom in Eddie Vedder?

I haven't got the slightest idea, I don't even think that anything went boom in him, I haven't seen him in a long time though. But one thing is for sure... Everyone Nirvana or Pearl Jam article said the guys were manicly depressed from constantly being in the lime light. We tried desperately not to get in. You couldn't really see us in our video clips. We didn't do any talk shows or the Lollapalooza and even left out Woodstock. Not that we wanted to get away from the press we just didn't wanna be on the front page. Some become poster boys. They really have it hard. It's not only us, some of out buddies such as NoFX and Pennywise think the same way too. We're no different then from the guys in the mosh pit, we're not an attraction, we just share our music with our friends. The guys in the audience have the exact same role as I do at an Offspring show. And that sorta relationship is here to stay, no matter how many records we sell.

What you're saying is cool, but the doesn't the successful KISS tour say that the guys have had enough of normal musicians wearing jeans and shirts?

No comment, I can't say anything... This is the sorta stuff that doesn't lead anywhere. We finished our record, and we're gonna tour. That's what we've always done and we'll always do. We'll make decisions during the tour. What I can say is that KISS used to be everything to me, Alive was my very first hard rock album, and I listen to it till it were out. They looked us up last year and asked if we wanted to open for them, the hell we did! But the problem was that we were in the studio recording our new album. We were a little blue because of it. Who knows if we ever get a chance again to tour with KISS.

I never would have thought you'll talk about KISS during the interview.

Neither did I! He he! How can I correct the image that I have... um... I'll tell you that the Sex Pistols looked us up, and asked if we wanted to tour with them. Whatever anyone thinks about the pistols re-union, it is an un doubtable fact that they were THEEE Punk band. I still like them. It was a pithy we couldn't tour with them either. But to tell you the truth it was an awesome feeling to find out that Gene Simmons or Johnny Rotten knew we even existed. This was more then I literally ever dreamed of.

The whole rock world got to know the name Offspring, since SMASH was the most successful album on an indie ever. This broke the rule that only multis can sell many millions of records. But the unexpected success meant that the Offspring became a bull's-eye for punks who had their heads in their asses...

What's really funny is that we never wanted to make a living out of music. We needed it so we could get away from the strict rules of life. Noodles was still a janitor, when MTV was playing our song, and I never dared to tell anyone at the university where I studied genetics that I was playing in a band, 'cause I knew that they'd skin me alive instantly. Because a soon to be biologist can't jump around on a stage. When we toured I always made up something... like my grand ma was sick He he... And when things got going I was forced to take a leave. But never in my wildest dream would I have thought that we'd get here.

Well the Offspring got much more popular then the music you guys grew up on.

It's really is fucking strange, when our biggest idols OPEN for us at concerts, it's one thing I'll never ever get used to. In the summer of 1995 we played at a festival with The Ramones. The guys there wanted us to play after The Ramones, and I didn't wanna play after them. I went over to talk to Joey Ramone, and he laughed at me. He likes our band. We're ashamed of the fact that we get the respect, despite the fact that The Ramones started this whole thing. They're the ones who should've sold millions, not us. And that goes for Social Distortion too. They opened for us last summer at a concert in England. We used to play Social Distortion songs at rehearsals, and gigs. It's awkward, when things like this turn upside down. But these band aren't jealous. They know that our "fame" helps them too. Pennywise thanked us, 'cause they sold twice as many albums as they did before. He he! But the revival of Social Distortion is also do to the fact that punk got another chance. 4-5 years ago everyone made faces, when they heard the word "punk". The style was dead. At least for big audiences anyway.

Do you guys consider yourselves 100% punks?

I don't know why everyone should be labeled. But if I had to categorize our music, it would be punk rock. What else? Think about it... if Smash would have sold, we would be punks. What punk means to us is that we play in clubs with our friends. We always played punk with other punk bands in clubs. Why wouldn't we be punks. I got into punk at 15, when I heard the Adolescents sing about masturbation, and that they just can't fit in. Those were my biggest problems as a teenager. He he.

Dexter thinks the word punk means different things to different people.

The punk movement was different everywhere. The British punk is completely different form the one in New York, like the South-Californian differs from the one in Washington D.C. Punk is about revolting. To enjoy that you aren't like the blockheads. This style has more strict rules then the rich. Suddenly only the people with Mohawks could be punks, or at least colored spiky hair, dyed of course, torn leather jacket full of chains. I think punk is about energetic music and the right attitude.

What do you think differentiates South-Californian punk from the classic British punk?

Well the fact that I never lived in a rat hole, or a run down warehouse. We grew up in a suburb in Orange County, not to mention at a surf center, and obviously we bought different things with us. I did have fights with my parent on why the fuck we had to be so god damn middle classed. Why can't we be losers. He He. We had allot of punk bands in the area, and they were our first influences. I'm talking about bands such as the Vandals, TSOL Adolescents or Social Distortion. Orange County is a very conservative place, and we just like the other bands started playing out of simple boredom.

What were your first songs like?

Simple! He he. We didn't even have instruments when we started our first band. Then we bought guitars, and we needed about 4 months to get our first chords straight. One string was enough to play one of our first songs. He He. Our lyrics were of course the usual punk subjects. Cops, about the fact that they're pricks. Then we have an anti-war songs. You can't eve start with out them. We were just like that. The cop songs title was "Police Protection" We were full of sarcasm back then too.

What was the most negative thing about success for you?

The fact that allot of people started hating us, just off the top of their heads with out even knowing us. Back then hardly anyone knew us, but we didn't have enemies. Then suddenly everyone was supposed to hate us. It's a bizarre kinda thing. When you're no famous you run into allot of helpful people, then you reach a level and suddenly everyone is trying to stomp you into the ground. People who you don't even know and who don't even know you. I was sitting in a bar once, and this girl came up to me outa nowhere, she knocked on my shoulder and when I turned around all she said was "I hate Offspring". Back then folks only came up to congratulate us after a good show. And know allot of people full of hate arose out of nowhere. You can't get used to that. Especially 'cause none of them can tell you why they really hate the group. 'Cause if someone says: "I hate your band because your voice sucks" that's ok. At least they have a reason. But if the problem is that allot of people like us then I can't do anything with that. You know they're the ones who say they used to like us, but they don't anymore. When Smash came out punk magazines only wrote good about it. Then in 6 months the same magazines started hating us. From then on the same album was an embarrassment. That's funny. As if we changed our style or something. We were the same people playing the same music. What changed? Only unknown things can be good? I hate it when everyone wants to be "punker" then the others. One wont eat meat. Then another one says "Neither do I but I won't wear leather clothes either." Then the third guy comes along and says: "I won't do either one, and I also refuse to buy South-African products." Then you'll have these guys moving to organic farms and only eat natural stuff and go shitting in the woods, just to prove someone else's point, and to show what principals they have. I only think of the fun side of punk rock.

Your new album was released on a major label not your old indie, I suppose you got some new enemies eh?

It's a thing that I'm very said about. I thought we were gonna be on Epitaph all our lives. Brett Gurewitz (The owner of Epi and the Ex-guitarist of Bad Religion) said a year and a half ago, that he was gonna sell his firm, or at least a part of it. I didn't wanna go to a place along with other bands where I don't belong. The fact that he treated us as merchandise pissed the fuck out of me. We could've gotten into a very unpleasant situation for us. We didn't wanna lose control over our band. We looked up Sony Music instead, 'cause we knew we could trust them.

Did your relationship with Brett go bad?

Yes. We had really unfriendly conferences with them. They didn't wanna let us go, they new that The Offspring was the only thing that could raise Epitaph's price. Well they never really admitted that. All they told the press was how thankful they were to us, because we were the ones who made them a serious label. We didn't wanna spill the beans, but it looked like we only kept quiet, because we were wrong. That's not true. I'd still be on Epitaph, because all of our friends are still there, such as NoFX, Pennywise. That was a big family. I never cared about the label a band was on. I didn't care that the Sex Pistols were on EMI, or that Nirvana signed with Geffen. People should like the music not the label. Well it turned out fine, we kept playing peacefully and Epitaph can concentrate on it's other bands, like Rancid and NoFX.

Let's not forget about the fact that you released a new album a couple of weeks ago, with the title Ixnay on the Hombre. Taking into consideration that Green day couldn't reproduce the success of Dookie, the pressure on you is enormous.

I think you just have to keep doing what you did. You can't get anywhere with trying to tell the future. We never really thought about what people would think of our albums. We're doing what we've always done. We didn't become serious artist just because we sold a couple of records. We're not gonna start writing Operas for Pete's sake. We still play fast energetic punk rock songs, with some slight differences. If I said we weren't under pressure because of the success of our last album everyone would know that I'm lying. We know we have to make a better record. I said better not more SUCCESSFUL. We liked the sound of smash, so we don't wanna change it. Our producer is Dave Jerden, who also worked with Alice In Chains and Social Distortion. You can hear that Smash was recorded in three weeks between two tours, and that this time we could take our time. Our sound has gotten cleaner but not sterile. Our equipment is better too. We try to emphasize what made Offspring special. The melodies, the exotic guitar riffs, and the fast tempos. We'll see if we succeed. The response has been great up to now. People who listened to our album and didn't decide because of the name, like the material.

Well all you have to tell me now is what the FUCK does Ixnay on the Hombre mean?

It's a sorta word game. Ixnay is a slang for destroy do away with. Hombre is Spanish for man. So basically it means kill the man, do away with him. Free yourself from the one who is controlling you, the one who wont let you be yourself. As if we were saying Down with the Authority, of course in our very sarcastic Orange County way.

From Metal Hammer