Not a sound can be heard from the Offspring’s tour bus, in which the vocalist Dexter Holland (30) relaxes two hours before the concert. The dreadlocks hairstyled Dexter needs peace and quite before each concert to meditate. Half hour later, he walks out of the bus, with a serious look on his face, and puts on some dark sunglasses. He introduces himself very politely: "Hi I'm Dexter, maybe we should talk out here, the air is much better out here, ya know, in Orange County the smog is terrible, smells just like our dressing room". We sit down in the shade of the Offspring bus and begin the interview...

Bravo: You don't like cigarette smoke?

Dexter: I hate it!!! I fight allot about this with the others. Cigarette smoke smells terrible and ruins your vocal cords. I used smoke in high school, but only because it was prohibited. But I got off it years ago.

Bravo: And what do you think about alcohol and drugs?

Dexter: We all used to drink more, but since we're on tour I hardly drink any alcohol - maybe a beer. But we're never drunk. I couldn't produce 100% on stage, with alcohol. I have nothing to say about drugs, I'd be better off dead, than to ever use drugs. I watched two of my best friends literally burn their minds to scum, with cocaine and heroin. In the end they couldn't even speak normally. One was a talented artist, but in the end he could only draw like a 3 year old baby. “What happened to you” is about this very sad subject. Marihuana is boring, but not as dangerous as alcohol.

Bravo: Are the rest of the guys abstinent as you are?

Dexter: They drink beer a lot, and sometimes smoke a joint. Noodles tried cocaine once, but the affect was so terrible, that now he wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot stick. He’s got a five year old daughter, who he sometimes brings on tour with him. He’s a great father, he takes care of his daughter, like no one else. He always tries to set a good example for his daughter, when she’s around, he never drinks, and never ever uses words like shit.

Bravo: Despite all this you guys are real punks?

Dexter: What is a “real punk”? Somebody who lives according to the “No future” slogan? In that case probably not. Punk for us is a musical category, which is means a sound with tempo and huge amounts of energy. We were inspired by bands such as The Dead Kennedys and T.S.O.L. We do think about our future, we even think about what will happen after the Offspring. I doubt we’ll be around as long as The Rolling Stones. I had to put collage on hold because of music.

Bravo: What did you study?

Dexter: Biochemistry! I just started my thesis, and would soon like to finish it. Hey in two years you might call me Dr. Dexter Holland. I was always the best in math during high school. I find math just as exciting as I do punk rock. I won’t wanna play music when I’m forty, I’d rather be a professor at a university. Noodles for example learns English literature. Greg and Ron are also continuing their studies. Greg even has a scholarship, which only the most talented get.

Bravo: When did you start playing?

Dexter: Sometime in the fall of 1984 Greg and I really wanted to get to a punk show, but we couldn’t get tickets. We were very disappointed and went to Greg’s cousin’s house, ‘cause Greg’s cousin had a band. We went down to the garage set the amps on max. and started screwing around with the guitars. We “played” for two hours, and felt much better afterward. The “Manic Subsidal” was born. We didn’t even know any guitar chords, we learned gradually.

Bravo: Did you guys perform back then?

Dexter: No, only the next summer, when Ron joined as a drummer. We performed out first two songs, Very Sarcastic and Sorority Bitch at a party in Greg’s living room. Noodles worked as a janitor at Golden West Junior Hostel in order to finance his studies. He had a Marshall amp which he sometimes let us borrow. One day he came up and asked us if we could play together. So we’ve been together ever since. I was the one who suggested to change the name to "The Offspring" since it is much easier to pronounce than Manic Subsidal. We felt like a new generation of punk.

Bravo: Why do you have so dark video clips, you can hardly be recognized?

Dexter: ‘Cause think the guys at MTV are complete idiots, and so are people at other TV shows. We were invited to David Letterman’s show, but we refused, because we didn’t wanna see our faces on the screen. We make videos, because our record company demands them. We don’t even like to have our pictures taken. We think, that if we had our faces on the cover of every magazine like Green Day, then the magic of The Offspring would be lost. We don’t wanna become boring pop starts.

Bravo: Do you have a problem with Green Day?

Dexter: Not personally. We know the guys and like their songs. They’re a part of the Gilman Project in Berkeley, which is a social program for endangered teenagers, gave us our first chance, near the end of the 80’s, to play at big concerts. We find it kinda annoying how Billie Joe, Tree and Mike put themselves and punk rock out for sale. We are proud to be successful at a small record company and especially proud, that we can show up anywhere and not be recognized.

Bravo: Do you have girlfriends?

Dexter: Yeah, Noodles is the only exception, he divorced a year ago.

Bravo: Why did Noodles cut his hair?

Dexter: He says, he wanted to shock us, bet here’s my theory: Noodles is the oldest among us, and he can’t handle the thought that some of his hair is going gray.

Bravo: Do you have any Tattoos?

Dexter: No!!! When even bank directors have tattoos I find it kinda embarrassing rather than cool.

Bravo: Have you ever injured yourself on stage, from al that jumping?

Dexter: I have, but none of my injuries were serious. A couple of bruises here and there and once sprang my shoulder.

Bravo: Who braids your hair?

Dexter: I have a girlfriend, who’s a pro hair dresser. It’s an exhausting procedure, I have to sit still, for at least four hours, and I have to have it done every six weeks.

Bravo: What are your plans for the future?

Dexter: We’ll start recording our new album in December so that we can get it out by the spring ’96.

From Bravo