Noodles From The Offspring: Career Tips From A Punk Professional

Hidden behind Coke-bottle glasses and an oversized baseball cap, the Offspring’s guitarist, Noodles, talks openly about the band’s latest success, Americana. Recorded in half the time it took them to produce their last album, Ixnay on the Hombre, in ’97 (18 months instead of 36), the new CD is pure Offspring: melodic punk, fast driven songs with addictive hook lines, and “meant to be played loud,” as instructed by Noodles. Since the band’s first album, Ignition, in ’92, the Offspring have climbed steadily in fanbase and industry recognition. Their ’94 release appropriately titled Smash sold more than 11 million copies world wide, a success previously unheard of for a band signed with an indie label.

NYROCK: Were you under a lot of pressure when you recorded Americana? I would imagine that being with a major is a heavy strain...

NOODLES: If anything, Americana was an easy album to record. When we recorded Ixnay, we were under the impression that... or better, we had the feeling that we needed to prove something. We wanted to show the world that we're a band that deserves to be taken seriously, not just a one-hit wonder, or a punk one-hit wonder.

NYROCK: Were you accused of it being "just luck"?

NOODLES: A lot of people thought the success, especially the commercial success of Smash was pure luck, just by chance. I think we showed them that we're capable of writing good songs and that it wasn't just luck. That's one of the reasons why we were much calmer, far more relaxed and we had a good deal of self-confidence.

NYROCK: What about the split from Epitaph? Ever regretted leaving them?

NOODLES: We liked being signed with them and the other bands, like NOFX, Rancid or Pennywise, were really cool. We liked Epitaph but we didn't agree with Brett. It isn't a secret that Brett had some serious personal problems and we were told that he'd sell the label. So we figured that we'd end up with a major anyway, but at least we wanted to decide which one. You know, I would have liked to stay with Epitaph but my life isn't any worse now because we're with Columbia. It was a pretty bad chapter for all of us, but it's all in the past. In general, I really do think we made the right decision.

NYROCK: Fletcher from Pennywise really attacked you for changing to a major label...

NOODLES: Well, Fletcher is loyal to Brett, whatever happens, but so what? I like Pennywise, I think they're a damn cool band and I like them a lot. Everybody's entitled to have an opinion, and you know what they say about opinions, everybody has one... It's not a problem for us.

NYROCK: After all this time as a "professional punk," do you still listen to other punk?

NOODLES: Ha ha ha! Yes, I got my dream career, being a professional punk. But seriously, I listen to a lot of different stuff. Of course, a lot of punk stuff. Sometimes we get an album of the descendants out. You know, we just rediscover them and then we're listening to it for say, a month, or the Ramones, or the Dickies... Personally, I also like oldies, rock'n'roll stuff or really old jazz from the '20s or '30s. Or the Squirrel Nut Zippers, I really like them a lot.

NYROCK: "Pay the Man" sounds a bit weird, an eight-minute intro for a punk song...

NOODLES: We tried it. We played that song live, but it didn't work, well, not quite as we expected, but it was still fun. The fans looked at us, they were clearly very very confused. We could even hear some of them speculating. That was funny. "Are they stoned? The Offspring discovered dope, or what? What's going on with them?" It was certainly an experience – I think it was an experience for them and for us, but we really wanted to try that. We found out that it's not a good song to be played live but we all like that song, and I hope that some of our fans get used to it. They better get used to it, it's on the album.

NYROCK: Where is the Offspring headed? Do you have a direction in mind?

NOODLES: I hope every album is a step forward, that we develop our style. On the other hand, we don't want to change too much, we're the Offspring and we still want to sound like the Offspring. I don't think that we'll ever record an album and the people go like "What? What's that? Which band is it?" I think that's what we like about us as a band, that we like the same sound and that we play our own style. Yeah, we definitely want to keep that style.

NYROCK: What's the song "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" all about?

NOODLES: Pretty fly means cool. It's a slang expression they use in the black parts of big cities, very urban. The kids use it, and [the song] is about a kid that tries to mingle with them. He wants to be one of the cool gangsters and it just doesn't work out. He makes a complete fool out of himself, a complete dork, but that's just a metaphor. It's about wannabes, guys who want to be so cool.

NYROCK: In "Have You Ever" there's a line that says "The truth about the world is that crime does pay." That sounds rather bitter...

NOODLES: I don't think so, it's not really bitter. If you look at the lyrics, the guy who says it - the guy in the song, not Dexter - well, that guy is fighting against the odds. He's under the impression that crime does pay, but still he refuses to accept it. He fights it and he keeps his hope. That's not bitter.

NYROCK: I admire the way you portray how people's lives can come apart in "The Kids Are Alright." Did it happen to your friends?

NOODLES: Dex and I grew up together. We knew the same kind of people, and yes, he was thinking about a guy we knew, when he wrote the song. The guy died when he was on drugs and driving a car. Some people had nervous breakdowns when they were teens, people who kind of lose out, who are somehow slipping through the net we call society. I think that's a serious issue.

NYROCK: Any connection to The Who song? On one of your songs, Dex seems to imitate Roger Daltry...

NOODLES: On "Pay the Man." I think The Who were one of the greatest rock bands ever. I'm a huge fan. I think they were original. They were ahead of their time and did something completely new, very innovative. But we only use a few quotes. I think in the '60s people wore their rose colored glasses, we recorded the '90s version, a version that is rather unsettling, a wake-up call.

NYROCK: Is it true that Dexter writes the lyrics in his car, or is that just promo gag?

NOODLES: It's actually true. When he's driving around he gets the ideas for lyrics, and when he gets stuck in traffic jams, he writes them down.

NYROCK: Doesn't Americana stereotype Americans a bit? I don't think everybody is a Jerry Springer character?

NOODLES: Not every American is like that, of course not, but the problems they deal with in the talk shows, unfortunately they are all very common problems in the States.

By Gabriella, from NY Rock - February 1999