Do you remember The Offspring? The band with the hits Self Esteem and Come Out And Play? Yes, we know it was only 3 years ago, but Time passes faster in Rock than any other places. Not that we hesitated when we got an invitation to meet Dexter Holland and bassist Greg K in Amsterdam. We booked our plane tickets and were very interested in what had happened the last 3 years - And it seemed as they were too.

But... We say, in the middle of all the motor sounds from Dexter's mouth, weren't we supposed to ask the questions? How are things in Norway now, is it a lot of snow on the Halvøy? Dexter seems very interested in that thing. Kalvøya, we correct him (The Offspring played at Kalvøya in Oslo two years ago). Whatever, the oily mouth of Dexter continues. Who doesn't stop speaking before we, with purpose, spill coffee on his clothes. We apologize and offer to dry it, but it seems as the beautiful cleaning girl is a lot better at that.

After a short lesson in Norwegian culture for the very interested Dexter, and the bit less interested Greg, including some names of Hamsun-books, a bad translation of "Peer, du lyver" (Peer, you are lying) and an attempt to [a Norwegian word I didn't understand] Skriket (a painting by a Norwegian painter), we can start asking him question. -What happened to your hair? `Cause its gone. All of it.

- I cut it, he answers. Not that we didn't understand that. I went tired of washing it every day. Not to mention. He laughs loud and heartful. Everything he does this day is loud and heartful. - Can you give me some more coffee, he shouts to the cleaning girl, loud and heartful.

- Me too, I shout, just as loud and heartful, until their manager puts his elbow in my chest.

It was the boys third album, Smash, that turned the four academics life up side down. (At least four of them are university educated). They are thirtysomething all of them (drum player Ron is 25), and should have gotten normal jobs by now. Dexter [A word I cannot translate, which means something like he didn't like the question]. -We earn a lot of money today, most likely more than you, he says. I understand I don't have to check my salary. Yes, Dexter, Greg, Ron and the guitar player with the strange name, Noodles, has money to buy salt to their food. , and as most rich people he tells that money means nothing.

- The success didn't really turn our lives upside down either, Dexter continues, while he demonstrates a yoga-position we don't do a lot of - He stands on his head on top of Greg's pillow.

- Do that in your own bed, Greg tells him.

- Not before the cleaning girl has made my bed, Dexter says, and admits he was downtown yesterday, and the leftovers lie in his room. We look sympathetically at the poor, beautiful and just 19 years old beauty who doesn't know what is waiting for her . I wish she gave me some coffee before she cleaned Dexter's room.

Ixnay The Hombre is the name of their new album which will be out in February. We have been listening to it, and it sounds great. "Cooler than the title", we say.

- Ixnay is some kind of slang for Nix and Nay, a kind of losangelic "cockney" which the Mexicans use. The Hombre means man, which you might have known, Dexter says, and sounds like my High School Spanish teacher. I say "si", and add a "oui" and a couple of "yes"es, to be sure he understood. -So Ixnay the Hombre" is a slang expression for Down With The Man, he says, and we suddenly understand everything, But to late, the beautiful cleaning girl has left the room.

Not everything has changed as much with the Offspring as Dexter's hairstyle. The lyrics are still about the same thing: Hate, anger, suicide, drugs... not much hope in them. Is The Offspring really a band that only cares about negative stuff?

- No, we are a rock band, we are not politicians,. We tell stories, and reality isn't always must positive. But we don't want our fans to use drugs or commit suicide, , rather the opposite. But these things happens today, at least in USA. And we understand. Not everyone can sing about love and happiness.

But there is a love song on the album. Dexter has married since last time we met him, with his Kristine, and he proudly shows us his golden ring. But he doesn't want to call it a love song.

Me My Old Lady, which is the name of the love song, is about Kristine, , but it is more straight forward and rawer than you are used to from other love songs, he says, and is of course right. We just wanted to make him a bit angry.

She has taken my house, my money and even my name, he says laughing, Loud and heartful.

The 4 boys in offspring have no problems with fans home in Huntington Beach. They don't live in luxury, and there aren't any safety guards or private drivers outside their houses. Today they only live a couple of really long stone throws away from where they grew up, Orange County. They will probable not move from the Los Angeles area in many years.

- I skate, surf and love the sun. Norway is beautiful, but California is home, Dexter says, and Greg agrees.

Of course they hate people calling them sellouts, so we don't speak about that.

- Epitaph offered us more money than Sony, Dexter insists. It is our friendship that has kept us together.

- We want to be treated as common people when we tour our meet media, no limos our special treatment. We don't live at the most expensive hotels, and we don't get smuggled out of the concerts. That stuff is for Michael Jackson, We want to talk to the fans, skate with them, be like them and live like them, Dexter says.

I ran away with the cleaning girl while Dexter was doing important business at the restroom. And I guess he was angry when he found out I had sent away the Mercedes with private driver which was waiting outside the hotel.

By Tor Milde, from "Topp" magazine (Norway)
Translated by Anders Huitfield