Nix On The Authority

Platinumpunk. We learned this word. We're taught this word by Californian punk bands such as Green Day, Rancid and The Offspring, whom after many years of underground loneliness on top of a mountain, came down like an avalanche, and filled MTV's peaceful home, and separately sold more albums in the middle of the 90's then the Big Punk Generation all together. What does it feel like to turn into a respected middle class man form a bum, and stare at platinum records nailed on the wall while takin' a piss in the bathroom? These were the kind of questions we wanted to ask, when we got a chance to make an interview with a newborn punk band, The Offspring for L.A., about their new album, Ixnay on the Hombre. On the end other end of the phone stood Greg K the bassist of The Offspring.

Wanted: It's been nearly 3 years, since your hit record SMASH came out. One would think, that if a punk band sells 10 million records, then it'll try to bring out the next album as soon as possible, till the getting 's good!

Greg K: We had allot of troubles with our old record company, and it was hard to find an appropriate producer, who was really good for the kinda of stuff we needed him for. We wanted to work in peace, to record the new album and it took much longer then we expected it to take.

Two of your albums were released under Epitaph, the record company owned by Bad Religion's ex-guitarist. Ixnay came out on Sony. Why did you leave Epitaph?

Our relationship with Brett grew so bad he didn't leave much of a choice; he made us, in a way. He told us that it would be better if we would just get the fuck out of there. He told us that he was gonna sell the company, or at least a part of it, to a multi, he didn't even negotiate with us, and he didn't want to make a new contract either. Under these conditions, we had no choice, we had to find a record company which could provide us with normal conditions for the release of our new album.

Jello Biafra, the lead singer of the legendary Dead Kennedys, told Option, that he has really hoping, that The Offspring wouldn't make a contract with a multi, because if someone can sell 10 million albums on an indie then why would they change anything? Then I hear, that he made the Disclaimer on your new album!

We didn't really have to talk him into it, Jello is an old friend of ours. We always kept in touch and when Dexter called him and asked if he'd do it, he said yes right away.

What did you think when extremist punks broke Biafra's leg, and said "You sold yourself rockstar!"?

Fuck them! By the way, believe it or not it was at an Offspring concert in, 2 years ago at the Gilman club in San Francisco, where Jello was in the audience (just like anyone).

The Offspring was formed in 1985. What were the punk concerts like back then? Which was the first punk concert you attended?

It was a Dead Kennedys concert... (he laughs) in the small town where I was living. Dexter came with me. It was a memorable concert, there was a big fight in the middle of the concert, the cops, who of course wouldn't leave out a chance to beat people up,were there in a second and batons started to fly. Dexter got a couple hits on his head, and Jello noticed right after the whole thing settled that he broke his arm.

What is the most important to you about punk?

I think the music. And of course that you can do whatever you want to do, whatever you feel like doing, nobody butts in to your stuff. This is still attractive to us even today, and basically that's our most important message: do what you want to.

The Batman soundtrack had a The Offspring's cover of the legendary Damned's Smash it up. And your '92 album contains a song, which wouldn't stick out on an old Cure album. Is it possible, that you are secretly Cure fans?

No... (he laughs), although I do like a couple of English bands, there was a time, when I was a huge Smiths fan, but Dexter writes our songs, and I wouldn't believe that the Cure was of any effect on him. But who the hell knows what inspires people, especially people like us, who listen to so many different styles of music.

I heard, that all of you love 70's disco music, and once every year you get together, dress up in those frilly clothes, which Travolta wore in Saturday Night Fever, and have on big "SHAKE"...

Yeah, that's true (he laughs)...

How much has the fast success and fame changed your lives?

Not much. We still have the same friends, who we had long before we became famous. Of course the band plays a bigger role in our lives now, but that's natural. The point is that what we think didn't change.

How important are politics for you guys? I have a 1990 issue of Maximumrocknroll in front of me, with The Offspring on the cover, stands in front of a wall with the following graffiti on it : "Silence equals Death!"

We were just talking a walk in the city, looking for a place to shoot, when one of use spotted this wall, so we stood in front of it. It wasn't something that was planned ahead, nor something that really meant allot to us.

What kind of graffiti would you like to stand in front of today?

Well I don't know. Nothing comes to me right now, can't think of anything...

What do you say to those who say you sold the punk movement, and that you don't even represent punk?

According to a few people if you sell allot of records you aren't punk anymore. We do the same thing we did back then. Maximumrockandroll put us on their cover in 1990 and when SMASH was released in 1994 they wrote a very good review of it, then it all suddenly started selling and we weren't punk anymore... those people hate us. I always though punk meant do whatever you would like to do, and of course a certain kind of music, but it seems that there are a few according to whom you can't sell records, because that makes you a "Traitor"... That's hilarious! I'm happy we don't have to tour in a run down minibus, like we had to on the Smash tour: once the engine blew up , on another occasion the gear shifter broke! Well that's over. I don't think, that having money for a decent tourbus which doesn't blow up is a punishable crime...

Would you say yes or no if a huge firm like Exxon or Coca Cola would call you and asked if they could use one of your songs in a commercial for a bag of money?

We would probably say no. We can't be used for stuff like this. This ain't what The Offspring is about!

What does "Ixnay on the Hombre" mean?

It's in pig Latin. We liked how Ixnay and hombre rime. This really mean nix on the man, in another way authority.

The new album sounds real tough. The guitars are more clear yet still heavy. How'd you choose Dave Jerden?

Dave worked with bands such as Jane's Addiction, Alice In Chains, Social Distortion, and we like the records that he took part in producing, that particular massive an wide sound which resembles his work. We didn't give him an open check, we tried him first, but it didn't take long to realize that he was the perfect man for the job. We are very satisfied with the new album, altough we spent more time in the studio then we usually did, but it was worth it.

Are all the songs on the album new?

Most of them, although there are a few which we already had half done for a while. We had to kinda change them, but we already did a thing like this: Gotta get away was based on one of our old songs, which we re-did.

What kind of goals does a "10 million record" band have?

We don't have any! We just wanted to put out an album which we found good, and go on tour and we'll see what'll happen. We'll be in Europe from march, we don't know if we'll do Hungary too.

How did ever get the idea to put ska songs on your new album?

Dexter is a big ska fan, he's up for Operation Ivy and stuff like that. And we got to like the stuff too, so that's how.

Don't you ever feel like that all of this is just a dream, and that someone will just come and wake you up, tell you you have to go on stage, and when you get up you'll have an audiance of twenty?

Good idea! Those were the good ol' days! I'd love to play in front of twenty people again, but we cann't do that anymore. I like small clubs, on our last concert tour in europe we played in a small town in fron of 500 and that ruled, it was good to be close to people again...

From Wanted