The Offspring

"I hate a lot of things, I hate a lot of people that are lame." This line out of "Cool to Hate" reflected Southern California’s punk rock scene when the Offspring moshed their way into the punk underground with their eclectic mix of punk, ska, and pop. Many critics have mocked the band as a novelty act, but the novelty has yet to wear off. The Offspring started as a small band in Southern California’s punk underground, but has since become a multi-platinum-selling phenomenon at the forefront of the ‘90s punk revival.

In 1984 at a Southern California party Bryan Holland, also known as Dexter, and Greg Kriesal announced their intention to form a band (Perreault par. 5). These two formed Manic Subsidal with Doug Thompson as vocals and Jim Benton on drums. Not long after they formed Doug Thompson was forced out and Dexter replaced him as lead vocals (Perreault). Later Jim Benton was replaced by Lilja and Kevin Wasserman, better known as Noodles, also joined (Perreault).

With the lineup nearly complete, in 1985 Manic Subsidal renamed themselves the Offspring (Perreault par. 6). Ron Welty was the only one of the current members who had not yet joined the band. Ron replaced Lilja for a Las Vegas show in 1987, and joined permanently that July (Perreault).

By 1989 they had enough songs to finally step into the recording studio, and released their self-titled debut album under Nemesis Records (Perreault). It was their only album for Nemesis. In 1993 they released their second album, Ignition, under Epitaph Records (Boyle, par. 4). This album had a slightly softer sound that was getting closer to their current style.

"When the Offspring first emerged with their 1994 release Smash, they were widely criticized as punk-wannabe’s who had no place in the punk or pop worlds," stated Erin Boyle of Canehdian.com in his article about the Offspring. When their third album, Smash, released in 1994 under Epitaph Records, the Offspring had all but perfected their unique sound, and the fans agreed. Smash acquired multi-platinum status, but for a punk band success is often a double-edged sword. Backlash came quickly from the punk community and they were labeled "wannabe’s." The Offspring, true to form, have shown little remorse for their popularity, which was well earned as Erin Boyle said, "Smash… achieved platinum status, which was unheard of for an independent label punk album."

The Offspring continued their ride to success when they covered the Damned’s "Smash it up" for the Batman Forever soundtrack (Perreault, par. 7). Even with success they still had problems, and they disputed with their record company for most of 1995 (Perreault). Eventually the rights to their next album, Ixnay on the Hombre, were sold to Columbia Records, the bands current label.

In February of 1997 they released Ixnay on the Hombre, their fourth album, which quickly went double-platinum (Perreault par. 8). With Ixnay on the Hombre they continued to establish themselves with hits like "Kids Aren’t All Right" and "Gone Away." To keep their momentum rolling, they quickly re-entered the studio in July of 1998 to begin work on their next album (Perreault).

In October 1998 the Offspring released the first single, "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," to support their up-coming album. "Pretty Fly" dominated the airwaves, and is the song most people associate with the Offspring. Weird Al Yankovic even deemed it parody worthy, and did so with "Pretty Fly (For a Rabbi)."

"Welcome to Ameri-cana. Please make your selection followed by the pound sign," was a choppy phrase millions of Americans heard in November of 1998 when the Offspring released their fifth album, Americana. Catapulted by "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"’s success, American achieved "unprecedented sales" (Boyle par. 3). It took five albums and almost a decade, but with Americana the Offspring finally, as Erin Boyle commented, "established themselves as a band here to stay."

While the band is here to stay, the promotion for their next album wasn’t, as Jenny Eliscu reported:

With Napster’s war raging the promotion was a daring notion indeed, but the Offspring weren’t going to let it go without having their say and threatened to file a counter-suit against Sony for failing to protect its music from piracy (Eliscu). In the end the Offspring and Sony compromised and they released only "Original Prankster" as a free MP3 (Eliscu).

In late 2000 the Offspring released Conspiracy of One, their sixth album, which became another success for the band. "Original Prankster" became a hit, and is played regularly at dances. "Want You Bad," another single from Conspiracy of One, was featured in the hit movie American Pie 2.

"When we’re ready to sing, we step up to the microphone, and it comes out something like this," were the first words from Dexter Holland’s mouth as Conspiracy of One starts, playing its intro. It’s been coming out "something like this" since he took over the lead vocals for a little known band called Manic Subsidal.

Bryan Holland was born on December 29^th, 1966 in Orange County California. Dexter came later, nicknamed because of the fact that he was Valedictorian at his high school graduation. He’s lived up to his nickname, pursuing a Ph.D. in Microbiology while running Nitro Records and continuing his career as lead vocals and guitarist for the Offspring (Perreault par. 1).

As the front-man for the Offspring his versatility is apparent, writing anything from songs remember lost ones such as "Gone Away" and "End of the Line" to more up-beat, even close to ‘pop’, songs like "Get a Job" and "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)," to teen punk anthems like "Cool to Hate" and "Self-esteem."

While some of his most popular songs have had a decidedly teen-punk edge, he maintains that he doesn’t "want to be a spokesperson for any area or age group" (Ali 33). Even then he supports the views of his fans and his own punk beliefs, which is apparent in his support of Napster. His stand is the same as many file-sharing devotees. "From what I can tell, it’s not taking any money from people," Dexter said in his interview with Jenny Eliscu in Rolling Stone magazine, "I think it’s expanding the bands’ fan bases."

After a hard day defending the views of his fans, making music, and running his record company, Dexter may partake in some action-sports, such as skate boarding or surfing, to relax. Of course, he might just take a look at things from another view, a cockpit view from his airplane (Ali 31). And when the day is done he goes home to his wife, Kristine. After all, he is just another guy trying to make a living.

While Dexter may be a more visible member of the band, there may not have been an Offspring without Greg K, who formed Manic Subsidal with Dexter in 1984. Greg Kriesel was born on January 12^th, 1965 in Glendale, California (Perreault par. 2). Greg is the most toned down member of the band, and his nickname is only "Greg K," but he is still an essential part to the whole, as the Offspring’s sound would not be complete without his bass. When not pounding out bass rifts with the Offspring, Greg K likes to golf, camp, and collect hats (Perreault).

When the Offspring needed a drummer they looked no further than young Ron Welty, who was only 16 years old when he joined the band (The Offspring Rocks par. 1). Born on February 1^st, 1971, Ron is the youngest member of the Offspring.

While Ron and Greg are the less visible members of the band, Noodles may be the one band member in contention with Dexter for the position of most popular member. Noodles versatility on the guitar, back up vocals, and trademark glasses make a noticeable force within the band.

Kevin Wasserman was born on February 4^th, 1963 in Los Angeles, California (Perreault par. 4). He was adopted, which likely contributed to his like of punk rock (Nood Central). His taste in music got him picked on until he graduated from Pacifica High School (Nood Central).

After high school he pursued his love of music, which placed him in the bands Clowns of Death and Dirty Dot before he joined Manic Subsidal (Nood Central). At one time he even applied for a job at MCA Records (Nood Central). But before he made money playing music Noodles was head custodian at an elementary school (Nood Central). He was also the last member of the band to hold a real job, which he quit in June of 1994.

The nickname Noodles was given to him by Thom Wilson for the way he annoyingly ‘noodled’ away on his guitar (Nood Central). His noodling paid off, as his guitar skills are on par with some of the greats. His love of, and versatility in, music are apparent in the fact that he owns about thirty guitars, can play bass guitar, and even played steel drums in "Get a Job" (Nood Central).

Almost as long as he’s played guitar, he’s indulged in the bad habits of a rock star. When he joined the band he was the only member who could legally buy beer, which he did frequently. Lately he’s cut down his drinking, trying to get it under control (Nood Central). He also smokes, which he was able to quit for two years before starting again (Nood Central).

While, like most rock stars, he was known for his drinking, what started rumors of his death had nothing to do with his bad habits. In a 1989 show a Nazi Skinhead stabbed Noodles, which quickly stared rumors that he had died (Nood Central).

Rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated as he now lives in Tustin, Orange County California with his wife of four years, Jackie Patrice Wasserman, and his 12-year-old daughter, Chelsea Nicole Wasserman (Nood Central). When not with them or the band, Noodles is likely fishing, snowboarding, surfing, or skating (Perreault par. 4).

While the Offspring are nearing their second decade, their ride is far from over. They have recently released a new single, "Defy You," which is featured in the movie Orange County and on the Orange County soundtrack. They have also begun work on their next album, which has not yet been given a title or release date.

While they started small as a small Southern California punk band, the Offspring have shown the world that they’re ready for the big time. The punk community doesn’t except them, and they don’t accept pop, but the fans accept them and they accept the fans. They’ve refused to change, and music has in turn changed for them, for the better. And now I’ve reached the "End of the Line."

Works Cited

Ali, Lorraine. "Dexter Holland of Offspring." Rolling Stone 4 Feb. 1999: 31.

Boyle, Erin. 2000. 22 Jan. 2002 <www.canehdian.com/non/artists/o/theoffspring/biography.html>.

Eliscu, Jenny. "The Offspring Go Offline." Rolling Stone 9 Nov. 2000: 33-34.

Nood Central. 10 Feb. 2001. 17 Jan. 2002 <www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Frontrow/5233/index2.html>.

Perreault, Christian. The Offspring Online 6 Jan. 2002. 22 Jan. 2002 <www.offspring-online.com/index-flash.html>.