6 Fun Facts About The Offspring
The Offspring is a punk rock band that formed in Orange County, California in 1984. The band consists of four members: Dexter Holland (vocals, guitar), Noodles (guitar), Greg K (bass), and Pete Parada (drums). The Offspring’s music is characterized by fast, high-energy guitar riffs, driving drum beats, and catchy lyrics that often explore themes of rebellion, social issues, and personal struggles. The band gained mainstream success in the 1990s with hit songs like Come Out and Play, Self Esteem, Gotta Get Away, Gone Away, Why Don’t You Get A Job, Original Prankster, Hit That, You’re Gonna Go Far, Hit That, Coming For You, Let The Bad Times Roll and Pretty Fly (for a White Guy), which propelled them to become one of the most popular punk bands of the era. The Offspring has won multiple awards throughout their career, including a MTV Video Music Award and a Kerrang! Award. With their catchy, energetic sound and socially conscious lyrics, The Offspring continues to be an influential band in the punk rock genre.
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Here are six fun facts about The Offspring that you may not know.
1. The Offspring took over the music industry by storm.
In the 1990s, The Offspring managed to make a splash with their original sound and by selling millions of albums, which was no easy feat for a band that was still trying to make an impact in the industry (via All Music.) The band managed to get mainstream attention when it released Smash, their third album in April 1994. Their edgy music managed to find a fan base of its own, and music enthusiasts in the United States as well as the United Kingdom found an appreciation for their sound. According to Louder Sound, the sales for the album were impressive — 11 million in a short period.
2. The nickname ‘Noodles’ doesn’t come from food.
Noodles was given his nickname by the band’s one-time producer Thom Wilson, in honour of his habit of noodling on his guitar whenever he’d messed up a take in the recording studio.
3. Dexter is a licensed pilot.
As well as a punk rock singer and a scientist, Dexter Holland is also a licensed pilot. In one memorable feature in Kerrang!, he personally flew writer Paul Brannigan and photographer Ashley Maile from California to Mexico. A co-pilot flew them home, as by then he’d had a beer.
4. That iconic line costs only a burger
The line ‘You got to keep ’em separated’ from Come Out And Play was voiced by Blackball, one of the band’s friends. It took him just two takes to nail one of the most famous refrains in punk history. For his troubles he was treated to an In-N-Out Burger, as well as a photograph with Snoop Dogg, who was recording in the same facility.
5. The band didn’t like doing promo.
Smash broke all over America, despite the fact that The Offspring themselves did little by way of promotion. Other than making music videos in which their faces were rarely front and centre, the group eschewed almost all press, and all television appearances bar one. This tactic was deliberate. “We don’t want to be over-exposed,” said Greg K. “Not to knock Green Day, ’cause I like Green Day, but it’s like every time you turn on MTV you see Billie Joe [Armstrong]’s face.”
6. Several of the band’s songs appeared in video games.
In video games, the Offspring’s songs have appeared in Crazy Taxi, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 and SingStar Rocks!. “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)” appears in Guitar Hero: Van Halen. “Hammerhead”, “Gone Away”, “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)”, “Self Esteem”, “All I Want”, “The Kids Aren’t Alright”, “A Lot Like Me” and “Days Go By” are downloadables for the Rock Band series. “Hammerhead” was also featured in the football video game Madden NFL 09. “Days Go By” was featured in NHL 13.
You can catch The Offspring on Tour in 2023 at a location near you. Buy tickets here: