THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410280121
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
ONE OF THE BIGGEST surprises of the rock year has been the success of Offspring, a California punk band whose latest album, ``Smash,'' quickly went platinum over the summer.
Even given the mass acceptance of dissatisfied, loud 'n' fast music, the achievement is impressive: ``Smash,'' like many recent rap hits, doesn't have major-label backing. It's on Epitaph, the company fellow punks Bad Religion put on the map before moving up to Atlantic last year.
Singer Dexter Holland says Offspring may well remain with Epitaph for the follow-up to ``Smash.''
``We're able to stay involved this way. We've been involved in our own press and distribution,'' he says. ``We've been involved in everything. Epitaph has done a great job for this record. If we can come to an agreement with them, I'd like to stay.''
Holland says the explosion in punk rock's audience is the result of a steady buildup over the years.
``It crossed over to the surfers, the snowboarders and the skaters'' years ago, he notes. ``Now, it has picked up more of the radio kids; they want something different. But I can remember when the Dead Kennedys would play. They used to draw a lot of kids.''
With the younger punks' success have come the inevitable cries of ``sellout.'' Holland's less than impressed.
``Who are we to decide who's cool enough to come see us? It's a really stupid, elitist attitude, and punk isn't elitist music,'' he says. ``Look at MTV. Sometimes you could watch it all day and never see anything good. Wouldn't you rather see a video like Green Day's than Mariah Carey again?''
He's happy to have the audiences and notes that the Boathouse, where the group will play Sunday, is one of the biggest venues on Offspring's tour.
``You don't wanna deny people who wanna see you just because you wanna play for the `right' people,' '' says Holland. ``I mean, how can we complain? `Oh, we're so bummed! They like us!' ''
Also, the band members no longer have to sleep on borrowed floors.
``Exactly. And we did. We did forever, for a long time,'' Holland says. ``We've been touring for a long time. The first time, it was in a pickup truck, then we got a van.''
What do they do for kicks on the road?
``Well, we drink a lot,'' he says, laughing. ``There really isn't a whole lot of time for sightseeing. We come into these towns and we don't get to see anything. We went to Dachau. That was really the last sightseeing we did.''
Does he think any songs might come from that trip?
``Oh gosh, I don't know. That's really a lot to take in. It's really heavy.''
Not that Holland is averse to writing about the ambiguities of his surroundings. The group's breakout tune, ``Come Out and Play,'' was born of Southern California's gang culture.
``I was just talking about the things I see around me. I felt a real gang presence, even though I don't have anything to do with gangs. In L.A., you do see graffiti everywhere you go.''
``Self Esteem,'' the album's second single, hits even closer to home, dealing with what Holland says ``happens to everybody at least once - just getting used by someone.
``It allows you to laugh at it a little more. That `Creep' song by Radiohead was pretty much about the same thing, but it was taken so seriously. You know, get the violins out.'' by CNB