The Offspring on flying fighter jets, NHS support, and ‘smelling the gold records’
If The Offspring’s Dexter Holland were to make it into the Guinness World Records hall of fame, his accomplishment could be, he thinks, “the most stuff”.
“Goddamn overachiever right here – I’m just drinking beer and watching YouTube videos,” says his bandmate, lead guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, as the pair contemplate over Zoom with Sky News the fact that Holland is not only the frontman of a multimillion-selling band but also a licensed pilot with a PhD in molecular biology.
“Well, I don’t sleep,” he jokes. “I think the band has always been first and foremost for me, this is what we love to do and it’s my main work focus. But I’ve always been interested in other things, flying is one of them, science research is another one. You just have to figure out how to carve out blocks of time to do those things.”
‘We thought they were owed a little bit back’: The Offspring will play a gig supporting the NHS in Hull. Pic: Tijs Van Leur
Holland and Noodles have been sharing their expertise on certain subjects in YouTube videos, How To… With The Offspring; the latest on how to fly a fighter jet. Noodles, as it turns out, is a keen birdwatcher, while Holland can also catch a wave.
But all this is second to The Offspring, the punk-rock band that rose to fame in the 1990s with their third album Smash and went on to sell 40 million records, best known for hits including Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) and Original Prankster.
Earlier this year, the band released their 10th album and first in a decade, Let The Bad Times Roll. The titular song had been written before 2020, during a period of deep political division in the US.
The bad times, says Holland, had well and truly “been rolling for sure” way before the pandemic hit. However, a world in lockdown really cemented it.
After making their live return earlier in 2021, they are getting ready to tour the UK once again and promising fans “a good time celebrating the bad times”.
“We’re tip-toeing back into it because things are definitely not normal yet,” says Holland. “It’s fits and starts and two steps forward and one step back, but it’s getting there.”
When they come to the UK later in November, the band’s shows will include a free gig in Hull in support of the NHS and frontline workers. While several British acts – from Liam Gallagher and The Charlatans to JLS and Rick Astley – have also done this, it is a significant gesture from a band from the US.
“We come to the UK pretty much every year, it feels like a second home to us in a lot of ways,” says Noodles. “The NHS and frontline workers are doing a phenomenal job, They’re really kind of putting themselves on the line to keep us all safe. We thought they were owed a little bit back. It’s our pleasure to do this.”
“We felt like it was so important to acknowledge,” says Holland. “This is such an unusual time and all of those people in those services have really stepped up to help humanity. So it was important to us.”
Earlier this year, the pair reworked the band’s 1994 hit Come Out And Play, changing the lyrics from “you gotta keep ’em separated” to “you’ve gotta go get vaccinated”. A few months later, drummer Pete Parada said it had been decided he was “unsafe to be around” as he was unable to have the COVID-19 vaccine due to underlying health issues, and that he would not be joining the band on tour. Headlines said he had been dropped from the band.
“He wasn’t really dropped from the band, even to this point,” says Holland. “He was either unable or unwilling to get vaccinated and we couldn’t take an unvaccinated person on tour with us. We looked into it, you know, we tried to work all of these different scenarios and we kept hitting roadblocks. And so we needed to have a completely vaccinated crew and band.”
Drummer Pete Parada (left) has not been touring with the band this year. Pic: Daveed Benito
In October, Noodles tested positive for COVID-19, and told fans on Twitter that being vaccinated “certainly made it easier” and “might’ve just saved my life”.
“We understand how vaccines work and we trust them,” he tells Sky News. “We believe they’re safe. There are some people that are legitimately unable to get vaccinated, we understand that. And so I think those that can should do that for those people as well.”
As well as supporting health workers and helping spread the message on vaccines, The Offspring also address other issues through their music. The Opioid Diaries, from Let The Bad Times Roll, looks at America’s drug addiction problems, with a powerful video spelling out the statistics in black and white.
“I think a lot of times [people] think of our more fun, light-hearted songs, but there’s always the serious side of us on albums too,” says Holland. “We thought this song was important to write because addiction in general is something that needs to be addressed [but] this was almost sort of an unwitting addiction… people were kind of innocently thinking they were getting pain medication that they legitimately needed and didn’t realise how addictive it was.”
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They have also been performing a reworked softer version of Gone Away, from their fourth album Ixnay On The Hombre. During the pandemic, it’s a song that has taken on new meaning.
“It’s been brutal, says Holland, of the past 18 months. “Everybody experiencing loss with that message and that hitting home of the loss has been especially poignant in the last couple of years.”
As well as the serious songs, fans going to the live shows will also get the hits. Still punk-rocking in their 50s, how do they feel looking back at the CV?
“We’re more of a forward-looking band, I think,” says Noodles.
“It’s been amazing that we’ve been able to go this long and this is what we love to do and definitely realise that we’re very fortunate to still be able to do it, for sure,” says Holland. “But as Noodles said, that’s not what we rest upon. We don’t just walk down the aisle and look at the gold records.”
“Well…” Noodles interrupts. “We do take some time to stop and smell the gold records.”
The Offspring’s Let The Bad Times Roll is out now. The UK and Ireland tour starts with the show in support of the NHS and key workers in Hull on 19 November
Entertainment
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard – with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game.
The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods.
But in the end, the critics – some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a “perfect game” – were right as it dominated the awards at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running.
Astro Bot. Pic: Team Asobi
Nicolas Doucet with his five awards for Astro Bot. Pic: PA
BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots.
“We’re a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone,” Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News.
“We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it’s really, really nice to go around and ask everyone ‘is that joke fine in your country?’ And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness.”
Among the gongs for Astro Bot was the best game award. Pic: BAFTA
It’s a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes The Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles.
Compared to John Carpenter’s 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters.
Still Wakes The Deep. Pic: Sumo Digital Limited
Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay.
“I’ve been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I’ve never won one,” said Dunbar.
“It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!”
Read more: See full list of winners
Still Wakes The Deep star Karen Dunbar won best performer in a supporting role. Pic: BAFTA
Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II – a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.
It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems.
“Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for,” said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Helldivers II. Pic: Arrowhead/Sony
From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You’re Here! – a cartoonish, comedy platformer – won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes The Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting.
“I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen,” said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! Pic: Coal Supper/Panic Inc
Co-creator James Carbutt added: “Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we’re one of them.”
By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Pic: Ninja Theory
But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year’s win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has died at the age of 70
The band said Blurke had been diagnosed with cancer, and described his death as a “profound loss”.
He featured on all the Debbie Harry-fronted group’s studio albums since joining a year after their formation in 1975.
Blurke was with the band from their self-titled debut, through their 1978 classic Parallel Lines, to 2017’s Pollinator.
Drummer Burke.
Pic: Reuters
In a statement on Blondie’s Instagram, Harry and the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein, said: “It is with profound sadness that we relay news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer.
“Clem was not just a drummer, he was the heartbeat of Blondie.
“His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable.
“Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“Clem’s influence extended far beyond Blondie, a self-proclaimed ‘rock and roll survivalist’, he played and collaborated with numerous iconic artists.”
Burke in his performance at Festival Estereo Picnic 2023.
Pic: AP
Burke featured on Iggy Pop’s 1982 album Zombie Birdhouse and also performed with Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Joan Jett.
The statement went on to say Burke had left an “indelible mark on every project he was part of”.
It added: “We extend our deepest condolences to Clem’s family, friends, and fans around the world. His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of music he created and the countless lives he touched.”
Burke, who performed on classic tracks such as Call Me, Heart Of Glass and One Way Or Another, made his final live appearance with Blondie last year.
Read more from Sky News:
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Blondie performing during Glastonbury Festival in 2023.
Pic: Invision/AP
Among those paying tribute to him was Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, who said: “I feel saddened that Clem Burke was taken from us so soon.
“May he rest in peace, spectacular drumming, we were friends.”
Nancy Sinatra said: “My heart is shattered. Clem became an icon as a member of Blondie, but he was also an important part of my band, the K.A.B. I was blessed to call him my friend.
“If I ever needed him, he was there. Always. Sending healing prayers and comfort to his widow, Ellen, his family, and all who loved him.”
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