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
Eight people have been found guilty of crimes connected to the gunpoint robbery of Kim Kardashian at a Paris hotel.
The theft targeting the TV personality, socialite and businesswoman in 2016 was carried out by a group the media dubbed the “grandpa robbers” as most were close to or of retirement age.
A six-member jury, led by three judges, reached a verdict on Friday following a four-week trial at Paris’s Palais de Justice.
The court found the ringleader and seven others guilty over the raid at the Hotel de Pourtales. Their sentences ranged from prison terms to a fine, but with time already served in pretrial detention, none of those convicted will go to jail.
The group were accused of pulling off one of the most audacious heists against a celebrity in modern French history, in the early hours of 3 October 2016 during Paris Fashion Week.
Wearing ski masks and disguised as police, the thieves stormed Kardashian‘s luxury hotel apartment, bound the star with zip ties, and stole jewellery worth an estimated $6m (£4.4m), including a ring given to her by then husband Kanye West.
‘You caused harm’
Chief judge David De Pas said the defendants’ ages – with the oldest being 79 and some others in their 60s and 70s – weighed on the court’s decision not to impose harsher sentences, and the nine years between the robbery and the trial was also taken into account.
He also told them the reality TV star had been traumatised by the raid, adding: “You caused harm. You caused fear.”
Some arrived in court in orthopaedic shoes and one leaned on a cane. But prosecutors warned observers not to be fooled.
Read more: Everything you need to know about the Paris trial
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Kim Kardashian’s testimony: What happened?
Ringleader Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, who arrived at court walking with a stick, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with five of those suspended.
His DNA, which was found on the bands used to bind Kardashian, was a key breakthrough that helped crack open the case. Wiretaps captured him giving orders, recruiting accomplices and arranging to sell the diamonds in Belgium.
Three others who were accused of the most serious charges got seven years imprisonment, five of them suspended.
‘Most terrifying experience of my life’
After the ruling, 44-year-old Kardashian, who was not present for the verdict, issued a statement, saying: “I am deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice in this case.
“The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family.
“While I’ll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system.”
The court in the French capital found a ninth person guilty of illegal weapons charges, while a tenth person was cleared.
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Kardashian departing Paris court on 13 May
Kardashian ‘thought she would be raped and killed’
Five of the defendants, who were all aged between 60 and 72 at the time of the incident, faced armed robbery and kidnapping charges.
The remaining five defendants were charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon.
During the robbery, Kardashian, who previously told the court she thought she would be raped and killed, was bound with zip-ties and left in the bathtub.
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She described the robbery as “terrifying” and said while she felt forgiveness, that in no way altered “the emotion and the feelings and the trauma,” adding “my life is forever changed”.
Two members of the group – Khedache, known as “Old Omar”, and Yunice Abbas – who wrote a book called I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian, admitted some part in the robbery, while the remaining eight denied the charges.
Prosecutors had requested sentences of up to 10 years.
Kardashian earlier this week completed her six-year legal apprenticeship in California.
Most of the jewellery, which is understood to have been sold in Belgium, was never found.
A diamond-encrusted cross, dropped during the escape, was the only piece ever recovered.
Kneecap have released a new single ahead of their headline performance at London’s Wide Awake festival, just days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence.
The rap trio from Belfast shared a link to the song – The Recap – which opens with Sky News presenter Wilfred Frost reporting about the counter terrorism police investigation – on Instagram, linking to their WhatsApp channel.
Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA
Bandmembers Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, also thanked the 25,000 fans who had bought tickets for Friday night’s festival.
They also reference Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, with whom they’ve had previous run-ins, writing: “Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you’ve any seats left.”
Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Ms Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.
Ms Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. Some other politicians have made the same demand.
The track mocks Badenoch’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss. It features DJ Mozey.
It comes after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth.
He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer, saying: “I need to thank my lawyer, he’s here tonight as well.”
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Stars talk about risks of speaking out
In video footage posted to YouTube, the band led the audience in a chant of “free Mo Chara” and joked about the police presence at the venue.
Police said they attended to manage visitors to the sold-out event.
The band said on X that the central London event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list.
O hAnnaidh, 27, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 18 June.
Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and proved a critical hit in the 2024 semi-fictionalised band origin story movie Kneecap, starring actor Michael Fassbender.
Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
Before the amps are even switched on in Brockwell Park, there’s been a lot of noise about who should or shouldn’t be performing.
It’s where Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap are set to play their first major show since band member Mo Chara was charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of the terrorist group Hezbollah at one of their gigs.
Before that, there had been calls for festivals to reconsider booking the band over their political stances, and several have done, which prompted artists like Brian Eno, the Mystery Jets and CMAT to sign an open letter accusing Westminster and the British media of a campaign to “remove Kneecap from the public eye”.
They put their names to wording that said “in a democracy, no political figures… have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals.”
The band have since claimed they’re the victims of “political policing” designed to silence their views on Gaza.
So what’s the reality like for artists who are outspoken at a time when the world is so divided?
As some of the biggest names in music gathered in London for the Ivors, an annual celebration of songwriting, Self-Esteem – aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor – said the level of scrutiny can be “terrifying”.
‘The problem with the internet’
She told Sky News: “The problem with the internet is you say one thing, which gets scrutinised, and then you shit yourself, you really do… then you’re advised not to. And then you’re like ‘don’t advise me not to!’
“You second-guess anything you want to say any more… but any time I do that, I think ‘well that’s why you’ve got to say it then’.”
She said it can be frustrating that focus turns on to pop stars’ opinions instead of “the people doing the bad things”.
Read more:
Why are Kneecap controversial?
Self-Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor
‘Being a pop artist isn’t just about the music’
Former Little Mix singer Jade said: “To be a pop artist these days, it’s not just about music, it’s: ‘What’s your political stance?’
“I’ve always been quite vocal about those things, but in doing so you have even more of a scary spotlight on you, constantly assessing what your thoughts are as a human…it is scary.”
Trinidad-born London artist Berwyn, whose songs depict his struggles with UK immigration, says: “Silencing freedom of speech… is a road we don’t want to walk down.
“I’m not a politician, this is a very complicated issue, but I do absolutely believe in a human’s right to express themselves freely.”
But is that freedom of speech dependent on what side you’re coming from?
Berwyn speaking to Sky News
‘Unethical investments’
Soon, an event called Mighty Hoopla will take place at Brockwell Park as part of its programme of six festivals this summer.
Artists performing at that are coming under increased pressure from pro-Palestine groups to quit because it’s owned by a company called Superstruct, which has links to an American investment firm called KKR.
Critics argue that any KKR-affiliated events should be a red flag to artists as campaigners claim it “invests billions of pounds in companies” that do things like “develop Israeli underground data centres”, and they say it has shares in companies that “advertise property on illegally occupied land in the West Bank”.
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Mighty Hoopla itself has said while it “cannot control investments made in our parent companies”, it wants to “state its clear opposition to KKR’s unethical investments”.
And Superstruct – which puts on over 80 festivals around the world – says while horrified by the crisis in Gaza: “We are aware that there is a significant amount of debate… around our festivals.
“Our owners, made up of our promoters and several investment firms, support us to achieve the highest standards… fans and artists rightly expect.”
They insist that operationally, Superstruct is independently run and all its “revenue and profits… remains entirely within our business… towards the ongoing development… of our festivals.”
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Even deciding where to perform can have political connotations for musicians these days.
As Tom Gray, a founding member of the rock band Gomez, now chair of the Ivors, explains: “The amount of commercial interest required to get a young artist into the public eye means they have to keep their head down a lot and that’s a terrible shame.
“It’s not just artistic expression, but personal human expression is one of the fundamental things that allows people to feel they have agency.”
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