Offspring's Noodles: 'I Don't Care To Argue How Punk I Am'

Offspring’s recording studio is tucked away in a non-descript industrial park in Huntington Beach, California. You could never guess that this unassuming little building is the place where four Orange County musicians have been working on their eighth studio album. And you’d be shocked even more when you found out that the music this quartet has been working on here has resulted in sales of over 30 million albums. Kevin Wasserman, more popularly known as Noodles, lead guitarist for Offspring, is probably the most innocuous musician in the band. He is kind of tall, kind of lanky, and sports thick, horn-rimmed glasses. He has spent a lot of time recently at this little concrete bungalow, recording guitars and singing backup vocals on the band’s new album, Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace. And you would have seen him in the company of Bob Rock, producer of the album.

Noodles is probably a little tired of going to the studio everyday. But now that’s over and he can sit back and listen to all of the music and tell everybody about it. And that’s exactly what he did.

UG: It’s been about five years since you released Splinter (2003), your last album. Why has there been so much time between albums? You did release the Greatest Hits record - was that put out to sort of put a bookend on the first ten years of Offspring’s life?

The Offspring - Pretty Fly

The Offspring interview

Hidden behind Coke-bottle glasses and an oversized baseball cap, the Offspring’s guitarist, Noodles, talks openly about the band’s latest success, Americana. Recorded in half the time it took them to produce their last album, Ixnay on the Hombre, in ’97 (18 months instead of 36), the new CD is pure Offspring: melodic punk, fast driven songs with addictive hook lines, and “meant to be played loud,” as instructed by Noodles. Since the band’s first album, Ignition, in ’92, the Offspring have climbed steadily in fanbase and industry recognition. Their ’94 release appropriately titled Smash sold more than 11 million copies world wide, a success previously unheard of for a band signed with an indie label.

NYROCK:
Were you under a lot of pressure when you recorded Americana? I would imagine that being with a major is a heavy strain...

NOODLES:
If anything, Americana was an easy album to record. When we recordedIxnay, we were under the impression that... or better, we had the feeling that we needed to prove something. We wanted to show the world that we're a band that deserves to be taken seriously, not just a one-hit wonder, or a punk one-hit wonder.

The Offspring - Self Esteem

The Offspring

Biography

The Offspring is a punk rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, United States in 1984. Since its formation, the band’s line-up had included Dexter Holland (lead vocals, guitar), Noodles (lead and rhythm guitars, back vocals), Greg K. (bass, back vocals), and Ron Welty (drums, percussion), who left in 2003. Their current drummer is Pete Parada, formerly of Face To Face and Saves The Day, who has been with the band since 2007.
Along with fellow California punk bands Green Day and Rancid, The Offspring have been credited with reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. To date, The Offspring has released eight studio albums, one compilation, four EPs and three DVDs. They have sold over 34 million albums worldwide, making them one of the best-selling punk rock acts of all time. Each album since the release of their 1994 album Smash has sold over a million units.