Dexter Holland
He's one of the people responsible for bringing Punk Rock back to the mainstream in the mid-1990s but that's not why he's attained the 'Doctor' title !!
(Photo: Daveed Benito)
= His full name is Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland or more properly "Dr. Dexter Holland". He was born on December 29, 1965, in California, USA.
= He graduated high school with honors of a "Valedictorian" degree, which is an international high school diploma recognized by several countries in the world for outstanding success. In high school, he excelled especially in mathematics, and compared it to Punk Rock music (clearly insane...)
= After graduating from high school in 1983, he formed with his bassist friend Greg Kriesel the band "Manic Subsidal", when he was the drummer. The two played in the garage together but did not develop beyond that until...
= In 1986, after several changes in the band lineup, with Greg remaining in the bass position, Holland moves to the role of singer and guitarist, guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman joins the band, and drummer James Lilja also joins (he is replaced shortly afterward by Ron Welty), the band's change its name to "The Offspring" and records its first single "I'll Be Waiting".
= The single comes out under the band's independent label called "Black Label" named after a beer they loved to drink.
(Photo: NME)
= During the initial formation of the band, Holland continues his studies. After high school, he attended the University of Southern California and completed a bachelor's and master's degree in science with a specialization in molecular biology.
= After recording more demos, the band signs a record contract with a small label called Nemesis Records. They team up with producer Thom Wilson and in 1989 they release their debut album bearing the band's name. The album was released in a limited number of copies and did not receive significant exposure. Not only did it not succeed, but it also took the band two and a half years to sell the entire 5,000 copies that they produced.
= In 1991 the band signed to the independent label Epitaph Records and released their second album "Ignition" in 1992, also produced by Thom Wilson.
= In 1994 the band releases their third album, their huge and best-selling breakthrough album to date "Smash". Initially, the album did not receive significant exposure until the famous radio station KROQ started playing the first single from the album "Come Out and Play". The single began to conquer the various Billboard charts and took the album to the top of the charts. It also becomes an all-time best-selling album distributed by an independent record company, with more than 20 million copies.
= The song "Come Out and Play" was written by Holland, inspired by the riots that year in Los Angeles between the gangs and inspired by the experience of driving in his crappy car in the Compton and Watts neighborhoods when he was driving to university.
= Together with Green Day's album "Dookie", the two bands land Punk Rock back in the mainstream and become the hottest thing in music, in the world !!
= In 1994-1995, the band went on a world tour, transforming from an opening act show to the main headliner. Toward the end of the tour, the band moves from doing shows in small bars and clubs to theaters and arenas.
= In 1995, Holland co-founded the Nitro Records label with Greg. They re-release the band's debut album and start signing new Punk Rock bands including: Jughead's Revenge and AFI.
= In 1996, after signing with Columbia Records, they released their fourth album, "Ixnay on the Hombre". The album sold very nicely but was not as successful as its predecessor.
= In 1998 the band releases their fifth album "Americana". Three singles were released from the album: "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get a Job?" And "The Kids Aren't Alright." The three singles simply burned the charts in the US and around the world and made the album the most popular album of the band's career.
= The band has released five more albums: "Conspiracy of One" (2000), "Splinter" (2003), "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" (2008), "Days Go By" (2012). Its fifth album "Let the Bad Times Roll" was released in 2021, nine years after the previous album. The album was produced by the famous Bob Rock but received mixed reviews.
= Holland and Kevin are the only members of the band that have remained throughout the band's career, the rest of the members have changed over the years.
(Photo: Daveed Benito)
= In 2004 Holland launched a spicy sauce called "Gringo Bandito". Mexican cuisine has been a big part of his life and he would always add a spicy sauce to his food, he was always interested in the type of sauce and would appreciate people walking around with the sauce they like in their pocket and going with it everywhere (yes, there are people like that). The sauce is sold in millions of units and is part of the menu of more than 500 restaurants in the US, you can purchase it on Amazon.
= Holland is a certified pilot and owns a private jet for which he gave the name "Anarchy Airline". In 2004 he made a flight around the world in 10 days.
= In 2017 Holland completed his doctoral studies and received his Ph.D. in molecular biology, in the last decade he has stated several times that he would rather be a professor at a university than play music.
(Photo: Daveed Benito)
= In 2013 Holland participated in the publication of an article in the public science library PLoS, which deals with MicroRNA in the genome of HIV. Do not try to understand, it is complicated, just note that the article was very influential and helped develop treatments for AIDS.
Listen to the band's latest album on: Spotify, Apple Music