Over several decades, the California-based punk band NOFX has played countless shows around the globe, performing for fans drawn to the group’s signature sound of mostly melodic songs delivered at break-neck speed.
The band’s lyrics are also celebrated for combining a unique mix of personal stories, social commentary and a clever — often irreverent — sense of humour.
But as the band prepares to play its final shows (which includes multiple stops in Canada this month) before calling it a day this fall, it’s the band’s “do-it-yourself” philosophy — a guiding principle of punk subculture — that may be the most lasting aspect of the group’s legacy.
“We started in 1983 and we were just three little dumb-asses,” NOFX drummer Erik “Smelly” Sandin told 630 CHED radio host Courtney Theriault in an interview that aired Friday morning. “It was just about having fun.”
The first 10 years were difficult, though Sandin acknowledged they were still fun.
“We weren’t making any money and we weren’t gaining really much traction. Fifteen years into it we were like, ‘Holy crap, this is actually kind of starting to work.’ But it was all about having fun, with no expectations but playing music.”
NOFX has never signed with a major label and yet the band has achieved remarkable commercial success for an independent group. The group’s beloved 1994 album Punk in Drublic, for example, has been certified “gold” in the U.S. (500,000 albums sold) and sold over one million copies worldwide.
Sandin said by sticking with simply playing music and building a career the way they wanted to, NOFX was able to go from playing to 15 people a night to attracting 15,000 people on some nights with supporters singing along to the band’s songs.
“We’re friends. That’s why we were together so long,” he added.
“For 15 years we sat in a van next to each other, side by side, playing in front of seven people every other night.”
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Sandin warned anyone starting a band not to get into it for the wrong reasons. He said if musicians embark on a mission around simply having fun rather than focusing on commercial success, the journey will be enjoyable no matter where it leads.
“(If you) want to achieve something other than just fun, … you’re already setting yourself up for failure, because likely you won’t achieve that.”
How punk has changed since the 1980s
When asked how punk rock and the punk subculture has changed since NOFX started, Sandin was not hesitant about describing the evolution he has witnessed over the years.
“It’s become a lot safer, a lot less chaotic, less volatile,” he explained. “When I first got into it in the early 1980s, it was aggressive, it was scary — a powderkeg waiting to explode at any moment: a fight, a riot or just a good time, you know?”
While he did not touch on how or why it occurred, Sandin said he believes punk culture has undergone a transformation that has seen it become “more sanitized throughout the years.”
“That’s only my opinion. I’m sure the kids now that are getting into it in the last 10 years or whatever probably think otherwise.”
Saying goodbye to NOFX like preparing to ‘step off’ a cliff
Sandin said he is not yet sure what the future holds for him after NOFX plays its very last show in California in October.
He said “it’s scary” and offered an analogy about the uncertainty of what comes next.
“It’s like there’s a cliff in front of me and I’m about to step off … just hoping I land on my feet,” Sandin said, adding that he dabbles in other projects and interests besides only music. “I know everybody’s in the same boat.
“I’m not emotionally and financially ready for retirement. … Punk rock doesn’t have a pension plan.”
Still, Sandin said he believes it is the right time for NOFX to bring an end to the band’s incredible run.
“You can’t keep going forever,” he said, adding he has seen some bands stick together that he does not wish to emulate.
“You see those bands where it’s like, ‘You should have hung it up a while ago.'”
Sandin said it was Mike Burkett, the band’s singer and bassist who is better known as “Fat Mike,” who first approached other band members about ending the band’s run.
He said Burkett said he wanted to consider such a decision because touring has become more exhausting and physically demanding as he gets older.
“We’re not getting any younger,” Sandin conceded. He added that while performing has become more physically challenging for most of the band, Burkett’s role as frontman can also be more “emotionally taxing.”
“For a singer, it’s a different responsibility completely,” he said, explaining that it is easier for other members to perform when they are having a bad day or going through a difficult time than it is for the singer, who inevitably becomes the focus of the crowd’s attention.
“Imagine being a comedian and you just found out your dog died and then you have to entertain people.”
When asked if he would have done anything differently over the last 41 years if he could do it all again, Sandin was swift with a response.
“I would have taken drum lessons when I first started, because I’ve kind of pigeonholed myself into one style,” he said. “But other than that no.
“We’ve done it all on our own. We’ve done it completely in-house. … It’s a testament to what our passion is with this, and the punk rock ethic.”
NOFX will play an outdoor show in Edmonton’s Ice District when the Punk In Drublic Craft Beer and Music Festival arrives in Alberta’s capital. The festival takes place on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11.
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