OFFSPRING, IXNAY ON THE HOMBRE. TABLATURE
Series: Guitar Recorded Version TAB
The Offspring's second major label release includes these smash rock tracks, 64 pages
TRANDCRIBED BY: CARL CULPEPPER, STEVE GORENBERG, TROY NELSON, MATT SCHARFGLASS
Is there one guy in the band who has been driving those messages?
[The message] was never a conscious thing, ever. It's just the way it comes across. That's the feeling we all share about life, it's why we stay together as a band, and why we've lasted 12 years without killing each other.
Was there a low point for the band?
If we were aiming at celebrity and stardom and riches we never would've lasted through the first year. We did this for fun, so there were no real low points. I thought about quitting the band when my daughter was born. I didn't want to traipse across the country playing punk rock. I thought I needed to do the right thing and quit. But then I said, "Fuck that, I need to do this," and hung with the band. There were times when I had to be replaced because I had to work to support my family, and that really sucked. But that's the sacrifice you make.
Has the new record deal changed the tone of the band? Have you gotten more serious?
Absolutely not. We've always gone in and demoed our stuff before recording and compiling it. We told Columbia that we weren't going to audition material and that we didn't want anyone coming to the studio, and they obliged us. They left us alone and got the record when it was done. They didn't hear anything beforehand and they're real happy with it. They were stoked. At least they seemed to be.
Did you feel like you took any chances on the Ixnay record?
Not really. We recorded a few more songs than we needed, and if we had used some of the other ones that were left off, it would have ended up a little more risky. But we're not disappointed in what we kept. I think it's a great record and I love these songs. Maybe we'll save the limb-walking for the next one.
The climate isn't good for taking risks these days, is it?
We went into this business with our eyes open. Any week we realize that this whole Offspring thing could take a nosedive and we could just be gone. We could be the next "Great Wasn't." That's the nature of the business. So, no, I guess it's not a great time for risks.
In terms of your guitar, you sound like classic rockers on a couple of tracks. Does your punk rock have classic-rock roots?
Uhhh ... errr ... uhhhh ... How can I deny that? I can hear Zeppelin in there a few times.
You ripped off Zeppelin on "Way Down The Line."
[Laughs] Yeah! It kind of sounds like "D'yer Mak'er." It didn't sound like that until we played with some of the effects on guitar. Then it was like, Whoa, daddy! It was right there. It originally had a ska ending, then Dexter came up with that whole lick and we pumped it up so it's really in your face.
And there's a "More Than A Feeling" riff in there, too, on "I Choose."
Yeah, I don't see it, but others have said the same thing. Jello [Biafra, punk-rock icon and author of the album's "Disclaimer" opener] walked in on that one while we were recording it and said, "Offspring? This isn't an Offspring record! This is a Boston record!" I don't hear it but I hear that chucka chucka. I like the song because I have my only solo on it.
Did you write your own solo for that?
Dexter had a solo written for it, but it didn't really sound that great and none of us liked it much. It was too standard, so I came up with my lane's Addiction rip-off solo and we went with that one.
You don't have any other solos on the record?
Are there any others? There's a lick on "Me and My Old Lady," and that's Dexter. I think he kept all the prime ones for himself. A lot of the songs have little licks that underline the chords; they aren't really solos. But Dexter takes most of those, too. Those little licks have really become a key to the Offspring's sound.
Tell me how you came up as a guitar player and what you intended to accomplish.
I just wanted to play along to Clash songs with my buddies at the park, or play "Sympathy For The Devil" on guitar. That was it. I don't remember playing with any aspirations at all, back then. I played because I loved playing. Whatever I was into on a record, I wanted to learn. I'd pick it up, plug in, and figure it out. The more I did that the better I got. Ramones songs were a great place to start, and the Dickies, too.
How old were you when you picked up the guitar?
I was 18when I first got into it.
So at 31 you must still be learning.
Oh yeah. When I was 18 until about 24 was when I was the best guitar player I was ever gonna be. Everything was new and I just banged on the damn thing. I didn't think about it. Everything was fun. You have such a feeling of excitement. That translates into your playing. I must sound horrible, like a grumbly old man ...
No, not at all. But what has to happen for you to be excited about playing again?
I really still love playing, getting out androcking. Now I like switching from an electric to an acoustic once in a while. Or go from a single-coil to a humbucking or a Strat to a Les Paul. I just bought an E-bow and I can screw around with that for hours.
So you keep on moving forward as a player?
I guess that's my philosophy. Somebody asked me the other day what I'd tell kids who just picked up the guitar, and I couldn't think of anything decent. Just keep playing .... Play what you enjoy. Don't worry about being somewhere else other than that chord or note you're playing at the time. Have fun with it. If you practice to be somebody else, that's disingenuous. Play for fun.
Did you ever want to "be" somebody as a guitarist?
Yeah, I wanted to be Hendrix. No ... not even Hendrix. I wanted to be Keith Richards, but that was just for the fun of it. I don't ever think I'll be Keith. I don't want to be Keith Richards [laughs]. He's my idol but I don't want to be him. That'd be a little scary.
Has money made it more interesting for you to be a guitar player?
Yeah, sure. I just bought a Taylor acoustic. It's an awesome guitar. I've been banging on it for the last month. In the meantime, all the strings on my electric rusted out while I was playing acoustic, so I changed the strings and started banging on electric again.
How often do you practice?
There are times when I go every day for a couple of hours and then there are times when I won't pick it up for a week, depending on what I'm doing. Sometimes I'll go through a guitar magazine and learn a song. The other day I tried to learn "Pinball Wizard" from some magazine. I had my own way of playing it; I'll never get it verbatim. Now I play an amalgamation of how they tell me to play it and how I want to play it. But I will try to learn it. Then I'll spend some time just banging out chords,..
All I Want
Amazed
Change The World
Cool To Hate
Disclaimer
Don't Pick It Up
Gone Away
I Choose
Leave It Behind
Me & My Old Lady
The Meaning Of Life
Mota
Tea For Two
Way Down The Line
Italiano
English
