Did you really meet Sara (of Tegan) and creep her out or is that just a fantasy of yours?
Oh yeah for sure. I gave a little spice with the Angelina Jolie bit. But me meeting her and creeping her out and asking her if she knew where I could get some drugs and then we proceeded to talk about sex for the next hour—that really happened. A couple magazines wrote that NOFX dissed Tegan and Sara, where clearly I don’t diss them. Clearly, I’m just being myself and, I don’t know, people just like to stir up controversy.
Well you stir up controversy.
Who?
You.
Oh yeah. I kind of like it. If I don’t, I’m not doing my job right.
A lot of your work is very humorous yet at the same time you are quick to point out some of the more negative realities that exist in our world. Does this provide any kind of balance for you as a songwriter/person?
I think you get a lot farther putting humor into serious commentary. It’s kind of like the Michael Moore vs. Noam Chomsky debate. Noam Chomsky is a lot more informative and a lot more hardcore, but who is getting his opinions out to more people? Which is more important? So, yeah I like the Michael Moore approach more.
Do you think of your songs as little political/social articles or announcements?
Sure. A lot of people do look at NOFX as being kind of a joke band with three-chord songs. Our songs are very complicated and some of our songs have 16 chord progressions in them. I don’t think there’s any three-chord song progression in any chorus. And just because I have a different slant on things, even ‘Creeping Out Sara,’ it’s political. It’s trying to talk about sexuality in an open way where it’s acceptable, and NOFX I think is the only hardcore band that flies the rainbow flag onstage wherever we play. We are very pro-gay and pro-gay marriage. And I like to sing songs about that kind of stuff. The more people know about it and hear about it the more normal or accepted it is.
What’s your opinion on Obama’s inactivity on gay rights?
It’s politics. He doesn’t have to be [active] because he’s going to get their support no matter what. I think early in his campaign he didn’t have gay people’s backing. He flipped on a few things, I believe.
It’s hard politically to come out today for gay marriage, and he shouldn’t have to anyway. The whole system makes no sense. Marriage should not be a binding agreement. Marriage is something you do with your friends. You should have a civil union. That’s how Europeans do it. You make a civil union between any two people who are of age and there you go. Imagine that in 50 states.
Fuck marriage. It’s antiquated anyway. Why the fuck would gay people want to be part of a dying system of monogamy?
I take it your marriage isn’t a traditional one to say the least.
Not traditional, but monogamous.
NOFX will be playing at the Susquehanna Bank Cetner in Camden, NJ, on July 17 and at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, on July 18. For more info, visit nofxofficialwebsite.com.
