Friday Jam: Come Out and Play - The Offspring

In my time of thinking way too much about music, I've observed that there seems to come a time in a punk band's lifetime that the members have to make a choice.

There's a young, nihilistic anger often associated with punk rock that doesn't really have much staying power. Punk rockers, like the rest of us, get older and their lives get more complicated than when they're just young and mad.

At this point, they seem to have three choices:

1) Stay young and nihilistic and burn out quickly. This is the path of the Sex Pistols. As Neil Young might say, "It's better to burn out than to fade away." This is the story of Johnny Rotten, indeed.

2) Make it funny. Sure, you're still loud and angry, but adding humor to your music, like the Ramones, gives it a sort of pressure valve so the band doesn't simply implode.

3) Make the music about something. Aimless anger gets you nowhere fast, but if these bands take their energy and channel it toward actual causes, they find a way to stick around. This is what I'd call the Clash model.

In my opinion, the third model is by far the best. And what do you know? It yielded the best band of the three.

I bring this up because I've spent some time thinking about punk rock in the last couple of days following the Thursday announcement that The Offspring lead singer Dexter Holland is getting his Ph.D. in molecular biology.

Remember the Offspring? You're thinking, "Oh, the 'Pretty Fly for a White Guy' band?"

I didn't necessarily love that song, but it does reveal the thought that went into some of their best songwriting. It's a silly song, but it's also a nice bit of satire about self-identity in the late '90s.

Reading a big of Holland's explanation of why he got his Ph.D. is pretty revealing about what a smart, thoughtful dude this is.

Reading it got me thinking about the thought that went into this band's music. Examples include songs about the perils of unchecked rage, addiction, the global problems we inherit from older generations, more unchecked rage, more addiction, the perils of modern suburbia and and, well, "Self Esteem."

While it's easy to casually dismiss them as another '90s alternative band, the Offspring is a really good band and Dexter Holland is one heck of a songwriter.

In some way, the Offspring chose a middle path, combining the smarts of the Clash with a touch of the humor of the Ramones. As a fan, it's been great to have the chance to enjoy it over the years.

So, let's enjoy another of their smart songs in "Come Out and Play," which highlights the problems of gang violence.