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Still Rocking at 58: The Offspring Frontman Dexter Holland is a Rockstar, Triathlete, Pilot and... Biologist

Dexter Holland, the frontman of Offspring, explains how he does it all and riffs on his new album, 'Supercharged.'

Or, how do you find the time to tour the world with the Offspring and write your dissertation (which is based on years of research) and keep current with your pilot’s license and train for triathlons and read Doctor Zhivago and taste-test the new hot sauce and collect postage stamps from the fucking Isle of Man and also be a great father and take your wife out to dinner sometimes? The Offspring toured the world and sold millions of records, Holland ended up in an Orange County mansion with a four-tiered fountain in the courtyard outside his office door—and, in the eyes of the University of Southern California, he remained “A.B.D.,” a snarky term for Ph.D. candidates who have completed “all but dissertation.” “Ixnay” is pretty much pig latin for “nix,” and “the hombre” translates to “the man.” And “Bad Habit,” the third track on Smash, is a fun song about road rage: “Drivers are rude/Such attitudes/But when I show my piece/Complaints cease/Something’s odd/I feel like I’m God/You stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker.” Holland’s music seemed to be contrary to all the things medical research is about: meticulous laboratory work, often solitary, dependent on precision, and usually overseen by a hierarchical, well-funded institution like USC.

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