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NOFX to retire after final tour without ever having had a job
- ilvez 2y agoAbout living from band.. last time I spoke with Eyehategod bassist, then these guys live from touring. Most of the year, they are on the wheels. Didn't seem to close to retirement yet \o/ \w/
- wly_cdgr 2y agoFucking LEGENDS. My first show. I don't even like them that much but what a run.
- reactordev 2y agoI’m sorry but being a musician is a job.
- OccamsMirror 2y agoYeah, man, but there's having a job, and there's having a job job. You know what I mean?
- iamsaitam 2y agosarcasm right?
- bruce511 2y agoNo not sarcasm, perception. It comes down to what you mean by "job". As distinct from "work". We all -work- (they certainly do) in the sense that they add value, and are paid for that value. A "job" though is an indication of who you work for. You might get a job at a bakery, selling buns. You got to work, add value, and are paid by an employer. She decides if you're on the register, or loading the truck, or whatever. You are selling time and she can do (more or less) what she wants either it. To avoid this lack of personal agency people start their own business. Now "no one tells them what to do". So they don't have a "job" but there's actually more work. So there's a "job" and there's "work" and they're not the same thing. The band (correctly) recognised that signing for a label means you are an employee of that label. They may give you some autonomy, but its not all fairies and rainbows - there's a business to feed. So there will be requirements from their side. Indie bands work a lot more, but they have complete freedom to do whatever however they like. If they serve the customers well, they do well. If they don't, then it reflects in pay this month. A "job" is when you work for someone else. But when you have autonomy, and do what you love AND make enough to thrive, then you are truly blessed. Its a lot of work, but it doesn't feel like it.
- happymellon 2y agoYeah, NYT butchered that. The actual statement was > Fat Mike’s main argument — “You are getting into bed with a corporation. You are not an artist. You are an employee.” He was talking about being an employee, not "having a job". Being signed to a label means that they call the shots, and you record albums when they demand even if you want to tour and you have to write albums that they are happy with.
- PUSH_AX 2y agoAlso some of the other band members are stated as going to get other jobs.
- ricc 2y agoMaybe it’s a reference to one of their songs? Not really familiar with NOFX (aside from them being the favourite band of some of my favourite bands), but maybe they have a song about jobs or having a job.
- avereveard 2y agoI think it's related to how critical they always have been toward labels and being indies, so the relevant song here would be "dinosaurs will die" > them being the favourite band of some of my favourite bands This is my new feel soo old sentence :(
- OccamsMirror 2y agohttps://archive.md/YbKB3 https://archive.md/YbKB3
- 29athrowaway 2y agoBeing a professional musician is a job. And they certainly have accountants, lawyers, insurance, agents, financial planners, etc.
- fullshark 2y agoAlso sounds like everyone else but fat Mike is going to keep working
- davely 2y agoFun fact: Fat Mike once owned this swanky house in San Francisco [1]. Not too bad for “not having a job!” Also, the dude founded and ran Fat Wreck Chords in 1990! He continues to run it with his partner to this day [2]. [1] https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/sf-home-punk-rock-royalty-connections-for-sale-19444607.php https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/sf-home-punk-rock-... [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Wreck_Chords https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Wreck_Chords
- notthemessiah 2y agoHe's going to be spending his golden years in Mattersville
- cyberpunk 2y agoHe seems to be an absolutely terrible human being [0] and absolutely desperate to appear edgy and extreme, which I could maybe tolerate if his music was any good, which it isn't. 0: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/mar/29/fat-mike-nofx-spiked-fans-drink-urine https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/mar/29/fat-mike-nofx-...
- belZaah 2y agoThat’s the thing with old punks. They do not care and have nor cared for decades. Which means they are not necessarily the nicest people around.
- waysa 2y agoHe knows that and he regrets being that way. I turn on the TV And I don't like what I see There's an old punk rocker acting like a jerk And that jerk looks a lot like me From the 2016 song "I Don't Like me Anymore"
- brabel 2y agoFat Mike is actually a good guy. He's done a lot of shit, but mostly shit you expect from a punk, like this sort of prank (which seems to be the only source for the parent commenter to decide he's a "terrible human being", the sort of hyperbolic, simplistic language you expect from people who are desperate to find something to be outraged about), getting drunk/high on shows, criticizing everything/everyone (just like in his songs) including himself. A more recent song where he self-deprecates (there's many), "Don't count on me": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS2oFkpsxVo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS2oFkpsxVo " Don't count on me, 'cause I'm the worst If I'm there, it'll be a surprise to so many other friends that I'd call first It's not that I don't care, I just don't care very much 'Cause I'm either on the spectrum, or just plain out of touch That's who I am, that's what I do I could change if I wanted to, but I don't " Anyway, watch the NOFX documentaries (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aa9aIoorJ8&list=PL15C6AE3FAF919C90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aa9aIoorJ8&list=PL15C6AE3FA...) and Mike's podcast. He seems to be quite nice and liked by all who know him. Maybe that's biased, but that's the main source I have :). Here's a Reddit post by someone who is an actual friend of his: https://www.reddit.com/r/nofx/comments/1d2iwzx/my_journey_as_a_nofx_die_hard_fan_to_being_mikes/ https://www.reddit.com/r/nofx/comments/1d2iwzx/my_journey_as...
- moandcompany 2y agoI heard they suck live
- Hendrikto 2y ago> Like a show in London in 2000 when Fat Mike, Melvin and El Hefe decided to take ecstasy before going onstage. “Melvin is trying to play the accordion and he can’t,” Fat Mike said, laughing. “It was our biggest show and we took the punk way out. We were all dying laughing.” > “Who cares?” he added. “Why NOFX are so good is because we’re having a better time than our fans.”
- isoprophlex 2y agoI saw them in Amsterdam. They came on stage and asked the audience "anyone got any pills?". Several baggies rained down on the stage. They went backstage for a bit, and started playing. It was fantastic. But not very musically sound, especially towards the end.
- dchest 2y agoThey are super fun live. Especially compared to the robotic Offspring, who were playing exactly as they did on their albums.
- lvturner 2y agoIt's the title of one of their albums ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_They_Suck_Live https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_They_Suck_Live!!
- dchest 2y agoHaa, they have so many of them, I forgot.
- bayindirh 2y agoI think being able to sound "the same as their albums" while playing live is a great gesture about how good they are, and how the albums they put out are processed. Pink Martini can pull off the same trick. They can reproduce their albums live, and without any playback. It shows how unedited their albums are, and how good they are with their instruments and voice.
- moandcompany 2y ago"The Decline" is worth a listen for anyone interested in this band. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_(EP) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_(EP)
- draw_down 2y ago[dead]
- brabel 2y agoTheir more recent "the big drag" video is pretty impressive too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT_EtBM06-I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT_EtBM06-I
- agrippanux 2y agoThat’s my favorite effort they ever did, apparently it was hell to record because it’s an 18 minute continuous take. Many of the lyrics became more relevant after 2016.
- soylentcola 2y agoAnd remains a solid use of a single jukebox credit.
- okonomiyaki3000 2y agoI love this song and I feel so lucky I was able to see it live at their final Japan show last spring! They come out for an encore like "we're just gonna do one more song" then play for another 20 minutes.
- Egaroo 2y agoOh boy, I thank Fat Mike for making possible the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
- 082349872349872 2y agoMy new "feel soo old sentence" is that when I recently asked someone if they'd ever listened to "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Love Their Country", they replied oh yeah, totally, they used to listen to it all the time ... in elementary school. Lagniappe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7g3RuoreRc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7g3RuoreRc
- menthe 2y ago"without ever having a job" First Google Result for "nofx retire": > The punk group have all got normal jobs, which they will continue to pursue, but are pulling out all the stops for one final tour for their army of fans. Seems in direct contradiction with this anarchist click bait title.
- tigeroil 2y agoIndeed. I think many people don't realise how many artists do actually have day jobs as well - it's not always as lucrative as you'd think.
- iamben 2y agoThey've toured for 40 years, sold 8 million records and have over a million monthly listeners on Spotify. The singer's label has put out many of the big punk bands for the last 30 years. I agree with your point, but this lot are fine.
- gorgoiler 2y agoThey are indeed “doing just fine” which I am sure is what you must have been referencing — from one of their most famous songs: Buy me a Becks beer or pass me the bong Gimme some Bushmills I'll sing you this song Open another big box of cheap wine We're over 30 we’re doing just fine The last time I saw them live it was pushing 40 instead of over 30 and that was nearly a decade ago.
- iamben 2y agoHahaha, yeah, they're a fun band. I saw them (for the last time, I guess?!) a couple of weeks ago (and oddly in reference to the lyrics, I actually saw them tour Pump Up The Valuum as well). Mike is pushing 60 now!
- InDubioProRubio 2y agoSame goes for hard sciences in academic fields. Cant feed family on physics postdoc pay, goto program or drive a bus. You goto do what you gota do!
- lawgimenez 2y agoPump up the valuum was one of my first punk CDs I listened to, I didn't know the sound was punk at the time yet since I was immersed in my new nu metal phase. I've been punk rock since then.
- drivingmenuts 2y agoThe title assumes being a working musician is not a job? That's pretty insulting. While some seem to coast along, the bulk of them work pretty damn hard.
- shermantanktop 2y agoA “name” band gig like this is a job with almost no job security and a high chance of eventual failure. Setting rock stars aside, regular working musicians are everywhere, performing, teaching, composing. It’s a job, but building a whole career on workaday activities requires a lot of DIY and resilience.
- allsunny 2y agoI’ve probably listened to this band more than any other. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and grew up on it along with similar bands. I actually ran into Fat Mike totally randomly out in public this past year. I introduced myself, he’s a nice guy and exactly what you’d expect.
- pookha 2y agoMaybe he's changed, but he was real entitled in Seoul back in 2007\08. Guy from the band RUX -- who owned a punk club in hongdae and a tiny DIY record company -- tried bringing him over and he was an elitist princess. I can distinctly remember the slackers were the opposite and they stayed in a hostel popular with the locals. Mike wanted big money and a four star hotel experience. Which I think they eventually got just for him (out of their own pockets). I wouldn't get a job either if I got to jet around the world and stay in baller hotels on somebody's dime.
- chasd00 2y agonever thought i'd see "NOFX" here hah. I was skating with the littler brother of one of my friend's girlfriend when he casually said "have you ever heard of NOFX?" and that was that. I don't really care about the politics but one of my favorite lyrics of all time is from Dig Camped outside laissez-faire People understand me there Don't talk to me, we'll get along just fine
- Dowwie 2y agoI say don't drink and drive-- you might spill your drink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X213NnBq0ik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X213NnBq0ik
- zaphod420 2y agoNOFX is still one of my all time favorite bands. So strange to see them mentioned on hacker news!
- lawgimenez 2y agoYou’d be surprised there’s a lot of hardcore kids and metal heads in hacker news too.
- willjp 2y agoSo long and thanks for all the shoes!