It’s usually best not to judge a book by its cover, as Dexter Holland, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for The Offspring is not just the rocker he portrays in the band. The guy has a wide variety of interesting facts that can be affixed to his person and is surprisingly a much deeper individual than he appears at times. People tend to see the wild hair and the guitar in his hand and think that he must be just another rock and roll icon that knows a lot about some things but almost nothing about one thing. The truth is that he’s a lot more complex than that and has a personal history to prove it.
To start with the guy is as close to a genius as you might want to think. He graduated as valedictorian of his high school and then went on to USC where he graduated with a B.S. in biology and then an M.S. in molecular biology. Did you get that part? MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. Almost no one simply chooses to go towards that kind of degree unless they have aspirations of going into teaching or research later on in life. As if that wasn’t enough he went into a PhD program for molecular biology as well but cut it short to focus on his music for a while. He actually stated that he would rather be a teacher instead of a rocker by the time he was 40. Well, now he’s 56 and one has to wonder if he took the time to go back and finish the PhD or if he decided to keep focusing on the music.
One thing is for certain is that education and rock and roll aren’t the only things he’s into. He’s also a business man, having created his own hot sauce and having co-founded a record label, Nitro Records, that he operated from 1994 to 2013. Something about the culture he lived in and the fact that he just thought about making a new hot sauce clicked in his head and sooner rather than later he was making his own hot sauce. Tell me that’s normal and I might laugh at you. This guy is going above and beyond what it is to be considered normal and he’s done it on a regular basis.
He’s also into sky diving, surfing, collecting stamps, and is a certified flight instructor as well as a licensed airline transport pilot. It seems that there’s nothing this guy can’t or won’t do, which only makes a lot of us think about what we’re doing with our lives and how we’re not doing enough. Personally though I think I’m doing enough since it takes an individual that is capable embracing everything they do with an absolute passion that can’t be stilled no matter how life might try. Holland is a special kind of person without a doubt.
Oh, did I mention that he’s also ran in the Los Angeles Marathon in 2006 and 2008? He’s also held fundraisers for various charities, which makes him just about one of the most complete guys on the planet in terms of just how good he is and how inherently balanced his life must be. That’s the fantasy version of it, but I’m guessing he’s either the type that can’t sit still and just has to keep going or is constantly trying to find a moment to himself. Either way he’s still a very special person.
Follow Us
