{"id":2609,"date":"2024-12-20T15:21:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T23:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2025-01-08T09:16:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T17:16:26","slug":"rock-star-virologist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/rock-star-virologist\/","title":{"rendered":"Rock Star Virologist: The Offspring\u2019s Dexter Holland, The Punk Rocker With a PhD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Rock Star Virologist: The Offspring\u2019s Dexter Holland, The Punk Rocker With a PhD<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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\n\n \n Dexter Holland \u201988, \u201990, \u201917,<\/strong> is the frontman and songwriter of The Offspring, one of the world\u2019s best-selling punk rock bands. Holland earned three degrees \u2014 including a PhD in molecular biology \u2014 from USC Dornsife, has flown solo around the world, and created an award-winning brand of hot sauce. Oh, and he collects postage stamps from the Isle of Man.\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n By<\/span>Susan Bell<\/a><\/strong>\n \n December 20, 2024<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\"\"As valedictorian of his Garden Grove, California, high school, Brian Keith \u201cDexter\u201d Holland had ambitions to go to medical school. He enrolled at USC Dornsife as a biological sciences<\/a> major in 1984 \u2014 the same year he and high school friends launched a punk rock garage band called Manic\u00a0Subsidal. None could yet play a musical instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"\"As the group evolved into what would become The Offspring, Holland pursued his education, earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in biological sciences in 1988 and a master\u2019s in molecular biology in 1990. He then embarked on his doctorate; however, the stunning breakthrough of the band\u2019s 1994 album, Smash<\/em>, persuaded him to put his degree on hold. Says Holland: \u201cMolecular biology and music may seem like polar opposites, but they overlap through math and pattern recognition.\u201d His science background even inspired the famous refrain \u201cKeep \u2019em separated\u201d from the band\u2019s hit song \u201cCome Out and Play<\/a>\u201d \u2014 a line that drew on his experience cooling Erlenmeyer flasks of hot liquid in a USC Dornsife lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"\"A licensed pilot and certified flight instructor, Holland completed a 2004 solo flight around-the-world in his\u00a0twin-engine Cessna Citation, covering 25,000 miles in 10 days. He often flies his band to and from performances and, in his free time, volunteers as a medical transport pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"\"After two years of taste-testing different spice and pepper combinations in his kitchen, Holland launched his own hot sauce brand, Gringo Bandito, in 2004, describing his fiery concoctions as \u201ca party in your mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"\"Holland paused his music career in 2012 to return to his doctoral studies at USC Dornsife, earning his PhD in 2017. Five years later, he delivered the commencement address<\/a> at Keck School of Medicine of USC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"\"In May 2024, legendary guitarist and fellow PhD Sir Brian May of Queen joined Holland to perform The Offspring\u2019s hit \u201cGone Away<\/a>\u201d at the Starmus Festival in Slovakia. The Offspring\u2019s 10th studio album, Supercharged, <\/i>followed in October, with its single \u201cMake It All Right\u201d becoming the band\u2019s first to simultaneously top Billboard\u2019s Rock and Alternative Airplay Chart and Mediabase\u2019s Active Rock Chart. The Offspring has now sold more than 40 million records, making it one of the world\u2019s best-selling punk rock bands. Following a 2025 international tour of 100 cities, Holland plans to continue making music and hopes to use his molecular biology training to contribute to HIV research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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