What can be said about NOFX
that you already don't want to know? They're arguably the most irreverent
punk band around, and they've made sure that Heavy Petting Zoo will be
remembered for a long time. The CD cover speaks for itself, but the LP
cover goes way over the top, warranting it's own title, "Eating Lamb."
You'll have to see it to believe it.
NOFX are taking a whole new
approach to the release of this album. Proud of the fact that they've never
been on MTV, they're not making a video. Also, they're not going to radio
with a single, or doing any interviews. Fat Mike said "Yeah, MTV sells
records, but it destroys bands, and we want to avoid becoming a product.
We're a band, not just a song." It's a marketing approach that would make
a major label shit their pants, but for Epitaph, it's like it was in the
old days when MTV, radio or press wouldn't give us the time of day. Doing
things on a grass-roots level has been a NOFX staple for a long time, and
it's not going to change just because punk rock has become part of the
mainstream.
NOFX are not part of the
mainstream, and they like to keep their fans guessing. The music on Heavy
Petting Zoo has a lot of the pop/melodic qualities of White Trash,
Two Heebs & A Bean (1993),
whereas Punk In Drublic (1994) had more of the hardcore edge of Ribbed
(1991). If you think they're going one way with their music, they'll take
it another way just to fuck with you. It's what they thrive on, and it
helps to shape the overall NOFX thang. Heavy Petting Zoo was recorded and
mixed in a mere 3 weeks in LA and San Francisco by Ryan Green (NOFX - Punk
In Drublic, No Use For A Name - Leche con Came, Lag Wagon - Hoss), and
sonically, it shreds like no other.
Mike writes hilarious, thought
provoking, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Whether they're poking fun at something
or if they're dead serious, he has an unusual way of putting things. The
song "Hobophobic (Scared of Bums)" is about how people dehumanize the homeless.
"What's The Matter With Kids Today?" is about the kids that don't drink,
fuck or fight. Three things that Mike grew up enjoying, and he doesn't
want today's youth to miss out. On the more serious side, "Bleeding Heart
Disease" is about America's pursuit of "million dollar happiness," a common
ailment in the "land of the free if you're rich enough." "The Black &
White" is about feminist sexuality terrorists, specifically Andrea Dworkin
and Catherine McKinnion.
When NOFX began in 1984 in
Hollywood, they had no musical abilities whatsoever. Punk was more than
just their musical choice, it was their musical default. They recorded
some stuff for a guy by the name of Doug Moody at Mystic Records, and got
seriously ripped off. They decided to avoid him altogether, and record
a new record (Liberal Animation, 1986) and put it out by themselves. Obviously,
not making any money is better than losing money to a crook, but when the
producer of Liberal Animation was starting up a label (Breft Gurewitz,
Epitaph), and wanted NOFX to be a part of it, they jumped at the chance.
That's when S&M Airlines appeared on Epitaph in 1989, and the rest
is history. NOFX kept putting out great punk music and touring relentlessly,
consequently gaining legions of fans all around the world.
Heavy Petting Zoo is NOFX's
sixth album for Epitaph, the most of any active band on the label. Cumulatively,
they have sold over a million records in the US alone. How many other bands
have sold so many records without any mainstream exposure? NOFX prove that
you can buck the system and still be successful.
