I have a distinct memory of listening to the car radio when I heard the host mention that there was a lead singer in a rock band who had gotten a Ph.D. in molecular biology. I don’t remember exactly when I first heard this, but I can probably bet that it was on Q101, my favorite Chicago radio station, after they had played one of his band’s songs. Just hearing this struck awe in me, and it’s been a fact that I wonder about every once in a while since then. Yet, after looking into the creative process of this artist, it’s even more interesting that the inspiration for one of his band’s most famous songs came directly from his work in the lab. This creative is Dexter Holland.
"Come Out and Play" - The Offspring
I’m not sure how familiar you are with 90s rock, but after growing up listening to Q101 in the back of my mom’s Honda, that line is one that’s forever ingrained in my mind. Now, as a college student pursuing my own degree in molecular biology, learning how that line came to be is a real full circle moment in my life. I haven’t had any creative breakthroughs myself while working with an autoclave, but hearing how Holland’s work in the lab sparked the idea for what would be The Offspring’s breakout song is truly inspiring.
The connection that Holland made between a thought he had while working in the lab and his music reminds me of Rick Rubin’s discussion on the source of creativity in his book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Rubin is a music producer, working with artists such as Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more. In The Creative Act, Rubin discusses different aspects of the creative process, what it means to be creative, and what inspires creativity to manifest in a person. Rubin compares the source of creativity to a cloud, saying that what serves to spark creativity is the same material that one has seen before presenting itself in a new way, just as clouds are all made of the same things, but never look the same twice.
Holland, who at that point in his education was probably very familiar with an autoclave, took something that he had dealt with before, gave voice to a thought about that material, and expanded that thought into a creative act in another domain: music. This event that began a creative process for Holland resonates with other points that Rubin makes in his book. Namely, Rubin believes that we are constantly perceiving information through a filter that is unique to each of us. In some instances, we then take this information and present it in a way that is new. Here, Holland perceived something in his lab, made note of it, and presented it in a way that would help earn The Offspring their big break.
I know I’ve spent most of this post talking about “Come Out and Play,” but The Offspring has many other songs that they’ve come to be known for over the years. Some of these titles include “Self Esteem” (1994), “Why Don’t You Get A Job” (1998), and “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” (2008), all of which are also linked to this post. So, during his break from academia to follow his musical aspirations, I’d say that Holland was more than successful in his career as lead vocalist for The Offspring and this career is still going strong, as the band is currently on tour.
While dedicating his time to The Offspring, Holland never lost interest in his research and returned to USC to pick up where he left off some 20 years ago. So, in 2017, Holland graduated with a Ph.D. in molecular biology after finishing his thesis on the research he had done studying HIV. In 2022, Holland would even deliver the commencement speech to USC’s Keck School of Medicine’s graduating class.
In an interview with Liran Belenzon and others at BenchSci, Holland said that his work in the lab and his music are not totally disconnected. He remarked that both lines of work consist of solving puzzles and even complement each other sometimes. So, while the domains of virology and music may seem totally unrelated at first glance, for Holland, his work in one sometimes leads to a breakthrough in the other.
Sources:
https://www.billboard.com/pro/the-offspring-dexter-holland-interview-let-the-bad-times-roll/
https://www.audacy.com/national/music/offsprings-dexter-holland-says-science-created-this-hit
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/090114/keep-em-separated
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdnnk/how-the-offsprings-lead-singer-went-from-punk-to-phd
https://loudwire.com/the-offspring-dexter-holland-commencement-address-usc-keck-school-of-medicine/
It's incredibly fascinating that science informed music and that Holland's creative passion for research is incredible. I love how this story in particular is linked so closely with your own personal experiences! Ringgold's work and experiences also inform her work. She created pieces based off the time and her own experiences. Ringgold's piece For Members Only displays her own memory of racial hostility that she experienced on a school field trip to Tibbetts Brook in Upper New York State. A group of white men carrying sticks surrounded the children and told them to get out. Ringgold's collection is in her style of "Super Realism" which portrays the black experience during the Civil Rights Era. Her experiences inform and inspire her art like that of Holland.
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