Ep. 160: Fat Mike discusses NOFX's "The Decline" (Part 2)

[@cfdavisbell]

My favorite song of all time. What an amazing interview. Thank you!

[@eamoncassells1658]

Myself and my brother and 3 brothers were friends with flew to Vienna for the final tour and when they finished playing the decline we just stood there and hugged each other. A special moment

[@LorenCox]

How does this have less than 1000 views. That's bonkers. This is amazing and thank you so much for doing this interview.

[@arthurraulin]

Loved this podcast! The Decline is such a huge thing for me since the day I discovered Nofx in 2000. 24 years after, it still fascinates me and gives me chills. As a prog / metal fan back then (and still :) ), I don't think I would have ever listened to punk rock had I not stumble upon this masterpiece first. It's wonderful to have Fat Mike's own perspective on this after all this time and realizing he feels a bit like I feel, listening to it, and a lot of people do! I had to go to Chambéry for their last show in France, it was a very memorable experience, made me want to listen to all the albums all over again (it's been a while)

[@andyb1653]

Mike is the most underrated musician in the most underappreciated genre of music. This was a fantastic interview, and a true once-in-a-generation piece of music. Very few bands could pull something like this off.

[@stephan2003]

Has probably my all time favorite lyric in any song ever, ‘be the victim of our own design’. Fat Mike is a musical genius and I absolutely love him and Nofx. I’m absolutely gutted they are going to be done so very soon but at least I’ll get to see them in Portland one last time before they’re done.

[@hannahmitchell87]

43:07 What did he say the sample was? I can't make it out?

[@ShartimusPrime]

I think he said “Never mind the Bollocks”.

[@hannahmitchell87]

@@ShartimusPrime Ohhhh! Cheers!

[@cocorococoon]

Epic. Thanks so much. NOFX were my favorite band in the 90s and i really liked the Decline, but it has grown so much over the years.

[@ligairi]

11:20 The Decline predates Tool’s Schism

[@chasepeterson1696]

Who can I talk to to get Melvin to yell a voicemail greeting for me :) "Leave a message!"

[@matchesmalone79]

You could definitely get el hefe to do it. He is on the app cameo, if you know what that is.

[@dougsimonite9531]

I came into punk, and NOFX in my 40s. I was 45 when I got to see them live and they played the Decline. The pit was wild! Got to see them last summer just before my 61st. No Decline the first night, so I spent more money than I wanted to for the 2nd. Hopefully, I know when it's time to skip the pit lol!

[@harryhandcuff]

Love love love the way this person disects this! Thank you for this!!

[@deezl2392]

Fuck yeah and thank you! Great interview and love hearing Fat Mike going out on top...

[@jonjenkins3868]

i have a whole new appreciation for the song now

[@Hoonbernator1590]

Thanks for this 2 parter. The Decline is a masterpiece, and the story did need to be told. I'm so sad to be seeing them stop playing, and sure as shit I won't be missing the final tour.

[@dennisclarkofficial]

This is so fucking awesome! Just listened to both parts. WOW inspiring

[@johnny5fingers0966]

Nofx ending isn't really a sad thing for me. They gave album upon album and show upon show to the public. Nofx put out as much or more music than most of the greatest bands in history did. I think they want to end it before it turns into a paycheck. A job. They want to end it because that fire that kept it going is fading away. They're older. The audience is older. Punk rock is older. They will go down as a band that did something real. Not some nostalgic exhibit at a state fair. Time does go on and we're all getting older. Mike has given so much to punk rock. More than anyone else. All the bands they (fat, honest dons, pink and black, bottles to the ground) signed that we never would have heard, or bands that were established but needed a label to put out a couple records. They put out more bands with female members than any punk label ever. He wrote the decline. He made home street home. Nofx wrote hepatitis bathtub, which is the best band biography ever written. He helped start the punk rock museum. He did the rock against bush albums. He was part of me first, and the gimme gimmes, which is probably the best cover band ever. He did backstage passport, which is the realest and rawest band reality show ever. I mean, in all sincerity, punk rock wouldn't be what it is now without Mike. He doesn't find being on the road all the time, all that appealing. His audience can be demanding and exhausting. I think part of that is where cokie the clown was born. Being the clown the entertainer but having people not pay attention to how complex your art actually is and having people think youre just a joke makes you realize that people are dumb as hell and it all goes right over most of their heads. Its ok that they're ready to put it down. I mean, 40 years is a long time. Not many bands ever make it that far. So long, and thanks for all the shows.

[@Gus_tha_Snail]

You can write my eulogy, not anytime soon (touch wood). But a beautiful characterisation of the joy that a bands lifespan has brought to so many.

[@johnny5fingers0966]

@@Gus_tha_Snail thank you.

[@sundog1979]

This was awesome. Good job.

[@shaunpatterson4797]

Bloody hell! This was absolutely sensational! Its a masterpiece of a song.

[@dynofx1132]

I love the nod to Barry Manilow, back in "84 when i was 12 my mom bought me my first Sony Walkman. The only thing i had to play was my mom's Barry Manilow tapes. Everybody should sing some Manilow.....lol

[@18VibesCo]

"Serotonin's gone She gave up, drifted away Sara fled, thought process gone She left her answering machine on The greeting left spoken sincere Messages no one will ever hear" I always thought this was about serotonin inhibitor class pharmaceuticals - aka "antidepressants" In fact I had that lyric ingrained into my entire opinion of those drugs. Even during my worst days (so far) I never took them... But they have helped a lot of people I guess

[@dynofx1132]

I too, thought it was about prescription drugd

[@projectrugged]

We agree with a Decline sequel!!! "Still InDecline" Art by Indecline!!!! We can at least IMAGINE!!!

[@mattj2692]

I remember learning this song 15 years ago. That scratching part on guitar was the hardest part of the song to get down for real!

[@dynofx1132]

Yes, i agree with Mike...and so....starts the greatest punk rant ever. Not only do I tear (TEER) up but im also yelling lyrics and pointing like Dr. Greg

[@dneck]

saw the show in Minnesota a month ago or so... it was so good. Was it the last club show? Seems like every other show is more outdoor festival. I feel lucky as hell to have seen it. I also got a Hefe pick!! I am so bummed I can't go to the San Pedro shows! FUCK!

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

I may get the line, "one more pill to kill the pain..." tattooed on me, I already have an Rx symbol tattooed on my big toe.

[@MrAlexsaint]

Actually, I think of Generation Z as a sequel of The Decline

[@deniselopez]

I love that song!!

[@nickerslarge3776]

Thank you we might be the only 2 that have said that. My friends didnt agree at first.

[@anthonyburgess1400]

Shit just got real

[@sanderverhamme4813]

How he mentions 'total bummer' lyrics!!

[@WaitingForTheHook]

Chixdiggit wrote a song called 2012 that's longer than The Decline, actually.

[@harryhandcuff]

Aaaand????

[@pbabiesinspace6112]

Life's not fair I'm glad it's not this isn't heaven just a lonely road along a path to self destruction. Or something like that.

[@fp5126]

Amazing song. But Interviews with Fat Mike are weird. The guy is an artist, not so much a thinker. He is trying to appear smarter than he really is. What he is sharing now are his present views, and they are reasonable. But he was at the mental level of a 16 yea-old for a long time, and drug addiction has not really helped there. So when he is saying he was a feminist, he is not fooling anyone. He was making deprecating jokes about women for a long time.

[@fp5126]

Then him saying he is a queer etc. Hey that's great, coming out of the closet at, what, age 50? After half of a lifetime of making obnoxious jokes about lesbians. I mean, I believe Mike that he is a great guy and means no harm to any minority. But please don't expect us to look at you like a role model when you just recently grew into somewhat of an adult.

[@harryhandcuff]

Can you fucking lezbos shut the fuck up and just enjoy?

[@sundog1979]

Do you only like musicians who behave and win Nobel prizes and shit? Not so much a thinker? What are your metrics? What exactly did he say that you don't think he actually knows anything about? The guy lived most of his life as the lead singer in a punk rock band. He may have said an offensive thing or two in the past. (yes, that's sarcasm) He has also apologized to people who may have been hurt by his comments. He definitely did not need to do that and that seems like a pretty "role model" thing to do. He may not have lived a perfect life by your standards, but as fan, we've watched him change and evolve over the years. Is that worth nothing? Why do you choose to shit on his mistakes instead of lifting him up for the good things he's done or the corrections he's made? Also, you can believe women have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies and also take the piss out a woman. (just realized the double entendre there. so apt) anyways, You can do a lot worse than make a joke. (that he has since apologized for) Also, How dare you give anyone shit for when they decide to come out! You suck. (I don't actually think you suck. I don't know you, but you pissed me off with your judgmental, holier than thou attitude) Cheers.

[@sundog1979]

Do you only like musicians who behave and win Nobel prizes and shit? Not so much a thinker? What are your metrics? What exactly did he say that you don't think he actually knows anything about? The guy lived most of his life as the lead singer in a punk rock band. He may have said an offensive thing or two in the past. (yes, that's sarcasm) He has also apologized to people who may have been hurt by his comments. He definitely did not need to do that and that seems like a pretty "role model" thing to do. He may not have lived a perfect life by your standards, but as fan, we've watched him change and evolve over the years. Is that worth nothing? Why do you choose to shit on his mistakes instead of lifting him up for the good things he's done or the corrections he's made? Also, you can believe women have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies and also take the piss out a woman. (just realized the double entendre there. so apt) anyways, You can do a lot worse than make a joke. (that he has since apologized for) Also, How dare you give anyone shit for when they decide to come out! You suck. (I don't actually think you suck. I don't know you, but you pissed me off with your judgmental, holier than thou attitude) Cheers.