1984 was more than just the name of George Orwell's classic novel about a dystopian future; it was also the year Southern California punk rockers The Offspring started their band. Americana was The Offspring's fifth album (1998) and their second to hit diamond status (over 10 million sold). Although the two big hits were "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get A Job," my personal fave has always been "The Kids Aren't All Right," which combined a sense of poignancy with the righteous punk indignation so beloved of fans of the Smash album from 1994. When other bands were worrying about how the Internet would ruin their livelihood, The Offspring were already embracing it, infuriating their record label (SONY) by releasing their music on it and selling t-shirts with the Napster logo on them. Their new album is due out early in 2008.
