Entertainment
NOFX aren’t breaking up, they’re retiring — and it’s probably for the best for everyone involved
After 40 years as a band, the bold and brash punk quartet NOFX is calling it quits, but not in a dramatic, explosive way. Instead, they’re signing off this weekend after three final sets at Berth 46 in San Pedro that will wrap up a massive globetrotting tour in which they play 40 songs each night and never the same set twice. It’s the culmination of four decades together as one of the biggest punk bands on the planet, and roughly 10 years of the kind of slow-building resentment that’s usually reserved for close family members and old married couples.
“When you were in a punk band in ’83 all the way through ’88 or so, there was no hope of ever making a living, because no punk band had ever done it,” lead vocalist and bassist “Fat Mike” Burkett says in his backstage trailer at Chicago’s Riot Fest, surrounded by a documentary crew following the final tour and holding a quarter-consumed bottle of Tito’s vodka. “We just did it because we loved it. There was no future. I went to college and real estate school, but I always just wanted to play music with my best friends. It was about saying things you just want to say and not caring what other people think.”
But after spending the bulk of the 1980s fruitlessly bouncing around the SoCal punk rock scene, in the ’90s NOFX — Burkett, guitarists Eric Melvin and Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta and drummer Erik “Smelly” Sandin — soared to unimagined career heights.
NOFX’s achievements and impact on punk rock at both a local and a global level can’t be overstated. Throughout the ‘90s and 2000s (including 1994’s seminal album “Punk in Drublic”), they became one of the most revered and influential bands in the genre due largely to their unique combination of inappropriate humor, unremorseful attitude, catchy tunes and surprisingly intelligent lyrics. Not only did they define the sound of West Coast punk rock alongside their SoCal contemporaries like Social Distortion, Bad Religion and Descendents but they also opened up opportunities for the next generation of (more radio-friendly) punk rock to reach massive mainstream appeal through bands like Green Day and the Offspring.
Following a decade of success after success as the face, primary songwriter and de facto leader of one of the most prominent bands and record labels in punk rock, Burkett turned his attention to a new cause: ruining the reelection campaign of President George W. Bush. Leading up to the election, Burkett used his platform with the band as well as his Bay Area-based record label, Fat Wreck Chords, to launch Rock Against Bush, a political movement aimed at getting punk fans to vote against the incumbent president. It featured a tour, compilation CDs, merchandise (including the iconic “Not My President” shirts) and tangentially NOFX’s 2003 album, “The War on Errorism.”
Fat Mike Burkett of NOFX performs at Riot Fest 2024 in Chicago.
(Craig Cummins)
“I gave it a year and a half of my life, and I feel I did my civil service,” Burkett says. “I traveled around the country, did radio shows at 6 a.m., did a whole Warped Tour and probably signed up a couple hundred thousand kids. Me and half the staff at Fat Wreck Chords f—ing gave it our all and worked really hard. It was f—ing heartbreaking. That’s why I’m not gonna let it ruin my life if Trump wins. It would be horrible and democracy may be killed, but you can’t let it ruin your life. You still have to be happy and joyful. Help in your community, and do what you can to still make the world a better place even if we’re f—ed.”
People who know Burkett both inside and outside of the band believe the 2004 election was the first time he’d earnestly set out to do something and failed, and he took it extremely hard. To cope with that loss, Burkett — who says he’d never touched cocaine until 1998 — turned harder into drugs and alcohol at a time when some of his bandmates (all of whom were in their late 30s in 2004) were looking to move away from the partying lifestyle.
Nevertheless, NOFX continued on relatively unimpeded for a decade or so, until the band says Burkett’s drug use began to slowly affect his decision-making, recording and live performances. Since then, the rift between the frontman and the others (particularly Melvin) has deepened to the point where the trio has held multiple interventions for Burkett — most recently in 2020, when he went to rehab for a month after vomiting and defecating blood at the vacation home of friend Matt Sanders, singer of Avenged Sevenfold.
“I went to rehab for a month, got out and was sober for pretty much 10 months — but not completely sober,” Burkett says.. “We had a couple rehearsals where I did some lines of coke and had some drinks beforehand, and toward the seventh or eighth month, I was partying again. They all were saying, ‘You’re so much better now. You’re such a nicer person. You’re so much happier.’ And I was thinking, ‘This is hysterical. I’m doing the exact thing I’ve always done.’ When they’d ask me, ‘How’s your sobriety going?’ I would say, ‘Great!’ because if you look up the word ‘sobriety’ in the dictionary, it’s not ‘not drinking,’ it’s that you’re under control of your life.”
Fat Mike and Eric Melvin of NOFX performing at Riot Fest 2024 in Chicago.
(Craig Cummins)
Burkett doesn’t see his drug use as a problem and believes that he’s as healthy as he’s ever been thanks to moderation and exercise (he’s particularly fond of riding his bicycle, which he says he does 20 to 30 miles per day). In fact, the NOFX ringleader says he “only uses drugs when [he’s] working” and believes that retiring from the band — and the preshow ritual of cocaine and vodka that he says he uses to balance his nerves and energize himself — will be good for his health.
To Burkett, the primary issue causing the familial drama within NOFX after all these years is a perceived lack of gratitude and respect he receives from his bandmates even when he feels as though he’s the one steering the ship.
It’s a situation where who’s “wrong” and who’s “right” likely doesn’t matter, as a resolution is unlikely to be found while they’re all stuck in a band together. Burkett and Melvin will always have their own versions of what’s transpired in recent years, with the other two members and the complicated truth all likely somewhere in the middle. But even amid their ongoing differences, Burkett admits it’s not as simple as just wanting to be thanked for being the primary songwriter or booking new opportunities. Instead, it’s a sense of boredom with playing the same shows and same material since he was a teenager. It’s not that the 57-year-old thinks he’s done writing songs or performing; he just wants new avenues in which to do them.
“I liken it to being a playwright who wrote a great play 40 years ago,“ says Burkett, who actually did write a musical called “Home Sweet Home” back in 2014. “I’m the playwright and the actor, and although the play is good and I’m a good actor, I’ve been acting in this f—ing play for 40 years. It’s been an absolute joy playing in a band with my best friends for 40 years, because all the dudes in my band are friends. They’re swell. They’re good dudes, but we’re not close like we used to be. Everyone’s got families and the things they’re doing now, so when we get together, it’s very professional.”
“We were just treading water, and we were doing fine, but it was nothing like this,” Burkett said. “We called it off at the right time, and when people tell me, ‘You’ll be back in five years…’ they can go f— themselves.”
(Jesse Fisher)
While some may look at the thousands of screaming fans showing up to each night of the farewell tour as proof that NOFX should continue — an idea that Melvin, Sandin and Abeyta are all open to — it also seems like the right time to call it quits before the members (again, particularly Melvin and Burkett, who haven’t spoken to each other in quite some time outside of band necessities) damage their relationship any further. Maybe they could’ve pushed on for another decade, but perhaps it’s better to go out with a bang and allow everyone to move on to the next stage of their lives before they melt down and fight each other onstage. After all, the reunion offers will most certainly be there if and when they’re ready.
As for the band returning in the near future, nothing is certain, but Burkett seems dedicated to keeping his word. Despite cracking jokes — at the expense of metal band Slayer — about a potential reunion at their penultimate tour stop at Riot Fest, he maintains that this is it for NOFX because “it’s so wonderful to have a beginning and an end.”
“I’ve never had my heart filled like it’s been on this tour — and our fan base is just incredible — but we had to stop,” Burkett says. “We were just treading water, and we were doing fine, but it was nothing like this. We called it off at the right time, and when people tell me, ‘You’ll be back in five years…’ they can go f— themselves. They don’t know me. People trust that I’m being honest in my life and in my lyrics, so how could I lie to our entire fan base and to everyone by telling them this is the last tour if it’s not? How could anyone do that? I can’t do it.”
Movie Reviews
Bandar Movie Review: Bobby Deol roars in Anurag Kashyap’s unsettling legal thriller that refuses to spoon-feed
Name: Bandar
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Bobby Deol, Sanya Malhotra, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Jitendra Joshi, Raj B Shetty
Writer: Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5/5
Plot:
Bandar follows Sameer Mehra’s character, essayed by Bobby Deol, a fading star who is desperately clinging to his past glory. Just as he attempts to rebuild his life and finds solace in a new relationship, his world comes crashing down. A former girlfriend files a heinous allegation against him, dragging him into a vicious, high-profile legal battle. Written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, the film moves away from standard Bollywood courtroom setups. Instead, it dives straight into the murky waters of social media trials, public perception, and a sluggish judicial system where the truth gets buried under layers of gray.
What works:
Known for his chaotic energy, Anurag Kashyap takes a remarkably mature and controlled approach here. He avoids sensationalizing a highly sensitive topic, choosing instead to focus on the psychological claustrophobia of the protagonist. The prison sequences are exceptionally well-shot. They create a suffocating, raw atmosphere that makes you feel the weight of the character’s confinement. The script successfully avoids preachy, black-and-white monologues. It bravely forces the audience to confront their own biases regarding modern-day public trials and the digital judge-and-jury culture.
What doesn’t:
Clocking in at nearly two hours and twenty minutes, Bandar feels heavily weighed down in the second half. The narrative stretches thin, and a few subplots demand too much patience, making you wish for a tighter edit. The film stubbornly refuses to take a definitive moral stance or offer a neat resolution. While film enthusiasts might appreciate the complexity, mainstream viewers looking for a clear-cut ending or emotional payoff might walk away feeling detached and frustrated.
Performances:
- Bobby Deol is the beating heart of this film. Stripping away the massive macho swagger and menacing villainy of his recent hits, he delivers a deeply vulnerable, understated performance. He plays Samar with a mix of arrogance, confusion, and raw helplessness, proving his immense range.
- Sanya Malhotra anchors her screen time with her trademark reliability, turning in a grounded and impactful performance.
- Saba Azad and Sapna Pabbi excel in their respective roles, bringing genuine nuance to characters that could have easily been sidelined.
- Jitendra Joshi is an absolute scene-stealer, commanding your attention every single time he steps into the frame.
- Indrajith Sukumaran and Raj B Shetty are absolute show stealers with their raw acting.
Final Verdict:
Bandar is an unsettling, morally complex thriller that refuses to spoon-feed its audience. It isn’t a comfortable watch, nor does it try to be. While the sluggish pacing in the second half prevents it from being an absolute masterpiece, it is worth a watch for Bobby Deol’s spectacular acting reinvention and Anurag Kashyap’s gritty, thought-provoking storytelling.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Pinkvilla. No statement in this article is intended to defame, harm, or malign any individual or entity.
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Kathy Hilton will no longer be the grand marshal of West Hollywood’s pride parade.
The city and WeHo Pride on Wednesday released a joint statement, announcing that “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star would no longer serve as the Grand Marshal Icon for the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade. The event is scheduled for Sunday.
“After thoughtful discussions, the City of West Hollywood, the WeHo Pride production team, and Kathy Hilton have determined that the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade will not designate a Grand Marshal Icon honoree,” read the statement.
The decision comes less than a week after Hilton was announced. That May 28 announcement was met with swift backlash from the LGBTQ+ community and allies, who called out Hilton’s ties to President Trump and alleged MAGA-leaning politics. Critics also cited accusations that the socialite had used a homophobic slur while on a trip with other cast members of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” an action she has previously denied.
In their joint statement, West Hollywood and the WeHo Pride team expressed their appreciation for “the respectful and sincere dialogue” around both the event and the “role and significance” of Pride honorees.
“The City of West Hollywood has always believed that Pride belongs to the community,” the joint statement said. “Since its earliest days, Pride has served as both a celebration and a platform for activism, visibility, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of equality, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ+ people. … These conversations reflect the passion people have for WeHo Pride and underscore the importance of ensuring that WeHo Pride continues to honor the history, values, and diverse voices of the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a statement, Hilton expressed gratitude for being considered for grand marshal and reaffirmed her commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and causes.
“My reason for wanting to be involved in this year’s WeHo Pride weekend was simple: to celebrate, support, and share in the joy of a community that means a great deal to so many people,” Hilton said. “Pride is, and always will be, about celebrating and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices, experiences, and achievements. … My support for the community and WeHo Pride is unwavering.”
She also mentioned several queer advocacy organizations and events she has supported over the years, including GLAAD, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Dr. Mathilde Krim, God’s Love We Deliver and Project Angel Food.
The latest Pride-related dust-up follows the abrupt cancellation of the Long Beach Pride Festival in May. The city’s Pride Parade took place as planned.
Both snafus have occurred as conservative politicians and advocates continue to attack LGBTQ+ rights and visibility nationwide. Some Republican governors have even pushed for conservative alternatives to Pride month festivities. A recent Gallup poll has found that after years of steady gains, support for marriage equality and same-sex relationships has slipped, particularly among Republicans.
Movie Reviews
Movie Review: Travolta’s “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach” is One for the Ages — All Ages
Back in the good ol’days — the ’90s — John Travolta would love to get off the topic of “Michael,” “Pulp Fiction” or “Get Shorty” in interviews with film journalists like me and regale us with how utterly besotted he had been with his first flying experience, how that drove his passion for piloting and buying planes and airfield-adjacent luxury houses.
He didn’t even seem to mind having to move house when this or that development balked at him flying his Boeing 707 out of there on the way to locations.
Travolta would tell any journalist who asked that he was writing a kid-friendly book, “Propeller: One Way Night Coach,” based on his first flights as a child in old propeller driven airliners — cheap red-eye overnight treks with too many connections for your average jet age traveller to tolerate.
I remember picking up the book when it came out later in the ’90s — at an airport gift shop — and thinking “Well, that’s as cute as I figured.”
And now, decades later and trapped in the B-movie hell of his post “Gotti” career, Travolta’s turned that cute book into the most delightful, fanciful and colorful bon bon of a movie.
“One Way Night Coach” is a child’s fantasy of flight and flying the way it used to be — with pristine, uncrowded, futuristic airports, an early ’60s era of jets and prop planes with over-uniformed stewardesses in white gloves, the days “Back before every Joe Sweatsock could wedge himself behind a lunch tray and jet off to Raleigh-Durham,” as Sideshow Bob memorably sneered on “The Simpsons’.”
It’s a fictionalized account of Travolta’s childhood about an only child (at least two Travolta siblings have bit parts in this movie) of a never-made-it/never-will actress/single-mom (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett) who indulges her aviation-obsessed eight-year-old with a cheap cross-country overnight flight.
Little Jeff (Clark Shotwell) will revel in almost every Idlewild to Pittsburgh to Dayton to Chicago to Kansas City to Denver and Los Angeles minute. He strolls into the cockpit to meet pilots, charms the stewardesses and checks out the sleeping bunks on the TWA Lockheed Super Constellation, loving even the delays if not the Chicken Cordon Bleu he’s offered on legs of the journey that offer a meal.
And as he’s an observant child, he comments (Travolta narrates) on his 50ish mother’s vamping and posing, her choice of cigarettes (Newports) and drinks, the solo traveling men whose attention she pursues and earns.
“I was her best audience,” adult Jeff remembers of the mother who’d read him plays as bedtime stories and delusionally hopes that this trip to Los Angeles might be her “big break” even though she’s pushing 50.
“Hollywood called,” she’d explain about their overnight cheap flight arrangements to ticket agents and crew. “They told me to take the next flight!”
At every turn, Jeff meets or sees kindness — stewardesses who indulge his many questions and bump them up to first class on the mostly-empty planes, a captain who fixes his toy model of a Constellation, a mentally ill flyer who flips out but is calmed by a flight attendant who isn’t overworked and frazzled in jet-powered tin-can jammed with Joe and Jane Sweatsocks who think nothing of traveling in their pajamas.
Normally, I cringe at pictures this reliant on voice-over narration. I recoil from stars who populate their picture with Sandler etc. offspring. But “Propeller” is unfailingly sweet and never cloying.
Sure, it’s fictionalized. But if you’ve followed Travolta’s life and career, a lot of him is in this — his raptoruous engagement with flying, an indulged child who developed a taste for fine food and creature comforts, a mother who was his guiding star as an actor.
I get why there are less adoring reviews than mine floating around “Propeller.” It’s unfailingly sweet. Mom’s man-hunting is seriously dated. This TWA tale is decorated with Gershwin’s majestic “Rhapsody in Blue” — United Airlines’ signature tune. And Travolta’s been around long enough for recent generations to come up and not feel a connection to the “Saturday Night Fever/Get Shorty” star whose career has fallen off and life has been visited by too much tragedy.
But I’d hate to be seated next to anybody who doesn’t appreciate this adorable, pristine and nearly perfect aviation fantasy on any flight, much less an overnight one.
Rating: TV-PG
Cast: Clark Shotwell, Kelly Eviston-Quinnett, Ellen Travolta, Ella Beau Travolta, Olga Hoffmann and John Travolta.
Credits: Scripted and directed by John Travolta, based on his book. An Apple TV+ release.
Running time: 1:01
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