Last year, NOFX got themselves into a world of trouble after making some insensitive jokes about the Las Vegas massacre while performing in Las Vegas. The band apologized twice for their actions, but then claimed they had been blacklisted from playing in America. Nearly a year later, Fat Mike says he wants to release an album of stage banter.
Speaking with the FADER, the punk frontman said, "We're making a banter record, by the way, of stuff we've said on stage. It's called You Think Vegas Was Bad?" He then apparently laughed, but when pushed to clarify he said, "I'm doing it. Yeah."
Fat Mike added that his comments about the massacre weren't even his worst comments at that specific show. "Well, that night in Vegas, I said, 'Hey everyone, this is Hefe. He's a rapist, also known as a Mexican, but people aren't scared of him because he has no upper body strength.' That's way worse! That's way more offensive," he said. "We're comedians. NOFX are comedians."
As for the so-called blacklist, Mike clarified that the band were never actually banned from America — but the story has helped them sell more tickets:
Our promoter canceled — my partner [not the venues]. I didn't say who canceled it. I just said we were effectively banned in the U.S., which Fox News picked up, [saying], 'Fat Mike responds to being banned in the US.' That was so fucking great. That's how fake news they are. I wrote [about] it on Instagram, and Fox News picked it up as news, and then everyone bought it. We weren't gonna play any shows for a year anyway.... But it's like, you're gonna cancel our shows? I'm gonna make some kickass lemonade out of this. Our first show in Europe next week, we sold over 10,000 tickets. That's more than we've ever fucking sold. All our shows are selling out in crazy big venues in Europe, and it's because we're banned in the U.S.
As for the backlash to his Vegas comments, Mike ultimately said that Americans have become too sensitive. "I don't know about the U.S. The U.S. is turning into some Puritan-Quaker country where everyone gets offended," he said.
Read the FADER's full interview with Fat Mike here.
Outside of NOFX, he recently released You're Welcome, a new album from his alter-ego Cokie the Clown.
Speaking with the FADER, the punk frontman said, "We're making a banter record, by the way, of stuff we've said on stage. It's called You Think Vegas Was Bad?" He then apparently laughed, but when pushed to clarify he said, "I'm doing it. Yeah."
Fat Mike added that his comments about the massacre weren't even his worst comments at that specific show. "Well, that night in Vegas, I said, 'Hey everyone, this is Hefe. He's a rapist, also known as a Mexican, but people aren't scared of him because he has no upper body strength.' That's way worse! That's way more offensive," he said. "We're comedians. NOFX are comedians."
As for the so-called blacklist, Mike clarified that the band were never actually banned from America — but the story has helped them sell more tickets:
Our promoter canceled — my partner [not the venues]. I didn't say who canceled it. I just said we were effectively banned in the U.S., which Fox News picked up, [saying], 'Fat Mike responds to being banned in the US.' That was so fucking great. That's how fake news they are. I wrote [about] it on Instagram, and Fox News picked it up as news, and then everyone bought it. We weren't gonna play any shows for a year anyway.... But it's like, you're gonna cancel our shows? I'm gonna make some kickass lemonade out of this. Our first show in Europe next week, we sold over 10,000 tickets. That's more than we've ever fucking sold. All our shows are selling out in crazy big venues in Europe, and it's because we're banned in the U.S.
As for the backlash to his Vegas comments, Mike ultimately said that Americans have become too sensitive. "I don't know about the U.S. The U.S. is turning into some Puritan-Quaker country where everyone gets offended," he said.
Read the FADER's full interview with Fat Mike here.
Outside of NOFX, he recently released You're Welcome, a new album from his alter-ego Cokie the Clown.
