I’ve never seen a Punk-O-Rama compilation without NOFX on it. Does that make them super punks? Even though NOFX has graced the t-shirts of teenage adolescents with bad acne for more than two decades, the band still remains at the top of punk rock charts. Why? Because people will always associate punk with acting like assholes, musicians selling their soul to bad hair, and having less than two minute songs, which NOFX fits perfectly into that punk rock formula.
NOFX have always been clowns in my book, so it’s perfect that their new EP, Cokie The Clown, has a portrait of Fat Mike as a drugged up clown that’s snorted one too many lines. I hate to admit this because I’ll probably loose around 100 punk rock points, but I liked all of the strung out pop punk songs on this EP. The title track has funny lyrics about a drug cocktailing clown’s stage show accompanied by fast bass lines and simple guitar solos. The EP also features an acoustic version of “My Orphan Year,” which is a heart-warming song about Fat Mike losing his parents in 2006. Though it’s strange hearing a sincere tune from NOFX, it’s a straightforward likable song. The rest of the songs are your average everyday fast NOFX that people can’t get enough of. The band really are those annoying circus slapstick acts that you’ve seen over and over again, but you still end up smiling no matter how bad they are.
Cokie The Clown shows that NOFX still have a sense of humor and they can make fun of themselves like they’ve been doing since 1983. It’s nice that these guys don’t take themselves seriously, so you can’t bash them for their sloppy stage show and crappy lyrics. Though I stopped listening to NOFX years ago, they still haven’t changed and for once that’s a good thing.
In A Word: Asshats
