Dexter Holland

Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and last remaining original member of the rock band the Offspring. He is also the co-founder and former owner of the record label Nitro Records, and creator of the hot sauce Gringo Bandito, launched in 2004. In 2017, Holland attained a PhD in molecular biology. Early life and education Holland attended Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California, where he graduated as class valedictorian in 1984. During high school, Holland was the best student in mathematics in his year, and he found it "just as exciting as punk rock". He then attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a B.S. degree in biology, a M.S. degree in molecular biology, and eventually a Ph.D. in molecular biology in 2017. After the success of the Offspring, he suspended his studies to focus on music, but successfully resumed and defended his doctoral thesis in May 2017. Holland's early musical influences include Aerosmith, the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, KISS, Bob Marley, Queen, and the Rolling Stones. In 1984, he started a punk band, Manic Subsidal, with his friend and cross-country teammate Greg Kriesel, Holland playing the drums. It formed after the duo failed to get into a Social Distortion concert. After Jim Benton was hired as their drummer, Holland switched to vocals and guitars. They never released any albums, but some demos have circulated online.