Offspring singer Bryan “Dexter” Holland, who is a licensed pilot, says being a musician wasn’t his first career choice.
In a new interview, Holland explained, “I wanted to fly fighter jets when I was a kid. And I tried to get in the [United States] Air Force Academy, and I almost got in. They weren’t gonna let me fly because I had to wear contact lenses. And so I decided to do something else, and I went to university instead, but I always wanted to fly. And so when I finally had the chance to later on, after the band took off, I started flying and I just get a big kick out of it. I love it. And I have a plane, and we take it on tour. But I always take a pilot with me on tour.”
When asked if it’s “scary being up there” in control of the plane, Holland replied: “Yeah, I can see how there’s two things going on. On the one hand, it can seem exciting and adrenaline and maybe scary and ‘I’m way up here. And what am I doing?’ And on the other hand, it’s very peaceful. It’s very, almost meditative in a way, which is kind of weird. And I love flying single pilot. There’s something about it. I love the getting away, and it doesn’t bother me to be by myself.”