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Band photo from The Offspring (with Pete Parada far left): »No negative feelings towards my band«
Photo: Daveed Benito
"Let The Bad Times Roll" is the name of The Offspring's latest album that the punk band released in April.
These are bad times when few would argue.
But at least the band has some concert dates on the program for the next few months in the USA - the first since March 2020. But it looks like they'll be doing them with a new drummer.
Pete Parada, who has been with the band since 2007 and has drummed on four albums, announced in a lengthy message on Instagram that his presence in the studio and on tour had been assessed as too great a risk: “You won't see me at the upcoming shows «Says Parada.
With reference to his medical history and the "side effect profile of these vaccinations", his doctor advised against getting vaccinated against Covid-19, the drummer writes.
He caught the virus over a year ago, with a mild course.
On the other hand, he feared the risk of a new outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a serious nervous disease that he had for the first time as a child.
The "New York Times" reported in July of very rare cases in which the syndrome occurred after vaccination with the corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
However, the figures collected by the authorities do not represent a worrying increase in the GBS rate and there is currently no evidence of a causal relationship, commented the Secretary General of the German Society for Neurology.
Doubters not a "monolithic block"
His rejection of the vaccination made it impossible for him to follow rules that were becoming more and more the industry standard, Parada wrote on Instagram.
He is alluding to concerts and other cultural events where access authorization is linked to proof of vaccination.
For example, the Foo Fighters played their first concert in New York in June to a full crowd - but only for vaccinated people.
At the first appearance of The Offspring, which takes place on August 8th in the Los Angeles Chargers stadium, a PCR test that is no more than 72 hours old or an antigen test that is not more than 24 hours old is also valid as access authorization - combined with a mask requirement.
There is also an exception for those who have recovered - but only for illnesses within the last 90 days.
Pete Parada insists that he has no negative feelings about his band.
"They do what they believe is best for them, and so do I." He wishes the Offspring family the best, it breaks his heart, not to be able to see the helpers and the fans again.
Although he does not want to be vaccinated for medical reasons, he still wants to present his basic stance on vaccination, Parada concludes his communication.
He is in favor of an informed consent to vaccination - which must necessarily be a choice without coercion.
There are a variety of different reasons for refusing a vaccination.
"The doubting population group is not a monolithic block," says the drummer.
The Offspring was founded in Orange County, California in the mid-1980s;
Singer Dexter Holland and guitarist Noodles have been with us since then.
They had their commercial breakthrough in 1994 with the single "Self-Esteem" and the accompanying album "Smash".
With "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" they even reached number two in the German single charts in 1998.
"Let The Bad Times Roll" has recently had considerable success, making it into the top 5 of the album charts in Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain - and even number one in Austria.
The band has not yet commented on their drummer's exit via their communication channels.
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