This is my first post, so hold the flames until you read it all. To start, I'm a longtime Conan watcher and usually love the show, esp. Triumph and the band. I usually love the bands Conan has on, especially when he had Los Lonely Boys on.

But tonight, he had a group called NOFX on, and I really can't see how they were allowed on the show. I could go on about their obvious politics, but just for starters, they had absolutely no talent that I could see - all they did was scream obscenities about Bush to the accompaniment of loud noise - I wouldn't even describe it as music. And before anybody starts flaming me for that, please know that I listen to virtually every type of music and I like a ton of new bands of every kind. I'm surprised that this garbage made it onto the show when there are so many talented bands out there.

Also, I just don't think NBC and Conan need to give someone like this free political advertising time - in fact, they ought to offer the same amount of time to someone who is intelligently pro-Bush - whether they are a band, actor or just someone who is politically active. I've read many posts that say Conan is officially neutral on the show, and my own watching bears this out for the most part. I'm keeping my own views out of this also, whether I am a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, should not matter, just that I think that a band and a show don't need to be so blatantly partisan and offensive to either side. If they screamed obscenities about Kerry, I would say the same thing.

I don't know if this is the right forum to make a complaint like this, whether the producers actually read the messages here, so I will also be sending a regular email, but I just wanted to put this out there and see what people think.

to be honest, i didnt read the whole thing because i am lazy, so i'll just answer you topic question.....think about it man...they are a band and conan needs to have musical guests on the show...put 1 and 1 together

Conan O'brien is a liberal... Actually most artists are so maybe thats the reason.

Please. Did you even watch them? Did you even listen to the lyrics? I've been a fan of nofx for a number of years and I can tell you that there is not one bad word in that song. And they were hardly "screaming". nofx rocked last night.

NOFX, was probably allowed to play the show because they have been a band since 1982. Now, for a band to stay together for that long is amazing in itself. They didnt play one of thier more talented songs, but lyrically its proving a point and trying to get a movement started. See, Martin Luther King did this 40 years ago and we still think people like this should be banned from any airtime exploring thier ideas.
Nofx is probably one of the most original bands out there. The drummer pretty much invented the drumming to most punk songs and NOFX has influenced alot of bands you probably know of like Green Day, Blink 182 and Good Charlotte. Alot of your favorite new bands were probably influenced by NOFX too. Bad Religion rips them off all the time. Even Green Day is againts Bush, now you know something is rotten here.
I would say NOFX is a very talented band if you listened to any of thier other songs. That idiot keyboard player is never there(one song, the one they played), Eric Melvin and El Hefe are probably some of the more talented artists today. Listen to any of thier other songs and youll notice very original and creative riffs and there are solos which are seeminly extinct in bands today. You know, the kind with wah-pedals and delays. Hefe can play 26 different instruments, can you?

Name one artist, thats not a country artist, that is pro bush. None? Right? Now I understand, yes, there should be an equal republican idea or artist on the show to even it out, possibly Bill O Reilly or Sean Hannity...

Wow, you just took the words right out of my mouth. Everything you just posted I was going to write in an email to the show's producers.

That band was ridiculous. Not only were they horrible, but they didn't have to be so blatently disrespectful to our president. Even if I didn't like the man (which I do) I would still have the respect for him that everyone in America should towards their president no matter if you agree with him or not.

It's bands like NoFx that portray our country as a trashy, disrepectful, inhumane place to live.

Thank you for saying what I wanted to say except in a much classier way. <--- I swear that wasn't supposed to sound so cheesy.

-Lisa

Oh, by the way, how do you email the show's producers? Does anyone know? I tried to find a link somewhere on the site, but I couldn't.

-Lisa

Go to NOFX's website at www.nofx.org . Obviously, Conan didn't know that they were going to do an anti-Bush song on the show, so I guess that explains why he looked pissed after they finished their song.

I used to like NOFX. The idea that the show had no idea what NOFX is all about is hilarious and unlikely. Their cd is called "war on errorism" which... speaks for itself.
There had to be some other band that wants to get on the show... if you haven't checked their website it says:
"More importantly though, there seems to have been a booking mistake involving the band. Apparently someone over at Late Night with Conan O'Brien is under the impression that NOFX is a legitimate act, because they'll be performimg live on August 10th. Boy are they in for a surprise. "

Someone who's intelligently pro-bush? That's an oximoron

Strange, i too asked myself why NoFx was on the show, because usually they have horrible watered down state subsidized sing alongs bands on the show for musical guest instead. I dont understand how u can like music but not like nofx. But then again u were probably taught who to like by MTV and the major record labels that force feed their music to you, till u cant taste the difference between dog excretement and icecream. Do yourself a big favor, im not even saying to like nofx, but dont be afraid to step out into the "real world of music" and like what you like not just cuz a music critic said to like this band or the grammies awarded a band with an annoying song played on the radio 24/7. And dont play that game "but i listen to other types of music" cuz we all know u dont if u still insist on saying so please list at least 10 diverse bands that you listen to. Well that is all your either someone who got beat up by some idiot who likes nofx or you just like crap music or your afraid of stepping outside cuz youll get cut downed to size by what you truly like.

Excuse me, but you can be intelligent and be Pro-Kerry, like Conan.

I know that you claim to listen to all types of music, but I don't think you listen punk-because that's exactly what that "screaming of obscenities about Bush over loud music" was. Fine then, you don't have to like punk, but it is a type of music that people listen to-myself included. I understand why you didn't like Nofx's performance, and you are entitled to your own opinion on politics, but you should respect others' opinions as well. Yes, I also understand that Nofx shouldn't have been on the show to begin with, (and, by the way, it was a booking mistake from someone at show as to why they were on there in the first place-so Nofx didn't openly ask to be on there) but the fact is that they were on there and they have the right of free speech to say what they believe. I know that it's cable television, but the censors cut the bad stuff out so it went with cable guidelines. Anyways, I'm not trying to preach to you on this whole ordeal, so try not to take too much offense from this. I'm just telling you to be more open minded about others' views.

I don't exactly know if they knew what they were in for...

According to NoFX's site:

"Apparently someone over at Late Night with Conan O'Brien is under the impression that NOFX is a legitimate act, because they'll be performimg live on August 10th. Boy are they in for a surprise. It couldn't work out any more perfectly for NOFX however, because Fat Wreck will be releasing Rock Against Bush Vol. II on that very same day. You can bet the boys will take full advantage of this opportunity to do some additional rocking against Bush."

NOFX is a legendary punk rock band,,,they have established themselves enough to appear on national television and promote their message...simply put, people will listen to them because they respect them!

For somee reason I don't think they were serious about the booking mistake. But they did a great show nevertheless.

Perfect. Yet sadly its true. I still dont see any suggestions for a republican badn thats not country! Whered all the NOFX hater go?

For starters they are pro-bush, they are playing at the Republican National convention...I think you said they were pro-kerry, but I didn't read it all.
Second you can't deprive someone from being on your show just because of their poltical status...didn't like it switch it.

nofx is probley one the best bands around they play all types of music and will never sell out we are in a free country so they should be able to say what they want i guess you just really listen to top 40

NOFX rocked big time! They messed up at the end with the different lyrics because they we're going to fast but they still owned!!

For once they actually had a good musical guest.
But if you don't like nofx quit complaining, its not like you were forced to watch them preform. You could have easily turned off the boob tube like I do whenever there's a crappy music guest on.

Conan usually has the coolest cutting edge music on his show. That's why NOFX was on. If you want to find some pro-Bush musicians try Brittany Spears or Kid Rock.

Lisa...it's latenight@nbc.com

My question exactly. Here is the e-mail I sent last night immediatley after the show...

To whom it may concern;
I just finished watching Late Night With Conan O'Brien. There was a
political display that has made me change my entire opinion about your
network. Regardless of my political views or beliefs, that was the most
tasteless display of propoganda I have ever witnessed. You can be assured
that noone in my family and circle of friends will ever watch your network,
or patronize any sponsors that advertise on your network. You have
disgraced this country, yourselves, and my home. I would hope that in the
future you would choose to put better "entertainment" on your programming.
I am very open minded to different views. However, this display was so
blatant, that it made me sick to my stomach. I find it deplorable that you
would push your political slant into my face. Unless in the future you have
a band that plays "I hate Kerry and Edwards", and play your little fair game
of "Equal Time", you are the liberal media. The epitome of the brainwashing
media that influences those in our country who cannot think for themselves.
I will never watch this program again. I am in the process of circulating this e-mail to everyone I know,
and am asking them to do the same. It's time for you people to be neutral
again. The slant I see in your so-called reporting is so obvious, that I
cannot believe you are even in existence any more. Basically, tonight, you
told half of the United States to go screw themselves. Well, I tell you
tonight, to go and screw yourself. Move to the country that is better than
the U.S of A. Send me a post card.

I agree. He didn't look too impressed. I observed the same thing.

I agree NOFX is great, and they are one of the architects of the punk movement, BUT Bad Religion never EVER rips them off, Bad Religion has a completely different style which NOFX style drumming does not fit, and on top of that if anything it is the other way around, Bad Religion formed in 1980 two years before NOFX, I know this isnt the place for this bs but I thought people reading this should know, you make everyone look like an idiot by making false comparisons

Man, oh man!!! I will tell you what. I have not had that kind of excitement in awhile. To look up at the TV screen (the volume was down, i was listening to music) and see Fatmike up there singing......i literally RAN to the tv to turn it up. I knew as soon as i saw them up there, what was in store.
I would never come to this board for anything until just now. I knew exactly what kind of posts i would read too. Its really funny, actually.
I knew that the majority of america just flipped there wigs. I saw the sweat on Conans face and the way that girl guest was looking.....hahah! I love conan on tv, personally don't know him in real life so thats all i can say about him. Personally could careless for NBC or any TV station.
The story behind NOFX is..... they are on a quest to get a message out to the masses, i tip my hat to them. I am not going to get into anything more than that, cause over half of you will never understand. And those that would, don't need it printed out to them.
It is a GREAT day for america!!

mdk

Well I suppose that it's just so terrible to have bands exercising freedom of speech. It should be clear to most people that this is an opinion belonging to the band and not necessarily that of the network. However, I'm glad they put NoFX on.

It seems to me that some people would be fine with a show full of ignorance and thoughtless patriotism (sing it, Toby! Come on, y'all, ain't it the American way to stick a boot up someone's @$$? Yeehaw!). Real patriotism is indeed freedom of speech, and Toby Keith is definitely using that freedom, but patriotism isn't just about 100%-support of the president or waving the flag everywhere. It's knowing the Consitution and voting. It's having a knowledge of American history. It's being aware of domestic policy as well as foreign policy. And if you ask me, it's having respect for the flag... not flashing it around like a Nike logo. The flag is meant to be respected, not exploited.

Now, I think you should all read this:

....
Frano Un-American by NoFX

I never thought about the universe,
It made me feel small.
Never thought about the problems of this planet at all.
Global warming, radioactive sites,
Imperialistic wrongs, and animal rights. NO!

Why think all the bad things when life is so good?
Why help with an end when there's always a could?
Let the whales worry about the poisons in the sea,
Outside of California, it's foreign policy.

I don't want changes,
I know reactions
Your dillemas are my distractions.

That?s no way to go, Franco Un-American
No way to go, Franco Un-American
No way to go, Franco Un-American
No way to go, Franco, Franco Un-American

I never looked around, never second-guessed
Then I read some Howard Zinn now I'm always depressed
And now I can't sleep from years of apathy
All because I read a little Noam Chomsky

I'm eating vegetation cause a fast food nation
I'm wearing a comfortable of shoes cause of globalization
I'm watching Michael Moore expose the awful truth
I'm listening to Public Enemy and Reagan Youth

I see no world peace 'cause they're zealous armed forces
I eat no breath-mints 'cause they're from the hooved horses
Now I can't believe; what an absolute failure
The president's laughing 'cause we voted for Nader

That's no way to go, Franco Un-American
No way to go, Franco Un-American
No way to go, Franco Un-American
Where can we go, Franco Un-American?

I want to move north and be a Canadian
Or hang down low with the nice Australians
I don't want to be another I don't care-ican
What are we gonna do Franco, Franco Un-American
....

Just think about it.

http://www.celiberal.com/theRighties.php

This just in. George Bush is a dumbass who can't even speak properly and runs his country poorly. Had there been more bands such as NOFX to point this out, your country would be a much better place to live.

NOFX - 1
Bush - 0

ps. Bush sucks.

Because NoFX rules

so nofx played on the show i herd about it but i didnt know if it was true. thats awesome
woooohoo nofx rocks

Oh man, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Disgraced the country? Brainwashing? are you for real? Dude, you need to get the f#[censored] off your soapbox because that's absolutely absurd. You think the entire nation is gonna change their views based on one band, and on Conan for that matter? Yeah, you'll boycott the sponsers and such....for about a day. Hopefully by then you'll realize how extremely lame you are. I still think it's funny that you're calling NBC brainwashing based on a single 3 minute musical performance. And you're saying NBC is showing a political slant...just as you were going to forward this piece of crap email to your friends, saying you want them to do the same. Hmmm..that seems an awful lot like...BRAINWASHING!!! And if you cannot believe that they are in existence anymore, then don't watch. Late Night doesn't need any fans like you around. The show is great, because it ends up upsetting people like you who don't have a liberal bone in their body.

So to Late Night, NOFX, and anyone else who pushed the envelope: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

Good letter eman. Dead on

No, It's bands like NOFX that don't follow the MTV template of how to write a song. They write songs about stuff that they believe in, not what they are told to believe. It is presidents like Bush that "portray our country as a trashy, disrepectful, inhumane place to live." I consider myself a very patriotic American. However, I have zero respect for our current president. Why should I have respect for a president that wasn't even voted into office. Beside the whole election thing, he is by far the worst president this country has ever had.

And as for you eman223, If you are that upset over this, maybe you should think about seeing a shrink because you have bigger issues. First off, if you've read some of the other posts, it would be obvious that the show had no clue what they were in for. The original lyrics to the song were not that extreme, as you can read for yourself thanks to forsberg21 (GO AVS). By the end of the song, you were probably so distraught that you didn't notice how pissed Conan looked.

Whether or not you agree with NOFX's political views, it is great to live in in a country where you are able to have those views and not get your head chopped off for expressing them. If you can't respect that, then you should consider moving to Singapore.

He could have brittney spears on the show.

Thanks to whoever put the lyrics to franco un-american up. Hey azconanwatcher, where are the so-called obscenities at? Anybody who reads them can see that there is nothing wrong with NOFX playing this song on television. Singing about the problems in the world, how obscene. NOFX is a band that is out there trying to make some positive changes in the world through their music, what better forum than on a t.v. program. Just because they don't come out and play some wanky new rock like all the crap that's on the radio doesn't mean they don't have any talent. This band is by far one of the most original, fun, and talented bands out there. One song doesn't prove anything.

It is just stupid to say that NoFx is mindless screaming and dumb one sided politics i guesse mtv and the media masses has gotten to all of u its freedom of speach and its an american right and if we live in a world where even in america we cant say wut we want cuz it might upset some people well guesse wut thats wut the real world is and if thats screaming and bad music with a message our youth shouldnt listen too cuz u dont like it the you should shove it... and i dont care if people are offended flip off!

In reference to eman223's comment-Thats lame that it ****** you off that much. Whoopity doo, send the emails. I'll send an email to everyone I know to tell them to watch the show and encourage other people to watch too. Thats nothing to quit watching the show over. Conan is funny. People get too worked up over politics.

It was an awesome performance! It's crappy that people have to complain about people's point of view. If Brittany Spears performed a song called "George Bush is the greatest man on Earth" no one would complain even though technically you could call that song an Anti-Kerry song. There are 2 kinds of people in the world, those who like Bush and those who don't. NOFX doesn't like him and they played a song about the guy.
The other thing that bugs me is that Conan can make fun of Bush and all that stuff but as soon as someone else does it then it's almost like the end of the world.
I'm just kind of rambling here but I guess the point is that...ummmm...well there isn't a point really.

punkrockvids.com has good punk videos on it good for any NOFX fan

But Britney Spears is [censored].

I have a question for eman-whatever-his-name-was.

If you make such a big deal about one song performed on a talk show, complaining that it "tells the other half to screw itself", then I have to wonder what you think about fox news. Bill O'Reilly in particular. I want to know if you've sent any outrageous and absurd letters to that network, demanding them to stop pushing their political opinions on you. But I guess you souldn't have a problem with it, seeing as they lean to the right, portraying Bush as a glorious leader. It seems that if you feel so strongly about the media showing any affiliation with either side, you should be going after other stations as well, because this is merely one opinion of one band that happened to make an appearance on the network. I'm sure that at the beggining or end of the show, if you were paying attention, there was some sort of disclaimer saying that the opinions of guests on the show don't represent NBC or any of it's affiliates. But you were probably just too busy writing that letter of yours (which, by the way, many of the words were spelled wrong, leading people to not take it or you seriously.)

It's this kind of double standard that politicians use today to slander one side or the other, and it's stupid for someone to go after NBC, when many other stations should be scrutinized for being biased.

I've noticed in some posts people are all like "Everyone Has Their Own Opinion" anout certain things i.e. music. politics, movies, etc. Well also I've noticed people flaming people for their opinions, like you say about seeing NOFX on Conan. Turn it!! Well same thing to some of you don't reply!! Ignore it!! why be some inconsider [censored] who finds joy in flaming someone because of something they like or dislike (that's just low). Who cares! Everyone in the world is Unique and is their own person. Not everyone is gonna like the same thing. I for one have listened to some other NoFX songs and i still think they suck. Hey flame me if you want I could careless you won't see me stoop to your level when you do.

Haha, wow this thread is hilarious...ESPECIALLY the parts about brainwashing, etc. How stupid are you people? It is an American Right...no, DUTY to speak out against the government if you feel so. They are simply showing their opinion of the current administration. Last time I checked, many many musicians displayed their political views through music...try Bob Dylan for instance? Also, last time I checked, Conan pokes fun at political figures. All of the haters need to lighten up, it was a performance that lasted less than three minutes. You could have turned off the TV...chill out. It's called FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

Yeah, Conan makes fun of Bush ALL the time...and yet when this band makes fun of Bush for one sappy line of a song, all of a sudden all of NBC is part of a conspiracy against Bush! It's funny. I think it's just republicans are nervous that their corporate tax breaks and higher class of living (if you have a high class of living to begin with) will be gone in a few months.

By the way, NOFX has more talent that most bands you will ever see. Anyone who has listened to them throughout the years is just baffled by how they can make their points come across so clearly, and how they can fit satire into the music that they are playing, and how many different genres of music they can play. This song was is probably one of their most simple musically structured songs, but if you listen to many of their others songs you can understand how talented they are. Try listening to "The Decline". Simply breathtaking.

Why the hell would you still be upset with NBC and Conan if you observed that he didn't look too impressed. It's live T.V. need I remind you of the superbowl (which was also blown way out of proportion. Conan nor NBC had any idea of the genius plan that Fat Mike and the rest of the band had in mind. But we are in the USA and everyone is allowed to express their opinion no matter how moronic it might be, so if you want to boycott NBC go right ahead, but I don't think you'll have too many followers

Ok, let me post the lyrics to the song:

I never thought about the universe, it made me feel small
Never thought about the problems of this planet at all
Global warming, radio-active sites
Imperialistic wrongs and animal rights! no!

Why think of all the bad things when life is so good?
Why help with an ?am? when there?s always a ?could??
Let the whales worry about the poisons in the sea
Outside of california, it?s foreign policy

I don?t want changes, I have no reactions
Your dilemmas are my distractions

That?s no way to go, franco un-american
No way to go, franco un-american
No way to go, franco un-american
No way to go, franco, franco un-american

I never looked around, never second-guessed
Then I read some howard zinn now I?m always depressed
And now I can?t sleep from years of apathy
All because I read a little noam chomsky

I?m eating vegetation, ?cause of fast food nation
I?m wearing a couple of shoes ?cause of globalization
I?m watching michael moore expose the awful truth
I?m listening to public enemy and reagan youth

I see no world peace ?cause of zealous armed forces
I eat no breath-mints ?cause their from de-hoofed horses
Now I can?t believe; what an absolute failure
The president?s laughing ?cause we voted for nader

We all know George Bush is an imbecile
He likes Dick but he hates homosexuals
We're sick and tired of the embarrasment
The whole world wants us to get a better president

I want to move north and be a canadian
Or hang down low with the nice australians
I don?t want to be another ?i-don?t-care-ican?
What are we gonna do franco, franco un-american

If kids watched MTV and listened to these lyrics instead of some about how some pop star is gonna sex up her next boyfriend or about how some gangsta is gonna bust a cap in yo [censored], the world would be a much better place. Sure, the George Bush part was a bit of an attack, but that's their opinion, right? Is it even an opinion? George does like Dick Cheney, he does not like homosexuals, most people ARE sick and tired of the embarassment, and a large majority of this world's population DOES want a different president. This song's lyrics are have more meaning and depth to them than anything MTV has ever put together. Read them.

'Why help with an "am" when there's always a "could".'

That is the best line in the song. Instead of saying you are going to do something (as in I AM going to do something" NOFX points out that most people say they could do something. Americans keep on saying they could do this to help the environment or could do that to help starvation in other countries, but they never actually do anything. Do you not appreciate how well-thought out these lyrics are, and the heavy message they carry? Sure, Mike's singing was a little scratchy and the audio wasn't great, but this song is about a lot more than anti-bush obscenities and loud noise. There has probably never been a song in Conan's long history of great televsion than there was on that night when some ugly rockers blasted their guitars and yelled a few words.

ha! the moderator won't let me post my response to that guy's letter. probably because i made a reference to the "fair and balanced" fox news. anyways... talk about freedom of speech, eh?

You're welcome. It's a song that everybody should hear, whether or not they disagree, just as something to think about.