Erik “Smelly” Sandin on NOFX, Recovery & 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up!

Erik “Smelly” Sandin, longtime drummer of NOFX, sits down with The Hang! to talk about addiction, 34 years of sobriety, the end of NOFX’s live run, 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up, and why punk rock gave him a purpose.

Sandin’s relationship with music started long before NOFX. Growing up in Southern California, he remembers hearing Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Miles Davis around the house. By his teens, he just wanted to play. It didn’t really matter what instrument. Drums happened to be the open spot in a punk band, and he took it.

That eventually led to NOFX and a completely different life.