NOFX has survived nearly a quarter-century of music, including upwards of 30 releases, by constantly spicing up the state of punk rock -- a genre no stranger to taking itself too seriously -- with persistent blasts of self-deprecating humor. Their first live album warned I Heard They Suck Live!! tongue firmly in cheek, and here the sarcasm returns in truckloads. On this cut, the band takes a two-minute opportunity to kill the crowd like a stand-up comedian.

Recorded over three nights at Slim's in San Francisco, the disc is packed with rare fan favorites including pun-packed "The Longest Line," from the 1992 twelve-inch EP of the same name. Celebrating his first appearance with the band, guitarist El Hefe crunches power chords and breezes through swift leads while Fat Mike plays humorist. Taking to calling himself Johnny Carcinogen, Mike compares life to Chinese food ("sweet and sour") and concludes that he either "pissed off God" or "fucked with some witch," thereby cursing his existence. Poking fun at the sour grapes, NOFX even inject a quick Green Day line into the live mix wondering, "Do you have the time to listen to me whine?" Getting worse has never sounded so good. They've Actually Gotten Worse Live! hits shelves Nov. 20 via Fat Wreck Chords. 

Now Hear This:
NOFX - "The Longest Line"

On the Web:
NOFX at MySpace
nofx.org

Talk: Is NOFX telling the 'longest' lie when they say 'they've actually gotten worse live'?