Sublime were like the Beach Boys on crack; they combine the beauty with the horror and had the most tragic self-titled major label debut ever.
Sublime by Sublime is the major label debut by the Ska/Punk/Hip Hop/Reggae Beach Boys of the late 90s, and the album is undeniable in its brilliance. Sublime was fronted by Bradley Nowell the singer/guitarist/songwriter frontman of Sublime and joined by Eric Wilson on bass and Bud Gaugh on drums – Gaugh’s drumming style and tempo would go on to define the sound of the band. Moreover, the other defining aspect of this band is the constant presence of Lou Dog, a dalmatian that Nowell adopted and became his constant companion and eventually the band mascot, often curled up at the base of the mic stand on stage whilst Nowell performed. If you know the history of Sublime, you are most likely aware of the tragedy that befell Nowell, but it’s the music that has endured and left a legacy within the sound waves of the world. Sublime is an album I return to every summer and still marvel at how well it has aged and how brilliant the whole premise of the album is in its entirety.
The real germination of Sublime happens during Nowell’s childhood years. Nowell came from a broken home but spent his initial years living with his Mum and Dad in Orange County. He and his sister grew up surfing and sailing at the beaches of suburban Orange County, California. However, as the years progressed and his ADHD developed, Nowell parents would eventually divorce and Nowell was given to his father for custody to try to curb his increasingly troubling behaviour. During 1975, Nowell and his father spent a summer sailing around the Virgin Islands. It was on this trip that Nowell was first exposed to the Reggae music of Bob Marley. The impact of that trip and the music Nowell was exposed to had an indelible impression on his future. On his return to Long Beach and beginning high school, he started to play guitar and in 1987 formed a band with Wilson on bass and Gaugh on drums … who conveniently lived across the street and down the road respectfully.
The three piece clicked instantly and started to rehearse 3-4 hours day. They also started inviting anyone they knew to come and hear their new band, which they quickly named Sublime. They also quickly attained the reputation for being the band that brought you the party! So whenever, wherever they played, it was carnage, but in a good way. Inevitably their gigs would get out of hand for their urban settings and the cops would have to shut them down. But the word was spreading. After a few years of playing backyard parties and honing their chops, Sublime were approached by Michael ‘Miguel’ Happoldt in late 1990, a music student who wanted to bring the band into the campus studio and record them after hours. They often snuck in, staying all night and recording songs. They recorded a demo tape called Jah Won’t Pay them Bills that was sold at their gigs and it instantly gained traction with the thriving local Ska/Punk scene and started being played on local radio.
By 1991, Sublime was becoming legendary in the local club scene. They moved their chaotic live shows into more established music venues but made sure they kept up with their hard playing, hard partying image. Narcotics was a never ending part of the Long Beach party scene and the band members had been messing with hard drugs since their early teens. Nowell, for his part, had kept away from the harder drugs – in particular heroin – but as time went on, curiosity and pressure caught up with him. He felt that in order to extend his creativity he needed to experiment with stronger drugs like so many of his musical influences had done before him. This decision created much concern amongst his bandmates and friends. However, at first he seemed to think he could control it and almost wear the addiction like a badge of honour. But as nearly every other addict before him could tell you, this would turn out to be not only unmanageable for him but also lead to his eventual downfall.
Despite everything, Sublime continued to build their following and reputation brick by brick. In February, 1990, the band added another attraction by the way of a Dalmatian named Lou Dog. Nowell adopted the abused Dalmatian puppy and named him Louie after his Grandfather. Nowell and Lou Dog became instantly inseparable and a main feature of the band’s identity moving forward. In March of 1991, Sublime recorded their first full length album called 40oz to Freedom, recording it with money they scrapped together from friends and family. By 1992 the band was headlining and selling out clubs throughout California and turning each gig into their own personal party. While on tour in the early 1990s, Nowell began dating Troy Dendekker. The pair hit it off immediately and their relationship would develop gradually over the next few years. At the same time, by early 1993, Nowell had developed a fully blown heroin addiction, and it started to become reflected in his music and lyrical themes.
By the time it came to record their second album in June, 1993, Nowell had become a serious addict. Sublime’s sophomore album, Robbin the Hood, was full of lyrics addressing Nowell’s struggle, including ‘Pool Shark’ which was his take on powerlessness in the face of addiction. Sublime rode the fine line in subject matter between the hookers and the drugs with the backdrop of sun and the surf. Sublime were like the Reggae Beach Boys in the post modern era and Nowell was here to cut through the bulls**t and simply tell you how it is. The band’s reckless reputation scared more than a few record labels away. However, in the fall of 1993, Sublime won an ally at a label called Gasoline Ally, a boutique label owned by MCA Records. Jon Phillips was an A&R scout at the label and really wanted to sign the band, seeing the potential in their music as well as their live shows. Phillips believed that this was a band that would musically break through. In October of 1993, Phillips finally convinced an executive to meet with the band to discuss a deal. The band turned up to the meeting drunk in anticipation of the celebration of being signed and allegedly waited for hours, eventually getting so drunk and bored that they decided to have their revenge by letting Lou Dog take a dump in the executive’s office. All hell broke loose and the deal was nearly over before it began. Nine months later, after cooling their heels, Gasoline Ally reconsidered and signed Sublime for a six album deal.
By this time, Nowell had fallen deeply in love with his partner Troy Dendekker. More than a girlfriend, Dendekker had also become a carer and stood by Nowell’s side during his addiction. Nowell had also been in and out of rehab, with limited to no success. In October of 1994, the pair learned that they were pregnant and expecting a son. Although delighted by the news, this only added to Nowell’s stress; not to mention that the band, although signed, had still not reached the kind of financial success and freedom that Nowell had hoped for to become a parent. But as luck would have it, in January of 1995, the L.A. radio station KROQ started to play the band’s controversial song titled ‘Date Rape’, from their debut album. After the first weekend of airplay, the band’s co-manager Blaine Kaplan had calls from every promoter in California wanting to book them. Sublime had a number one song on KROQ and this led to their first legitimate tour. In June of 1995, the band rolled in KROQ’s annual Weenie Roast concert alongside fellow Long Beach rocker Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, who joined them onstage for their collab ‘Saw Red’ from their sophomore album, creating one of the most memorable moments of the entire day.
Nowell was so excited to be a father despite his personal struggles. Many hoped that this would give him something to pin his emotions on and help him deal with his addictions. On June 25th, 1995, Jakob Nowell was born and Nowell couldn’t wait to teach him everything as a proud Dad. He also seemed content as a Dad and everyone hoped this would be the beginning of the end of his addiction. As with all addiction though, the underlying issues cannot be abated by one single event and eventually the mental health issues returned and Nowell returned to self-medicating with heroin.
In the meantime, Sublime had started to explode and had been signed by Atlantic Records. In January of 1996, the band entered the studio in Austin, Texas to record their third studio album and their major label debut. Nowell did not have many completed songs written before entering the studio and used drugs to ease the building pressure, especially with lyric writing. After five weeks into the sessions, Nowell was sent home to clean up. However, on arriving home, he found Dendekker had packed up and left to live with her mother, along with their son. This seemed to be the wake up call Nowell needed. He entered rehab and got sober for three months, then shortly after he and Dendekker got married in Vegas. Three days after the wedding the band embarked on a short West Coast Tour. Over the time Nowell had been getting sober, the band had put the finishing touches on their self-titled album and were preparing for its release in the coming summer.
Unfortunately, having spent the better part of five years establishing yourself as the party band of California, the road proved a very challenging environment for Nowell and again he gave into temptation. On May 24th, 1996, Sublime rolled into Petaluma, California. This would be Nowell’s last show with the band. After the show, Nowell rang his wife and told her how happy he was and how he was looking forward to their reunion. The next morning, he died from a heroin overdose. He was just 28.
Just weeks after Nowell’s death on 30th of June, Sublime released their first major label debut Sublime. And in one of life’s cruel ironies, it became the album that shot them to superstardom. It became an instant classic and a bittersweet tribute to lost potential. Nowell’s death was a deeply heartbreaking blow to his family and band members. The first single released was ‘What I Got’ and it blew up on KROQ through public demand. Within two weeks, ‘What I Got’ was the number one song on KROQ and then it hit nationwide. The album would go on to spawn five hit singles including ‘Santeria’ and ‘Wrong Way’ and also went on to sell five million copies, becoming one of the biggest albums of 1997. The band also received huge airplay on MTV, adding to their global success. In their videos from the album, the band used Lou Dog as the main theme throughout, a motif that acted like Nowell’s alter ego and kept a little bit of magic that was close to him. When Lou Dog died of old age in 2001, the family made sure the two were reunited by scattering Lou Dog’s ashes in the same place as Nowell’s.
Although there is great tragedy surrounding the history of Sublime and their self-titled album, the music is a completely different emotion. Every time I listen to this album, which is usually during the summer months, it always fills me with joy. It’s a completely perfect summer album that has surpassed the test of time and has gone on to become part of rock n’ roll history. The band would go on with a few different lead singers, including Nowell’s son Jakob. But as far as follow up albums on the same level as the self-titled album from 1996, unfortunately Nowell was the special sauce and this is a noticeable absence on all their subsequent releases.
The fact this album still receives heavy airplay on commercial radio 30 years after its release speaks to the joy, rawness and magic in the music. Sublime is 30 years young, and as we head into the seasonal awakenings of spring, it’s time to dust off the cassette and put it into ghetto blaster with the volume pumped up. Then head to the beach with your dog, and if you squint really hard up at the sun you might just see Brad and Lou Dog smiling back down on you, just like the band’s logo.
