Dexter Holland, left, and Noodles of the band the Offspring perform onstage at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on June 5, 2012
BEST KNOWN AS: lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the SoCal punk-rock band the Offspring
THE INTEL: High school valedictorian Brian Keith Holland, later to become Dexter, went to the University of Southern California on a premed track, picking up bachelor’s and master’s degrees in molecular biology. He put his doctoral studies on hold when his band began to find some success. Unlike Queen’s Brian May, who eventually earned a Ph.D., Holland has not returned to the classroom. Which isn’t to say he’s given up studying: in the past few years, he earned an airline transport pilot license (that entitles its holder to be called “Captain”) and became a certified flight instructor.
BRAINIAC RATING, ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 11: 9
EXTRA CREDIT: Holland is quite likely the only molecular biologist to have a public feud with Guns ’n Roses front man Axl Rose.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrZ4sMRYimw]