Chixdiggit Usurp Crass, NOFX for Longest Punk Song Ever

For years, punks have debated the following: What's the longest song in their genre ever to be recorded? Some people argue that, at 18 minutes and 19 seconds, it’s NOFX’s “The Decline.” Others say it’s the longest version of “Yes Sir, I Will” by Crass, which sits at an even longer 20 minutes and eight seconds. While Guinness World Records has not officially recognized the record holder, it appears that Calgary pop-punks Chixdiggit now have them both beat.

The band’s new single-song EP, 2012 (out now on Fat Wreck Chords), clocks in at 24 minutes and 23 seconds, making it the longest punk song ever recorded. Originally, the goal wasn’t to break the world record, but to simply piss off NOFX frontman and label boss Fat Mike.

“I think we initially just wanted to have our song one second longer than ‘The Decline’ by NOFX,” says Chixdiggit frontman K.J. Jansen. “A lot of people talk about ‘The Decline’ being the greatest and the longest punk rock song ever, so we wanted our song to be that one second longer so it can be that much greater. That was the plan.”

The plan was to make it just 18 minutes and 19 seconds, but Chixdiggit couldn’t help themselves. As it turns out, their inability to self-edit made them the clear record-holders.

“When we started putting together the song, which took a long time, we realized that we went over by quite a bit, so we had to cut it back,” adds Jansen. “So, this is the cut-back version. We now have the actual record for the longest punk song.”

So, the next time one of your friends ponders aloud, “Say, what do you think is the longest punk song ever recorded?” just think to yourself, “I’ve totally got this.”