By Kelso Jacks 

 

Greg Graffin, the instantly likeable frontman for punk stalwart Bad Religion, is a gentle presence. He listens intently and responds thoughtfully, a true academic. And proving himself to have a human side behind his punk exterior, he’s unafraid to laugh at himself when I remind him of the last New York Bad Religion concert and his accidental collision with the mic stand. His eyes widen and chuckles, “I know, yeah, I still have the bump. Hey, you want to feel it?” And so, after some time vainly spent trying to feel the ridge on Graffin’s nose that claims to have sustained from that performance, we get to talking about what’s concerning Bad Religion these days: a new album, a tour, a scholarship fund and, of course, the kids. 

 

“We come from a place that’s not different from their experiences,” the bespectacled Graffin says, referring to Bad Religion’s fans. “Just because we have some wisdom and some years to help us make sense of society doesn’t mean that we can’t understand the problems that kids deal with. I think that’s replete in our music; we can touch those sensitivities.” 

 

It’s astounding that a punk band with 18 years of history behind it isn’t more jaded. Amazing that it defiantly refuses to water down its thought provoking messages or disguise its intelligence in exchange for marketability. Admirable that a band which continually weathers “sell-out” name calling-brought upon by its severing of ties with Epitaph, the indie label that it fathered, for a spot on Atlantic’s roster-still cares about educating its young fans. 

 

With the band’s new album, No Substance, Graffin hopes to expose the real meaning of punk music for a generation that seems to have lost the way. “I think this album is going to be a real awakening for a lot of people,” he muses. “The underground and punk bands of today have a misguided idea of what it’s supposed to sound like. I think people purposely try to make it sound band because that’s what they think it’s supposed to sound like.” Then he smiles and explains further. “We went to our collections that were rotting in the attic and listened to our punk heroes-Sham 69, the Adolescents, Circle Jerks-and it all sounded fresh and exciting, unlike today’s music, which means that today’s sound has gone astray.” 

 

So into the studio Graffin and his cohorts went, with the Bad Religion bag of socio-political concerns in tow and the original punk ethic as inspiration. They laid down 16 tracks and mastered them on analog equipment, creating an invigorating sound that does exactly what the band intended: gets the band back to its roots, while at the same time serving as a kind of friendly lesson to show the kids how it’s really done. The timing of No Substance’s release also helped secure the band a seat on the Warped Tour, a venture that Graffin is more than excited about. “These things are complete circuses without any organization,” he says. “They just throw up a stage and the bands don’t have anywhere to hang out. So we decided to take matters into our own hands. We wanted there to be a central place for kids to hang out-actually, a place where the bands could hang out, too. So there’s going to be this tent. The Bad Religion tent.” So if you happen to go to the Warped Tour this year, be sure to bring a demo tape and some grill-able food, and head for the big red and black tent. Bad Religion’s punk-meets-Renaissance oasis will house a pirate radio station from which band members will broadcast some of their personal favorites, as well as give air time to whatever demo tapes are on hand. The tent will also play host to some barbecue grills (one for meat-eaters, one for vegetarians) and Graffin hopes to take one meal a day under the tent, out there with the fans. 

 

But the band’s endless generosity doesn’t stop there. This year also marks the launch of the Bad Religion scholarship fund. The band has received approximately 300 applications for the annual $4,000 award, which will be awarded to one college student in hopes of promoting education in the natural sciences (Graffin himself has already completed three years in his pursuit of his zoology doctorate). He makes it clear that this is the band’s unique way of encouraging students. “There’s no corporate sponsorship behind it,” he explains. “It’s money that comes straight from the band. The tickets and t-shirts kids buy allows us to have the money to give to the scholarship fund. It’s coming from just the five of us in the band. And we’re all going to make the [choice] together. It will be a band committee decision.” 

 

As we snaked in and out of conversation about motorcycles and mosh pits, Graffin eventually summed up Bad Religion’s mission this way: “To provoke people. Asking ourselves if we still have interesting ideas, and do we sound good doing it?” 

 

They do, with honors. 

 

Selected Discography

 

No Substance (Atlantic) 1998 / The Gray Race (Atlantic) 1996 / All Ages (Atlantic) 1995 / Stranger Than Fiction (Atlantic) 1994 / Recipe For Hate (Epitaph-Atlantic) 1993 / Generator (Epitaph) 1992 / Against The Grain (Epitaph) 1990 / No Control (Epitaph) 1989 / Suffer (Epitaph) 1988 / Back To The Known (EP) (Epitaph) 1984 / Into The Unknown (Epitaph) 1983 / How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (Epitaph) 1982 / Bad Religion (EP) (Epitaph) 1981 

 

Vital Statistics

 

For Fans of: Lagwagon, Dag Nasty, No Use For A Name / Label: Atlantic Contact: Carolyn Wolfe / Phone: 800.898.2237 / Email: collegeradio@atlantic-records.com / Fax: 212.405.5520