Category: | Interview - Internet | Publish date: | 9/25/2008 |
Source: | canadaeast.com | With: | Jay Bentley |
Synopsis: |
A religious experience
Jay Bentley's New Brunswick knowledge is a work in progress.
"New Brunswick! Never been there," says Bad's Religion's bassist during a tour stop in Edmonton, Alberta. "Something about screech and kiss the cod." When corrected "" cod and screech is a Newfoundland delicacy"" his reply is quick and to the point. "Whatever! Close enough!" Bentley will have time to upgrade his East Coast education when his band performs at The Moncton Coliseum Agrena Complex September 30. The date is part of a quick world tour that saw the band perform in North America, South America and Europe.
"We've been on the strangest world tour "" two shows in Germany, three shows in Brazil, three shows on the U.S. West Coast, and now we're going to go straight across Canada," he says. "Then the tour's over. That's a lot of 'What time is it? What day is it?'" If there's anyone used to hectic schedules, it's Bentley.
The 44-year-old has performed with Bad Religion for the last 28 years, appearing on over a dozen studio albums and hitting the stage thousands of times in the process. The So-Cal punk rock legends have weathered independent and major label woes, a long list of lineup changes (Bentley left the band from 1983, returning in '86), and several music fads, yet few bands from their era can boast the same success.
"Obviously we've had our ups and downs," says Bentley in a moment of reflection. "We've broken up and gotten back together, but we've learned from our mistakes. We're good at putting each other in check, and not taking it personally when someone calls you out on your shit.
"And we don't take it too seriously," he adds. "It's not a cure for cancer; it's only entertainment. It's just something you do, much like pick-up hockey or playing poker with your friends on Wednesday night." That being said, most people don't play with the same poker buddies for 28 years, or tour the world with their pick-up hockey team. Bad Religion has sold millions of albums worldwide "" the band hit its commercial peak with the 1994 release Stranger Than Fiction "" and the group's signature sound has influenced countless imitators. Bentley is humbled by the success, and says it was all unexpected.
"When we started we didn't think we'd get out of [vocalist Greg] Graffin's living room," he says, laughing. "It was literally something to do after school, which was a lot better than getting beat up or watching TV. The fantastic thing about punk rock music was that you don't have to be really good, you just have to want to do it. Realistically, we weren't good enough to be anything other than what we are, and that was totally OK with us. The fact that anyone cares about what we do is mind boggling."
While many bands mellow with age and fame, Bad Religion still holds true to its punk rock roots. The band's 2007 disc New Maps Of Hell was lauded by both critics and fans, and they continue to support the little guy, actively scouting each Canadian city for opening acts. Fear of Lipstick was handpicked for the Moncton show, and Bentley is looking forward to seeing them live.
"Eric Neurotic from Fear Of Lipstick and I have been e-mailing back and forth for a while," he says.
"He was initially like, 'F-k you, who is this,' and I had to convince him I was serious. It makes me happy to see local bands, because I remember being in Los Angeles with 100,000 other bands and not being able to get anywhere."
- Chuck Teed