An authorized band biography that attempts to provide long-overdue credit.
After persevering through four decades, an eternity by punk-rock standards, Bad Religion has “never been more popular than they are right now.” Devoted fans of the internationally popular band will embrace the narrative, which offers plenty of backstory on the splits and reunions of the two principal songwriters, Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz. It’s both a chronicle and critical guide to each of the band’s many albums and tours (nonfans will be overwhelmed by some of the detail). The biography—written with the assistance of Ruland, who co-authored the memoir of Black Flag and Circle Jerks founding member Keith Morris—also suggests why Bad Religion never achieved the sales levels or popularity of Nirvana or Green Day, whose influence on musical culture Graffin and company feel has been overstated, at least in comparison to their own. “ ‘People are finally filling in the chapter between 1983 and 1991,’ Greg said. ‘What happened? Two words: Bad Religion.’ ” From the beginning, the band has felt slighted, starting young as suburban teenagers from the San Fernando Valley, rising with the spread of punk culture, and then getting overshadowed by bands who sold more but perhaps didn’t have Bad Religion’s European reach or die-hard following. It’s an often fascinating story, especially regarding Graffin’s pursuit of his doctorate in evolutionary biology and Gurewitz’s progression to record mogul through his founding of Epitaph Records. There are also the expected stories of excess and addition, and the claim that “Greg and Brett were establishing themselves as the Beatles of punk rock” would be more credible if it didn’t come from the band itself. The text generally refers to the characters by first name only, an insider’s perspective that prevents much critical distancing.
The band has overcome a lot of challenges over the years, and this sufficient narrative documents every one of them.