Bad Religion's Greg Graffin
by Alec Foege
For more than a decade, Los Angeles' Bad Religion were as independent
as an indie band could get. Formed in 1980 by lead singer Greg Graffin,
guitarist Brett "Mr. Brett" Gurewitz and bassist Jay Bentley, the loud and
fast but melodic punk band released its first five albums (and two EPs)
on Epitaph, a record label founded by the band and run by Gurewitz.
One of the last surviving bands of the vibrant underground hardcore
scene that swept through Los Angeles in the early 1980s, Bad Religion
unrepentantly wave a banner for the lean, bracing style of punk with
which they established their career. Having sold a total of nearly a million
albums without the assistance of a major label, the band nonetheless
decided to sign with Atlantic Records in 1993. Now, Bad Religion videos
appear on MTV, and fans can buy the band's album anywhere CD's are sold.
The current Bad Religion icludes Greg Hetson (formerly of the Circle
Jerks) on guitar and Bobby Schayer on drums; although Brett Gurewitz appears
on Stranger Than Fiction, the band's latest Atlantic release,
Brian Baker has replaced him on the road, allowing Gurewitz to devote himself
fully to Epitaph's burgeoning roster. Graffin, 29, currently lives in
Ithaca, N.Y., with his wife and two children.
-When did you first know that you wanted to be in a punk band?
From a very early age, I was in tune with pop radio, and most of this
listening was done driving. We had an old '67 or '65 Buick LeSabre, and
whenever we would drive, I would actually stick my head right against the
speaker and sing along to the music.
-Where did you grow up?
Southeastern Wisconsin. We settled in Racine. Then, when my parents
got divorced, we moved to Milwaukee. At the age of 11, my mom moved us to
Los Angeles.
I left Wisconsin for the absolute wasteland of the San Fernando
Valley. The people at school were so much different. Pot culture was at its
height. Kids in my junior-high class were coming to school wasted, and the
rest of the San Fernando Valley was full of surfers and people who loved
Led Zeppelin and Foreigner. It was an incredible shock. And that is the #1
reason that I found solace in punk music. I just didn't fit at all with
this Southern California pot culture.
-When did you first became aware of the L.A. hardcore scene?
It was in 1979. I listened to the Rodney on the KROQ
show on KROQ, in L.A. It wasn't until we formed the band, though, and
started playing in clubs in L.A. that we started meeting these people and
realized how much we had in common.
-Who were your favorite bands at that time?
Oh, I loved all the bands that were melodic and hard - like The
Gears and The Adolescents. The Chiefs were one of my favorites. I saw Black
FlaG early on and I loved them. Of course, the Circle Jerks.
-How did the Epitaph label begin?
At first it was just a name. Our album had to look professional,
so we had to come up with a name to call the label.
-What made you think you didn't need to sign to an established label?
At that age - we were 15, 16 and 17 - we were all fans of records.
And we loved every detail about our favorite records. So we thought that,
to make a legitimate record, you had to have a label name.
-You've said before that you consider BR to be folk music.
Folk music usually has an emphasis on the lyrics and melody. And
those lyrics are usually revelant in some way. And it's populist in scope,
which is also true of Bad Religion. So it's more meant to draw some
parallels between the two. And I think even my voice and my delivery can
be thought of as a little bit folky.
-Politics seem to play an important role in BR's music.
We actually try to keep opinions out of it, usually. Our music
is just based on relevant issues, that's all I can say. Politics are all
about getting people to think your way. Ti's subtle or sometimes overt
coercion, and that's the opposite of what Bad Religion are all about.
-How do you respond to people who say that punk died in the 70s?
I think English punk died in '79 or '80. Maybe '82 at the latest.
As far as American punk goes, it wasn't the same as English punk.
It wasn't a working-class movement that was protestin the conditions under
which this class had to work. I don't think American punk ever died. Part
of that is thanks to bands like Bad Religion, of which there aren't many.
-Do you anticipate Bad Religion experimenting with new musical styles?
I really don't think so. I've thought a lot about it. What if
this music becomes the next pop music, the way it started to with Green Day
and Offspring? If it does, then it has the danger of becoming pass‚. But
even if it's pass‚, there is such a thing as music with longevity.
-You may soon qualify as a rock star.
I've heard this before, but I think that it's more of a state of
mind. When you hear the word Rock Star, the average person
thinks of limousines and ornery sons of bitches who don't talk to you. If I
get that kind of success, then I'm going to be the same person
-Plus, music isn't the only thing in your life.
That's an important fact. I set a goal for myself that I want
to follow up on. In '87, I got a master's degree at UCLA in Geology and
then transferred to Cornell for a Ph.D in Biology in 1990. I just have to
write my thesis, finish up some of my actual lab work and take my orals.
Then i'm a doctor. But i'm not in any rush, because I want to make sure my
sanity is intact. I also have a wife and two kids.
-How has having children changed your perpective?
I think I'm a pretty typical dad. But it's a whole new ballgame.
It's just one of those steps that you take in life that elevates you to an
entirely new level of fear and responsibility. But it's what's life's all
about, really, meeting those challenges.
-Perhaps you're somekind of new-and-improved rock star.
I guess rock stars are role models for the kids awho listen to
that music. My role models have all been geologists - you know, the guys
who are doing fieldwork until they're 70.
-Ah, the real rock stars.
Yeah...
Rolling Stone, December 29, 1994-January 12, 1995
Transcription by Jeff Lambert