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*(This episode was recorded on the 25th of March 2026; Watch-o! is still okay so far; however, we also want to send condolences to the community and loved ones of Bo Lueders, of the band Harm's Way and the HardLore podcast, who has passed on since the recording of this episode.  If you are mentally struggling (and many of us are), please call the 988 hotline (if you live in the US), and whatever other hotlines are available globally; you are definitely welcome to reach out to us as well.) In keeping with our objective of this podcast to be about community, it would make obvious sense to have someone on whose art has been inspired by the band.   jamilah initially learned about Jared Gaines when someone shared a poster they'd gotten of his art, where every piece was themed around the Suffer album.  As a person who is heavily tattooed (and who loves tattoo art), within minutes she ordered the poster.  Obviously, the poster looks much better in person than it does on a screen, and she had to find the person behind the art. (She has a couple of BR-related tattoos, and intends to get at least a couple more, including one of Jared's pieces.) Jared and jamilah discuss being straight edge, contradictions in the hardcore scene, the inability to detect/read satire, meeting aliens (and what music they would choose to present to them), the importance of fundamentals, alternatives to problematic promoters, and of course, tattoos, and Bad Religion.   Thanks for listening! For information about Jared's art, go to: https://jaredgaines.com/ If you have any questions or comments for us, we're at: [email protected]  

Given the current state of world affairs you may hear in certain circles, "(insert band) is massively needed right now."  Bad Religion tends to be one of the bands high on that list- the thing is though, their music has gone nowhere.  They have a whole catalogue of 17 albums (plus b-sides and more) to listen to, which is pretty timeless.  To be honest that is sad to say; because none of these songs should be, as that means the system is sill oppressive.    One thing we DO know is that they've been here the whole time, and their music will last long after they're gone.   This episode is a list of jamilah's personal choices- one song per album (in order to make things fair) for the 'soundtrack of the current times'.  It must always be noted that (a. this list, as usual, was incredibly difficult to do; and (b. these views are jamilah's, and (of course) may not necessarily be an accurate interpretation/representation of what the band intended.    She's also using equipment she's never used for the podcast before; and while things were tested out, she's still experimenting.  So looking back, the mic's gain most likely needed to be reduced.  Life is a series of lessons.  i hope none of this takes away from the episode, which we, of course, will always be grateful for your taking the time out of the day (or night) to listen.   What are some BR songs you connect with in these times?  Let us know! [email protected]

As 2025 winds down, we felt it was time to reflect upon the year...  Many interesting (and wonderful) things happened, and we do not take that for granted. Thank you all (again) so much, for taking the time out to listen to this humble little podcast.  See you in 2026! Anytime you want to contact us, we are here: [email protected]

There's something to be said for having conversations with people who have made a positive impact in your life in some way: The more opportunities we have to do it, the less separate we become from each other.  We value wisdom and the mass range of experiences; and ideally, the more we converse with those who have inspired us, the more human they become. It's not unlike someone who donates a kidney, donates blood for crucial transfusions, or sat with you and listened when you were feeling at your lowest.  Music is no different.   Obviously we do this podcast because Bad Religion is one of our all-time favorite bands; but we want to also humanize the experience.  Whether someone got into them yesterday or has been into them since 1981, all of us are misfits who connect with this band in our own ways.  However, we can't forget that we also have very human experiences- which is why we connect to the music.   And who comprises of Bad Religion?  A group of humans, who have very human experiences.  jamilah always says they're "imperfect people who make perfect music." So as we've had teachers, graduate students, preacher's kids, ginormous fans and newbies alike (and more) on this podcast- and we hope this continues-   our door will (also) always be open to the people who inspire all of us in this journey- the band.   Because guess what?  They are humans too.   The human who so kindly spent part of his day with us this time is Brian Baker- a man who, if we named every band he was in, it would probably go over the word limit.  To start, he is associated with three bands who have been cited as among the most influential bands in punk/hardcore:  Minor Threat, Dag Nasty and (of course), Bad Religion.  He played on stage with Carlos Santana's band when he was 12.  He is a survivor.  And in this latest iteration of his journey, he is a published author of a photography book.   In this conversation, Brian and jamilah speak about a wide range of topics:  the power of seeing kids starting their own scenes, the joy of going to shows, support during sobriety, Phil Upchurch & Steve Cropper (RIP), The Denny's Grand Slam, the importance of literacy (and being a good listener), tattoos and more! Shoutout to Christina and Victoria. Thank you once again for listening! To get Brian's book, The Road, go to:  https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/the-road/ jamilah's piece on George Carlin:  https://jamilah1.substack.com/p/people-say-they-love-george-carlin Where you can find the 'Bumblebee' song: https://teodorasfist.bandcamp.com/album/one-day-i-slipped-and-fell-on-a-thought If you have any queries, comments or critiques, send them here: [email protected]

In the continuation of the series highlighting our favorite things about the band's respective instruments, we finally have an episode about the drums.  In doing this episode, jamilah heard some things that made her choices even more difficult, but fun. What are some of your favorite things about BR drums?  Let us know!   [email protected]

We are conditioned to see the concepts of both wisdom and 'not knowing' as diametrically opposed, as they are defined in the narrowest of terms.  In a spiritual sense (which may seem paradoxical, given that this is a podcast about Bad Religion), the two concepts fit perfectly. Anyone who listens to this podcast with some regularity has heard jamilah speak about Jay Bentley as being a major bass inspiration.  Much of her perspective has been primarily based on this; that said, the couple of times they've briefly met, there was no significant mention of the bass- so it's clear there was a more compelling person beyond the instrument.   The hunch was absolutely correct.  jamilah did have an opportunity to sit down with Jay (who is indeed, a compelling, kind and thoughtful person) to discuss some Bad Religion (obviously!!!!!!); even in discussing the band, there was an abundance of wisdom in allowing things to flow without knowing what is coming next, addressing learning from mistakes and finding purpose in the midst of more significant matters.  They also discussed the experience of reconnecting with music, the acceptance of not being the center of the world, accepting impermanence, lessons learned from martial arts, and setting realistic goals. Many, many thanks to Christina for being the connection to this connection.   Thank you for listening!   To visit Natalia Fabia's site, go to:  https://www.nataliafabia.com/ If you have any questions or comments (or further words of wisdom) for us, contact: [email protected]  

It has been an adventure of sorts for jamilah, as she saw Bad Religion three times in one week (on their tour with Dropkick Murphys and the Mainliners).  Much fun was had (stormy weather and all), as she met some wonderful people- including Brian Baker and Jay Bentley, who were kind enough to give some words of encouragement to the people.   On the episode with jamilah is New Zealand-based Chris Warne, who speaks with her about BR's appearance at the Pinkpop Festival in 1995.  In the conversation there's some drum and songwriting appreciation, they talk about Brian Baker being severely underrated, as well as Neil Finn (of Split Endz and Crowded House). Thank you for listening! To hear Chris' podcast (240 Gigabytes Of Neil Finn), go to: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2058297 To listen to Chris' band (Cowboy Dan), go to: https://cowboydanmusic.bandcamp.com/ If you have any questions or comments (or if you want to send some extra words of encouragement) contact us at: [email protected]

On August 9, 2025, in exactly one year, three months and one day later, jesse and jamilah saw Bad Religion (this time with Dropkick Murphys and the Mainliners) at Pier 17 in NYC.  Given the cancellation of last autumn's tour, jamilah had been waiting excitedly for this mini tour.  So of course, she wanted to record any first impressions jesse (in particular) had- did he still think they were mid as a live band?   This episode was recorded immediately after the show (with two very tired people who were running on very little sleep), so thoughts (obviously) were not fully formed, and surely, some things were wrong.  Once jamilah attends the following two shows in New Jersey next week, there most likely will be an episode with some actually coherent thoughts.   (Intro: Performance from MTV's Most Wanted, 2 February 1995, hosted by Ray Cokes) Thank you for listening! If you have any questions or comments (or if you went to this show), we're at:  [email protected]

Because this is a Bad Religion podcast, it can be assumed that the only people who generally (or predominately) would be on the episodes would be those who are giant fans or appreciators, and know a lot of things regarding the band.  While we obviously love when this happens (and welcome it at all times); one of the things we've been open about is welcoming folks on who know very little, or nothing at all.  Given that jamilah is a longtime appreciator, it is always wonderful to hear perspectives from new ears. During a weekend of Metallica-related events, jamilah sat outside of a bar with Amanda, when the bartender put on a mixed soundtrack of Metallica (of course) and Bad Religion.  Both of them were singing along, so it was figured that Amanda was a giant fan of BR.  It was discovered that while Amanda is indeed an appreciator of the band; however, she was only familiar with Stranger Than Fiction, as well as Greg Graffin's third solo album, Millport.  So of course...  she had to be on an episode.  Amanda and jamilah also discuss Ozzy Osbourne's passing, the Punk In The Park controversy (and petition), lyrical admirations, musical similarities and more. Thanks for listening!  If you have any questions or comments for us, go to:  [email protected]

While Bad Religion is one of jamilah's favorite bands (obviously); Jay Bentley is one of her biggest bass inspirations.  Listening to the songs as a whole is one thing, but listening to what the bass actually does in the songs is another- and Paul Hodgert, fellow bass player (and old school BR 'true' (aka bigger fan of the earlier parts of the catalog)) spent some time with her to talk about their favorite Jay (and Paul Dedona) moments, as well as what makes Jay Bentley such a crucial part of the experience. The list isn't complete (again, obviously), and they realized after the fact the number of songs they missed.  They also talk about Mel Brooks and satire, Black Sabbath, jazz' connection to punk, and more. Other songs in this episode: -Paul Hodgert, Flat Earth Pilot (Paul Is Dead, 2024) -Paul Hodgert, I'm So Tired (Paul Is Dead, 2024) -Joan Jett & Greg Graffin- Let's Do It (Laguna Tunes, 2000) Thanks for listening!  If you have any questions or comments for us, go to:  [email protected]

After a few years of conversation, curiosity and anticipation; on the 2nd of June Bad Religion's official Youtube channel premiered the first episode from the first (of two) season(s) of the 'Decades' series, aired in 2020- at the time when concert venues were shut down to the public.    jamilah (of course) has seen this before but she wanted to share this moment with jesse, particularly to see if he'd change his views on BR as a live band.  Has this episode changed his mind, or is he still not convinced of their greatness?  Thanks for listening- and watch along with us if you'd like! jamilah's piece on Punk Rock Bowling, mentioned in the episode:  https://theonewomanapollo.com/2025/06/06/punk-rock-bowling-and-reconnecting-to-my-roots/ If you have any questions or comments for us, go to:  [email protected]        

(Currently, jamilah is in Las Vegas, Nevada for Punk Rock Bowling, but she recorded this quick episode right before packing to go.) Harmonies and background vocals are an integral part of Bad Religion's sound in many ways- so much that they are famously (of infamously, depending on whom you speak to) known on the albums as the 'Oozin' Aahs'. While they are beloved in the BR community, jamilah doesn't necessarily hear a lot of people talking about them... Hence, this episode, which of course was incredibly difficult to do. Thanks for listening!  We would love to hear what some of your favorite Oozin' Aahs moment are!  Let us know at: [email protected]     

On March 5, jesse and jamilah recorded a whole episode together, discussing their favorite songs on all the Graffin solo records (as well as the Population Wars 7"), only to discover after the fact that JESSE'S MIC WAS NOT ON!!!!  Despite the fact that picking only three songs per record for jamilah was incredibly difficult (because she pretty much loves all of the songs), and that jesse was not at all into his second album Cold As The Clay (but was more into American Lesion and Millport); it was an incredibly fun episode to record.  So we decided to post it anyway.  Hopefully we got it to where jesse was audible enough to hear, and that the variation in sound is not distracting to the point of not enjoying the episode.  Our full conversation was not featured here (so we don't torture you too much).  This most likely means that jamilah will be doing episodes covering the albums (plus the 7") as a whole, as a part of our 'In Defense Of' series.  Apologies for our error and mishap, and thank you for listening!!!!! If you wanna (lovingly) yell at us and stuff (about our error, and about how jesse is a hater of Cold As The Clay), go to: [email protected]  

As promised (somewhere in the scope of an episode- or two or three), we are taking time to discuss the non-lyrical material of Professor Graffin, whom jamilah very openly considers to be one of her favorite writers.  This first episode has her musing about his 'Punk Manifesto', which was, if we are not mistaken, written in the late 1990s (of course, if we are incorrect, please correct us).  There's also a discussion of current events, because of course there is. Music Featured: -Evangeline -Epiphany -Infected -The State Of The End Of The Millennium Address -Dream Of Unity -Strange Denial -Sanity -Lose Your Head -Whisper In Time The Dichotomy -Empty Causes -The Voracious March Of Godliness -Faith Alone -To Another Abyss Thanks for listening! To read 'A Punk Manifesto', you can check it out here:  https://punxinsolidarity.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/punk-manifesto-by-greg-graffin/ Or here (in Spanish, though not a complete version): https://gargantas-libertarias.blogspot.com/2012/09/manifiesto-punk-por-greg-graffin-bad.html Petition for the Kononovich Brothers: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/ukraine-stop-the-assassination-of-the-kononovich-brothers Reach out to us at:[email protected]

This episode was directly inspired by the announcement of the mini tour with Dropkick Murphys.  Nothing more, nothing less.  We are absolutely excited to be seeing the band live again (and we hope you get to see them too); until then, we hope you enjoy this episode.  If you want to tell us about some of your favorite BR shows, or if you have any questions or comments, we are at:  [email protected] 

We innocuously recorded this on February 13 (because it was a fit for everyone's schedules); but to be reminded after the fact that this humble little podcast was started one year ago to the day of this episode's recording, was an incredible surprise. We feel nothing but gratitude for Mr. Jim 'punk whisperer' Ruland to have spent part of his day with us (again, innocuously) on this anniversary.  The contributor to fanzines such as Flipside and Razorcake (respectively), he is also the author of various short stories (Big Lonesome) and novels (Forest Of Fortune, Make It Stop); as well as Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall Of SST Records.  He is the co-author of Giving The Finger (with Scott Campbell, Jr.), My Damage (with Keith Morris), and of course, Do What You Want: The Story Of Bad Religion.  jamilah and Mr. Ruland discussed everything from the connectivity and joys of punk and the vulnerabilities of relationship building (as well as its heaping contradictions), our shared friendships with Keith Morris (whether brief or longer term), surviving the struggles with addiction, the gift of the tattoo journey, the importance of Bad Religion's music around the world, the gift of watching the band at work...  and of course, the minimal coverage of the amazing Into The Unknown in Do What You Want.  Thank you for being here with us, and sticking with us!  it means a lot.  To keep up with Jim Ruland, subscribe to Message from the Underworld. For any questions or comments, we are at:  [email protected] 

Yes, we have a(nother) episode where jamilah reads far too much into some lyrical content...  That is how her brain works though, and a podcast is a pretty good outlet for these sorts of ruminations.  One of the most contested songs in Bad Religion's catalog, jamilah attempts to make a case for the brilliance of 'I Love My Computer', due to the juxtapositions of emotions/sensibilities, as well as its ability to effortlessly weave through commentary, humor and pathos.  What are your thoughts of the song?  Let us know at:  [email protected]  Thanks for listening!  

Well...  An inauguration in the Yew Ess Uv Ayyy just occurred.  Given where we're at, at this point in time; it is certainly apropos to have an episode where we discuss the 2019 album, Age Of Unreason.  While jamilah does have quite a few unsurprising critiques, she ultimately considers it to be a beautiful work of art, and massively on time.  And on time it is, because sometime in the course of recording this episode, certain (obvious) harmful executive orders have been immediately signed, a certain Elon Musk is out here doing certain salutes, and the MAGAites are imploding.  And in a last-ditch effort to attempt to get people to not think about his war crimes, Biden (before the end of his term) pardoned Marcus Garvey, but only commuted the sentence of Leonard Peltier, because revolutionaries who are still walking this earth are too much of a threat for these people, regardless of age of physical condition.  What a time to be alive.  Another day in the life in the Snakes...  Also, in the midst of editing this episode we found out the Santa Ana winds have started up again, prompting more fires- this time in San Diego.  Please, everyone be safe.   i have not seen specific things regarding assistance for people dealing with the fires yet; however, there's the San Diego County Mutual Aid site: https://www.weallwegotsd.com/ And again, mutual aid for Los Angeles: https://mutualaidla.org/ Another mutual aid list: https://www.fireaid.info/ Assistance for our non-human friends in Los Angeles:  https://www.animalwellnessfoundation.org/ If you want to contact us, go to:  [email protected]  Thanks for listening!    

While jamilah absolutely adores Bad Religion (as a band); we could not think of a better person to be on this episode than jesse, the resident Brett Gurewitz fanboi.  We know about his work regarding the running of Epitaph Records; we know of his history and present role as a producer, mixer, and other behind-the-scenes activities; and of course, we know him as the main co-songwriter, guitarist and Oozin' Aahs contributor of Bad Religion.  However, we don't really hear many people talking about his musical projects outside of Bad Religion- this includes Gurewitz himself. While we give Mr. Brett his flowers and discuss three short-lived musical projects in particular- The Seeing Eye Gods, Daredevils and Error- we ask the question, 'WHY??!!'  Why were these projects not really discussed in Do What You Want, and how many people know about these records? (We think Dean Opseth's name also kept getting mispronounced as 'Ospeth'; we apologize!!!) Thanks again for listening! For anyone in Los Angeles needing resources, go to:  https://mutualaidla.org/ Another mutual aid list: https://www.fireaid.info/ Assistance for our non-human friends in Los Angeles:  https://www.animalwellnessfoundation.org/ If you want to contact us, go to:  [email protected] 

Both inspired and influenced by punk culture and music, Abby Denson and jamilah met as teenagers in the 1990s, and immediately started a band (where jamilah played guitar, and Abby played bass, respectively.  Mayumi (who is still in both of their lives) played drums).  While jamilah's introduction to Bad Religion was No Control; Abby's was the band's first album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?; in terms of the band, this is where the two part ways- jamilah continued to purchase their records (as well as going backwards); Abby never found the interest to move beyond that.  We suppose that she found other bands to inspire her to pick up the thesaurus.  When we found out that Abby was only familiar with the first album, we knew that she was the perfect candidate (no pun intended) to be on an episode.  What made it even more interesting was that she's actually seen them live (with her husband, who is a longtime BR appreciator).  We gave her one song from every album to listen to (except the first one, of course), And she and jamilah converse, leading to a few interpretations of select songs that are...  interesting, to say the least. There is also discussion of how Los Angeles is burning (and of course, this has never been a truer song more than now); how some music and art have been misappropriated by people who do not mean well, as past works have the capacity to lose context as time goes on; how some parents refuse to teach their kids about the world around them; as well as a personal evolution of the Crossbuster's significance.  Thanks so much for listening! For anyone in Los Angeles needing resources, go to:  https://mutualaidla.org/ To go to Abby's site, go to:  https://www.abbydenson.com/ Give us a holler at: [email protected]     

The title of this episode is exactly what we're discussing- The Christmas Songs album/EP, which was released 11 years ago, in 2013!!! Despite not being or feeling sick, jamilah woke up with some hoarseness out of nowhere, thereby making her a little pony.  Still, she powered through, and recorded this episode, which hopefully is not too horrible, and will bring some 'comfort and joy' to who whoever listens. A couple of things not mentioned in the episode were that the vinyl edition of the album/EP was one sided, with an etching on the 'b side'.  Also, 20% of the proceeds from the album have gone to SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests which of course is very fitting. Christmas Songs was co-produced by Joe Barresi, along with Brett Gurewitz and Greg Graffin.      We'd love to hear from you!  Contact us at:  [email protected]   

jamilah sits down with her collection of vinyl and CDs (and one digital track), formulates a response to a question most people probably didn't ask- and made an episode out of it. We hope you find something positive in there somewhere.  This was not an easy one to do- but we did it!!! What are some of your favorite non-album tracks? Let us know at: [email protected] 

It is an annual tradition in this time to celebrate the hatching of both Greg Graffin and Bad Religion; however, for many, the celebrations are somewhat clouded by the announcement of Donald J. Trump's presidential second term.  jamilah responds to this announcement, as well as adds context to the conditions that created an environment where a Trump could (and would) be elected.  Album: https://teodorasfist.bandcamp.com/album/one-day-i-slipped-and-fell-on-a-thought We'd love to hear your thoughts!  Contact us at: [email protected] 

Not only is Greg Graffin one of jamilah's all-time favorite songwriters; he is also one of her all-time favorite vocalists.  He is ignored among the cacophony of best of lists, but we are here to give the man his flowers, even if others aren't aware of his amazingness. This episode was incredibly challenging, as there are too many great songs and moments to choose from, to narrow down in an episode.   But of course she, along with jesse, made it work.  There were commonalities and differences; there were surprises and well-known favorites.   This is the first of a series of 'favorites' episodes; we will also be giving some love to the drums, bass, guitars...  and even the Ooozin' Aahs.  Thanks so much for listening!  What are some of your favorite Professor Graffin moments? Let us know at: [email protected] 

Our objective to connect with others who may not be familiar with Bad Religion's music always gives us various perspectives we may not have actually thought about, given our familiarity with the music.  And even with our knowledge, there are things we don't necessarily know.  This is why we do this podcast- to learn from others, and expand our analytical horizon.  We were happy to have friend, educator (and science fiction fanatic) Dennis Hill on an episode, to share some thoughts!  Despite holding similar sociopolitical ideas, our methods of processing Bad Religion's music held some variances/differences, which was actually a major surprise for us.  Songs Featured: -The World Won't Stop -All Fantastic Images -Bored And Extremely Dangerous -Let Them Eat War -Flat Earth Society -Part II (The Numbers Game) -Markovian Process -Chaos From Within -Inner Logic -Hear It (This episode was recorded on June 21, 2024- of course there have been inevitable social and political shifts (and life events) since this conversation.  However, the primary points haven't changed.) Thanks so much for listening!  We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]   

Anyone who has listened to this podcast at any point may be aware of our adoration for Into The Unknown, an album we feel has been unfairly maligned.  While we understand on some level that some don't connect with it (and why they may not), we still feel it's attacked on unnecessary levels, especially because it laid the groundwork for every single thing that came after it.    This episode is our love letter.  Thanks so much for listening!  What are your thoughts on Into The Unknown? Let us know at: [email protected] 

The moment (which has been discussed on a few episodes) has finally arrived- Bad Religion (plus Social Distortion and Lovecrimes) came to town.  jamilah was incredibly excited, but what did jesse think about his first live experience with all of the bands?  They discuss song wish fulfillment, navigating unfamiliar environments, meeting Jay Bentley, receiving setlists, as well as sudden pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises.  In the middle of all of this we discovered that Steve Albini (jamilah's favorite producer of all time) passed; we discuss his philosophy, some of his works, as well as his evolution as a human.  Special thanks to Rob and Carly. (Also, editor's note number 5!!!  It was tonsil cancer, not tongue cancer.  We wanna be respectful, and get it right!  Apologies for the error.  A lot of editors notes for this episode!) Thanks so much for listening!  We'd love to hear any thoughts you've had about any of the shows you've seen on this tour, any thoughts about Steve Albini, or whatever queries or comments you have: [email protected] 

Podcasting of this type is an interesting, sometimes vulnerable space; on one end, it allows you more opportunities to 'be yourself', without the constraints of corporate instruction.  On another end, you don't want to divulge so much information about yourself that it ends up isolating and uninteresting.  When you think about it, this is not unlike the process of a songwriter.  This delicate balance was explored on our latest episode, as jamilah (who at the time of recording was experiencing a mental health crisis) spoke with Lisa Loving, a fellow writer (who wrote the book Street Journalist: Understand & Report The News In Your Community) and long time friend.  As Lisa has experienced the end of a marriage, the premise of this episode was to connect her experiences with select songs from the Bad Religion (and Greg Graffin) catalog; but it ended up being a larger conversation about how capitalism (and all its appendages) pervades so many of our interactions and unconscious choices.  It was ultimately unexpected, but anyone who has heard this podcast knows this route shouldn't be a surprise.  Surprise or not, it was something that took jamilah out of the head space that started the episode, and that is much appreciated.  (Note: The episode was recorded on April 6, so there are some things discussed in the episode that have come to pass.  There are a series of events currently happening that may have been touched on, but we also did not foresee). Thanks so much for listening!  We'd love to hear from you: [email protected] 

First thing's first- this episode is being uploaded the same day as the 32nd anniversary of Generator- so...  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!  Secondly, this was an incredibly difficult list to do.  This band has too many great songs.  i don't know if i'm the only person on earth who loves all of the albums (i hope i'm not!!!), but this was definitely a great challenge, thinking about all of the songs and their significance, either personally or in accordance to the subject matter. Thanks so much for listening!  We'd love to hear what your favorite songs are!  Are they staples in your life, or a current love, based on an experience or live performance?  Let us know: [email protected]  (p.s.  When talking about the North Star paper, i think i said it was published in the year 1947, but i meant 1847!!!  This is one of the things that happen when you record at 3am!!!)

Though music is generally seen as a universal experience, not everyone shares the same ways of experiencing it.  THIS PODCAST STRIKES FIRST! is an outlet for folks to come on and share their feelings and interpretations of Bad Religion's music, particularly if it's something new for them. Since we love and know the catalog, it's exciting for us to share in the excitement of a person's first listening experience. jamilah's occasional co-host of the podcast Music And We, jesse, was kind enough to jump into the pit, so to speak.  In the episode we discuss jesse's feelings on and interpretations of ten songs he randomly picked (out of a list of 27).  Throughout, we discover jesse's (subconscious) love for Brett Gurewitz, we ask the question of why Graffin and Gurewitz are not on 'greatest songwriter' lists; jamilah hears about strange Pentecostal songs, and of course...  there's a political and musical hot take (or two). Thanks again for listening!  If you want to contact us with any questions, comments and/or suggestions, the address is: [email protected]

This is one of the best post-inaugural episode gifts we could have.  We are incredibly appreciative for Emily Davis, El Paso, Texas-based singer-songwriter (and MASSIVE Bad Religion appreciator) taking some time out and spending some of it with us.  You may be familiar with them from being in the BR community, by finding their covers of Bad Religion on Youtube...  or by hearing their band, Emily Davis And The Murder Police.  Emily and jamilah speak on various topics such as the importance of intersectionality in music, how BR's music inspires a creative process, the pitfalls of a 'Vote Blue No Matter Who' perspective, the humanism and empathy of the band's lyrics, tour experiences (and the kindness of the band and crew), the positive qualities of being in the BR community, and of course...  Into The Unknown. If you want to contact us with any questions, comments and/or suggestions, the address is: [email protected] Thanks so much for listening!

Greetings!  jamilah is a giant nerd when it comes to music she likes, and after recording a somewhat in-depth episode for another podcast, she came up with the idea to center a whole podcast around appreciation for the music and experience of Bad Religion.  Who knows where this podcast will go; that said, there's no real harm in sharing the joy of music that inspires people to ask some poignant questions, and sing along at the same time.  We hope you (yeah you, your name here) will be able to take something positive with you in this episode, as well as moving forward.  Thanks again!