How I Started Believing in Bad Religion
A lot has been happening in my life lately. I went to Spain for a vacation and will write more about that. I had unexpected but much-needed dental surgery that relieved me of immense pain after I developed inflammation in my tooth canal.
On the first day of my trip to Valencia, I saw Bad Religion live for the first time. Itās one of the bands I first heard at 14 while playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Like many millennials, my life and music taste were forever changed and molded for the better, thanks to the fine work of the six-member team that curated those soundtracks. They directed me to great hardcore punk and hip-hop albums.
In my article published today in ISK Web Magazine (unfortunately, only in Bosnian, but you can use auto-translation to read it; itās pretty decent), I mentioned these details, but I might have left the impression that Bad Religion has been part of my life for 25 years.
It hasnāt been. Iāve always loved some of their songs, but as I started playing music, my taste shifted more towards non-melodic genres like grindcore, extreme metal, and punk, which are rougher and gruffer than sing-alongs.
However, my first band was Rapa Nui, if we donāt count projects that never left the rehearsal space. We started as a four-piece, then became a three-piece, and our music leaned more towards NOFX and less towards Bad Religion. I was just starting to play bass in 2005 (actually began in 2003, but I wasnāt focused until 2005), and my songwriting skills were non-existent.
Therefore, all the music and lyrics were written by Rapa Nuiās founder, Bambi, who was into melodic punk, along with the drummer and other guitarist. I was more of a Motƶrhead guy myself, always scolding them for the āpussy-ass music they listened toā (excuse my millennial vocabulary, but thatās how we talked back then).
Even Last.fm statistics show that I wasnāt really paying attention to Bad Religion; aside from a few listening sessions in 2006, I didnāt play a single Bad Religion song personally for 9 years.
Then, in June and July 2016, I played songs from How Can Hell Be Any Worse and Recipe for Hate albums. On September 1, 2016, for unknown reasons, I played True North and The Empire Strikes First albums three times each, with some songs being played even more.
Sudden surge of interest in Bad Religion
My interest in the legendary album Suffer and excellent late addition True North exploded in 2017, with over 45 plays of each album that year. The obsession, including other albums, lasted until 2024 and 2025, when I evidently grew tired of the band after it finished year after year in my list of most-listened-to artists since 2016.
After much introspection, I canāt pinpoint why I fell so hard for the band. Yes, my initiation was undoubtedly due to THPS games and their soundtracks. The years that went by without me listening to the band were filled with growing up and trying to discover and establish myself as an individual, even within the social group of like-minded individuals. The only reason I can correlate with my sudden surge of interest in Bad Religion is reading āNOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories.ā The blunt autobiography of one of the most famous punk bands ever includes stories of Fat Mikeās praise for Suffer by Bad Religion. I think he called it the best or perfect punk album of all time, or something like that, citing it as hugely influential.
First Rapa Nui gig back in 2005 - I am playing bass
That could be the missing link because I started listening to more NOFX around the same time I began paying more attention to Bad Religion.
However, I think subconsciously something changed in me around that timeāI was turning 30, and although years never meant much to me other than a reason to throw a party for my birthday, I guess I was doing a lot of introspection. My private life was turbulent then, with me getting a new job and wrestling with a failing relationship. There was a lot of booze involved and loneliness at night.
Maybe during that period, I looked back at my past and remembered my band Rapa Nui fondly, all the fun we had, and those childhood memoriesāthe innocence of the post-teen years when youāre stuck between being a teen and an adult. Maybe I just grew tired of full-speed-ahead rock and needed more melody in my life.
I definitely found it with Bad Religion (and NOFX). I am genuinely thankful to have had the chance to see Bad Religion live and enjoy the show. For the last ten years, they have been the soundtrack of my growing up.
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