"SOMETIMES THE MOON AND STARS WILL CATCH YOU BY SURPRISE"

This memoir, written by Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin, was an absolute pleasure to read.

Go ahead and buy it now. For yourself or as a gift. It's not only for Bad Religion fans; the book will be interesting to any of us who have juggled multiple identities while trying to remain true to ourselves.

I listened to the book on Audible. A fun little bonus: Greg himself narrates the first and final chapter.

"IN SO MANY WAYS WE SHOW OUR PAIN IN UNISON"
Greg walks us through his childhood in Wisconsin. His dad is a university professor and his mom a university administrator. The “broken home” he endured and the racism he witnessed. His academic family culture, his early musical influences, and his move out west.

“NAVIGATING A SPRAWL WITHOUT END"
In the Los Angeles suburbs, Greg doesn't exactly fit in. After some typical teenage heartbreak, he dyes his hair and "goes punk." He forms a band with some local friends, and, in his father's academic tradition, aims to write deep and thoughtful lyrics, inspired by the writing and anti-establishment (punk?) ethos of Charles Darwin. Greg doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't like conflict; he doesn't at all fit the punk stereotype of his time.

"YOU'RE ONLY AS ELEGANT AS YOUR ACTIONS LET YOU BE"
Greg goes on to describe the decades of songwriting, recording albums, touring worldwide, and more, all the while tending to (and at times neglecting) his academic life and personal life. Studying early vertebrates as he worked towards his PhD and headlining stadium shows in Germany. Balancing the peer-accepted DIY punk mentality and signing a four-record deal with the world's largest record label. Coping with changes in popular culture and the meteoric rise of poppy and (at times) vapid punk music.

"WHAT WAS ONCE IS REDUCED TO REMEMBRANCE"
Greg does a nice job of neatly summarizing his 58 years. His storytelling is great and, as expected, his writing is rich and poetic at times.

Overall, in the legacy and tradition of Bad Religion lyrics, the book is educational, thought-provoking, and inspiring.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Amazing

With Greg’s writing, I felt like I was with him the whole time. If you’re a fan of origin stories, check this out!

Excellent story, well told.

Brought back so many memories of great shows and good times. I really loved the chronological description of the band and Greg’s journey.
Highly recommended.

Great listen

An interesting look at it influential band. Worth the listen, both for his intellectual assessment, and the history of bad religion.

Emmett

I am a huge bad religion fan and it was an amazing story and very well written.

Great entertaining read!

Dr. Graffin's life reads like a case study supplement to a Malcom Gladwell book. Definitely made my daily commute entertaining and educational! It was kool to directly correlate Greg's lyrics to his educational journey.

Simply Awesome!

If you love Bad Religion or Greg's lyrics, you gotta read this. It's a great book in every aspect - it's a very inspiring story. Also, the narrator does an excellent job.

Very interesting book about part of my favorite bands history

I usually listen to books as I fall asleep. This book kept me up because I thought it was so interesting. It had me reflecting on my own journey of being a “punk”. How I came to start listening to BR and how I have evolved from a young punker to an adult who still loves the genre but as he puts it in the book, not doing very punk things. I just really enjoyed this book.

A Memoir of Punk

I really enjoyed this book. It made me realize just how much punk raised me and how much Bad Religion shaped my growth as an intellectual human who loves punk and also got a PhD. I feel like I went to Graffin U.

Graffin delivers! Narrator manages to not get in the way

As a devoted and near lifelong Bad Religion fan, and Graffin devotee, I was almost certainly going to like this book. And I did. My main fear was that the narrator would fail to handle Graffin’s signature vernacular or bungle delivering his unique authorial voice. But he did better than expected. If you’re a fan of Bad Religion or Dr. Graffin’s work as a scholar,
I recommend this book. If you’re not a Bad Religion fan, or Graffin admirer, it’s a decent enough memoir but may not offer much for you.

Side note: Bad Religion fans will surely note the many subtle references to BR lyrics and song concepts that deliberately emerge from the text. It’s a real treat to discover those and for them to enhance your appreciation of the songs.