Brett: “Hey, the common theory is that we sold out. I’m not gonna argue with that, but I’m only speaking for myself. I don’t think everyone else in the group would agree with me. We’re getting a lot of criticism for signing to a major label, and maybe we deserve it. But you won’t find me getting defensive about it. However, I will say that if you enjoy our music, that’s all that matters to me.” Bobby said BR are sell-outs. “But then again, if we’re sell-outs just because we signed to a major label, then I guess all those other bands like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks, the Clash, and many more were sell-outs too.” Brian: “To sum up my thoughts on the sell-out issue, I believe a band has to cater to both the sound and ideology of the evil major label overlords to be considered sell-outs. I think our albums Stranger than Fiction and the Gray Race show where we stand.” At a Houston gig, Greg explained that they’re not sell-outs like Rush and Foo Fighters. On another occasion, Greg said he couldn’t care less about the whole punk going mainstream, sell-outs, etc. He thinks people spend too much time on that. He titled the song “Punk Rock Song” to provoke a reaction and make people think about the human tragedy, like the one in Rwanda. In 1991, they were asked if resistance music can be mass entertainment, and all BR members answered positively. Brett said, “Protest music has the most impact when it reaches a mass audience.” Brett also explained that he heard Op Ivy broke up because they were getting too popular and it wasn’t considered punk to be super popular. He said, “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I’ve been reading about this issue in Flipside for 13 years. And what it means is simple: people who choose to be punks decide to live an alternative lifestyle outside or on the fringe of the mainstream. So individuals have a choice, either to reject a band, not necessarily because their music changed, but to maintain their chosen fringe lifestyle. Because accepting that band would mean they’re now part of the mainstream. It’s not their fault or the band’s fault. Pop culture is not static, and what was once underground or fringe can become acceptable or mainstream today
This content was originally written by the badass contributors of thebrpage.net, the best superfan resource and website that exists for any band, let alone the best band in the whole entire world. I’ve been lurking on that site for over 20 years and if you’re into Bad Religion as much as I am, I’m sure you’re familiar. If you are not, go there right now and never come back to this site again. You should, and I totally understand.
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