In 1989, when a promoter asked Jay if they wanted to play in Germany, his response was like, “Are you kidding me, man? We just lost money in America! Do you think we’re going to fly halfway around the world, not even speak the language, and get our asses kicked?” But they went and absolutely loved it. Jay said, “It was amazing how well the band was received there.” So they played in Germany in 1989, ’90, and ’91 (they still did some West coast shows, but no more American tours for a while, thanks to Europe and especially Germany). In ’91, they even played a festival with The Pixies, Danzig, Stiff Little Fingers, The Alarm, 999, and Ride. Germany is still the most Bad Religion-loving country in Europe. “Stranger Than Fiction” (the album) made it to the Top Ten, reaching No. 6, I think. “The Gray Race” was No. 11 on the German charts and No. 60 for the whole year. “Punk Rock Song” was also a hit, staying in the charts for over 20 weeks, I believe. The German music television channel VIVA even had a one-hour special on Bad Religion on 11/6/96, featuring interviews, videos, and live footage. At the Lorelei Festival, they were second to the top of the bill, right after David Bowie and before Iggy Pop, Pulp, and a bunch of other Britpoppers. At first, they thought it might be a mistake, but no, they are actually popular. Brian said, “In the United States, it’s usually preaching to the converted and a bunch of kids who saw a video on MTV. Strangely enough, in Germany, we found that people are much more in tune with the lyrics and the message we’re trying to convey. And I find that especially hard to understand because of the language barrier. There are many Americans who can’t even understand some of the lyrics that Greg Graffin writes, yet we go to Germany and despite the language barrier, people seem to respond and understand exactly what is meant. I still can’t explain this phenomenon. I’ve been blown away by it for 2 or 3 years now, and I still don’t know how you guys do it. The majority of the people, I believe, really understand what’s going on,
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.
Leave a Reply