Do What You Want, Bad Religion
Do What You Want, Bad Religion
4 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Do What You Want
The Story of Bad Religion

Author: Bad Religion, Jim Ruland

Narrator: Rob Shapiro

Unabridged: 10 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Da Capo Press

Published: 08/18/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

From their beginnings as teenagers experimenting in a San Fernando Valley garage dubbed "The Hell Hole" to headlining major music festivals around the world, discover the whole story of Bad Religion's forty-year career in irreverent style.Do What You Want's principal storytellers are the four voices that define Bad Religion: Greg Graffin, a Wisconsin kid who sang in the choir and became an L.A. punk rock icon while he was still a teenager; Brett Gurewitz, a high school dropout who founded the independent punk label Epitaph Records and went on to become a record mogul; Jay Bentley, a surfer and skater who gained recognition as much for his bass skills as for his antics on and off the stage; and Brian Baker, a founding member of Minor Threat who joined the band in 1994 and brings a fresh perspective as an intimate outsider.

With a unique blend of melodic hardcore and thought-provoking lyrics, Bad Religion paved the way for the punk rock explosion of the 1990s, opening the door for bands like NOFX, The Offspring, Rancid, Green Day, and Blink-182 to reach wider audiences. They showed the world what punk could be, and they continue to spread their message one song, one show, one tour at a time.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Steph on November 12, 2020

Joe Strummer, Sid Vicious, Joey Ramone, Brett Geurwitz, Greg Graffin These are just a few undisputed names of people who made the face of punk as it is today. No one can deny the impact that Bad Religion has had on the music scene since the late 80s. Do What You Want follows the many members of Bad R......more

Goodreads review by Piotr on October 19, 2020

Amazing band, mediocre writing I feel very conflicted about the book. I've been listening to bad religion since I was a teenager and I really looked forward to reading the ultimate biography of my favorite band. Unfortunately the writing seems like a high school essay, and not what I would expect fro......more

Goodreads review by Gabrielle on August 03, 2023

One of the things that amazed me the most about Bad Religion when I first started listen to them, wasn’t just that the music was melodic and loud at the same time, but also that the lyrics were erudite and poetic, that they were designed to make the listener think. They wanted you to slam dance, but......more

Goodreads review by Julie on September 19, 2020

"Bad Religion represents nothing less than the marriage of punk rock protest and intellectual inquiry....[their] legacy is...one that champions questioning authority, challenging dogma, and resisting easy answers. For the last forty years, Bad Religion has urged its audience to think for themselves,......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on August 24, 2020

Read this cover to cover the day it arrived. I am quite a big Bad Religion fan though... he says with more than a little understatement :-) Jim’s writing style is accessible and most people will find this to be an easy read in learning the 40 year history (so far!) of an incredibly influential band,......more


Quotes

"[A] fascinating story... the band has overcome a lot of challenges over the years, and this sufficient narrative documents every one of them."—Kirkus

"Ruland serves up a heady, revelatory collaboration with the enduring punk band Bad Religion... his testament to the value of hard work and independent thinking offers a thrilling alternative to the conventional rise-and-fall rock narrative."—Publishers Weekly, "Summer Reads Staff Pick"

"[DO WHAT YOU WANT is] the book treatment their legendary career deserves."—Entertainment Weekly

"A breezy and enjoyable oral history of being in one of the most respected and enduring punk acts in American history."—A.V. Club