If you listen to Bad Religion and you want to actually listen to what they have to say instead of dressing up in your leather and spikes and just moshing around, you simply have to have a dictionary present.

That's right, a dictionary.

Never before have I listened to a band that throws around as many twelve-letter words as does Bad Religion. I think I knew what such words as "ubiquity," "dichotomy," "perdition," "altruistically," and "progeny" meant before becoming a Bad Religion fan, but I had never seen them really used effectively, especially in a medium such as a punk rock album.

Recipe for Hate is an example of what can be done with punk rock as the artist matures. This album takes the simple elements that make punk great -- speed, simplicity, succinctness -- and adds to them such things as harmony, complex themes, and satire. All of these songs are still punk; they're just punk with a little more.

In these songs you will find a theme of self-determinism and individuality in the face of overbearing pressures to conform to standards, whether these standards come from religion, government, or society. The narrator of these songs has a keen eye for hypocrisy and is not afraid to lament it.

The thing that touches me the most about these songs is the fact that ultimately each person is responsible for his or her own actions. Nobody should even think about saving the world or even another person without first looking inside one's self and making sure all parts are working correctly. "Introverted I look to tomorrow looking for salvation and I'm thinking altruistically." "Lately I've come to see the solution and it begins with me...We have solutions but don't but don't even try... and I feel I know just who to blame: It's my poor friend me." It all starts with the self -- if you can't figure that out then you don't deserve the power to lead others down a path that you consider good for the human race. There is enough inside each and every one of us to continually strive to perfect without to keep us occupied for a lifetime: "You are also one of the me, a complex microcosm of the human race."

Graffin is a clever wordsmith. It would not be as effective to just say "Kill all the leaders," "Anarchy Rules!" and other such cliches you find prevalent in punk rock (which Bad Religion themselves were quite guilty of in their early days) as it is to use puns and satire. "We've got the American Jesus...he helped build the President's estate ... I feel sorry for the earth's population 'cuz so few live in the U.S.A." Tell me that's not effective criticism of our current government. As far as religious salvation goes? "Now everybody's praying. Don't prey on me."

I don't know if Greg Graffin would admit it or not, but I feel this message is at the core of the Conservatism I believe in. I grow weary of politicians and religious leaders trying to lead people, as if people are not wise enough and able enough to lead themselves. Every time I feel down about the world and start looking for people to blame about it I throw in Recipe for Hate and get a little perspective about myself and my faults and what to do about them. I wish more people would do the same.

There is no doubt that Bad Religion is a hardcore punk band. And while I appreciate some hardcore punk, I am by no means a die-hard fan of the music. Recipe for Hate is Bad Religion's 8^th album, and like all bands that have been around that long they have matured and their music has changed quite a bit. Many old fans of their music consider Recipe for Hate to be kind of a "sellout" album, but I think it's a very mature piece of work and the best album of theirs that I have heard. Of course it is also the first Bad Religion that I listened to, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.

After Recipe For Hate, founder Brett Gurewicz left the band and took half of the songwriting ability with him. However, the two subsequent albums are very strong as well and show that the songwriting talents of Greg Graffin are very strong. However, the pressures of being the sole leader of the band shows, as they are lacking a bit in the raw energy that is a part of Recipe for Hate.

Also of interest to modern-day Bad Religion fans is Graffin's solo album American Lesion Here he strays greatly from the speed and simplicity of punk rock and shows his ability as a musician on a variety of instruments. Parts of this album are a little cheesy but taken in its context it's a very solid album lyrically.

The best concert I never saw was a road trip to Milwaukee to see Bad Religion open for Pearl Jam in the summer of 1995. This tour was cut short and for a while it looked like it was going to be the last shows Pearl Jam would ever perform. The reviews of this show were unbelievable (both for Pearl Jam and Bad Religion) and I've been kicking myself ever since for chickening out at the last minute.

When Bad Religion came to Minneapolis to play at the First Avenue club (always a great place for live shows) I wasn't too stupid to miss out on them. I talked a friend of mine into doing a down and back to Minneapolis on a Wednesday night for it and it was a great move.

I don't think I will ever see a person that puts more energy and emotion into every word sung as Greg Graffin does at the microphone. There are some very complex themes running through most of his music, and it's nice to see someone actually get on stage and take that message very seriously (unlike Bono or Michael Stipe, for example). They played a very energetic set and were one of the better live acts I've seen in a long time. They were pretty nice guys too: since it was an all-ages show they cleared the club out after the show and we tagged along behind to talk to the new guitar player (whom my friend and I were familiar with from an embarrassing stint as the lead guitar player for the 80's band Junkyard) who was happy to talk to us about his previous jobs in the industry.