When I came of age in the 1990s, Nirvana served as my entry point into music. I gravitated towards the Seattle sound, and when Rancid and Green Day broke through in 1994, I added the punk scene to my rotation. One band I always steered clear of , though, was Bad Religion. Seeing their logo of a cross with a line struck through it, … Read More “We’ve Got an American Jesus:” Songs Against Christian Fascism
For most people, the music of their youth defines them. They stick, in many ways, to the albums and songs that made them who they are today. It becomes an ever-present soundtrack. While this may be true for a most individuals, I find myself constantly seeking out new music that I have never heard just as much as I revisit albums I love. In … Read More “Dissent’s not treason, but they talk like it’s the same”: Revisiting Post-September 11 Protest Songs in the Current Moment
+ afropunk, assignment, composition, music, Pedagogy, punk, zine
This semester, I am teaching Kathleen Hanna’s Rebel Girl and Carrie Brownstein’s Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl. Since I am teaching two memoirs by musicians who came of age and still work within the punk and indie scene, I wanted students to make zines for one of their projects. I have always thought about having students make zines in class; however, I have never had the opportunity … Read More Zine Assignment in the Composition Classroom
During the performance of their song “Holiday” at a recent concert in Washington D.C., Green Day’s lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong asked the stage crew to turn out the lights. He stood on stage, with a flashlight pointed out towards the audience, as they held up their cell phone lights, illuminating the entire stadium, and asked, “Do you want democracy?” The crowd responded with a … Read More “This Machine Kills Fascists” An Antifascist Playlist
+ christianity, howard thurman, jesus and the disinherited, lillian e smith, punk, religion, strange fruit
I don’t remember the first time I heard Regan Youth’s “Jesus Was A Communist” (also titled “Jesus Was A Pacifist”), but I remember the impact it has had on me. On the song, Dave Rubinstein sings, over and over again for four verses, “Jesus was a communist/Jesus was a pacifist/Jesus was a communist/Jesus didn’t like the rich.” Reagan Youth pointed out the intersections between … Read More Christianity and the Manipulation of Power
Interminable Rambling 