THIS PODCAST STRIKES FIRST!
THIS PODCAST STRIKES FIRST! is a recognition of the impact/significance of the band Bad Religion in not only the punk, but musical (and philosophical) landscape. It’s also a celebration of the communities who have found inspiration through the gift of their music.
Episodes
Saturday Apr 27, 2024
Talking Divorce (songs and more), with Lisa Loving
Saturday Apr 27, 2024
Saturday Apr 27, 2024
Podcasting of this type is an interesting, sometimes vulnerable space; on one end, it allows you more opportunities to 'be yourself', without the constraints of corporate instruction. On another end, you don't want to divulge so much information about yourself that it ends up isolating and uninteresting. When you think about it, this is not unlike the process of a songwriter.
This delicate balance was explored on our latest episode, as jamilah (who at the time of recording was experiencing a mental health crisis) spoke with Lisa Loving, a fellow writer (who wrote the book Street Journalist: Understand & Report The News In Your Community) and long time friend. As Lisa has experienced the end of a marriage, the premise of this episode was to connect her experiences with select songs from the Bad Religion (and Greg Graffin) catalog; but it ended up being a larger conversation about how capitalism (and all its appendages) pervades so many of our interactions and unconscious choices. It was ultimately unexpected, but anyone who has heard this podcast knows this route shouldn't be a surprise.
Surprise or not, it was something that took jamilah out of the head space that started the episode, and that is much appreciated.
(Note: The episode was recorded on April 6, so there are some things discussed in the episode that have come to pass. There are a series of events currently happening that may have been touched on, but we also did not foresee).
Thanks so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
20 Favorite Bad Religion Songs... for now.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
First thing's first- this episode is being uploaded the same day as the 32nd anniversary of Generator- so... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
Secondly, this was an incredibly difficult list to do. This band has too many great songs. i don't know if i'm the only person on earth who loves all of the albums (i hope i'm not!!!), but this was definitely a great challenge, thinking about all of the songs and their significance, either personally or in accordance to the subject matter.
Thanks so much for listening! We'd love to hear what your favorite songs are! Are they staples in your life, or a current love, based on an experience or live performance? Let us know: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com
(p.s. When talking about the North Star paper, i think i said it was published in the year 1947, but i meant 1847!!! This is one of the things that happen when you record at 3am!!!)
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Bad Religion, as interpreted by a Preacher's Kid (featuring jesse j.)
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Though music is generally seen as a universal experience, not everyone shares the same ways of experiencing it. THIS PODCAST STRIKES FIRST! is an outlet for folks to come on and share their feelings and interpretations of Bad Religion's music, particularly if it's something new for them. Since we love and know the catalog, it's exciting for us to share in the excitement of a person's first listening experience.
jamilah's occasional co-host of the podcast Music And We, jesse, was kind enough to jump into the pit, so to speak. In the episode we discuss jesse's feelings on and interpretations of ten songs he randomly picked (out of a list of 27). Throughout, we discover jesse's (subconscious) love for Brett Gurewitz, we ask the question of why Graffin and Gurewitz are not on 'greatest songwriter' lists; jamilah hears about strange Pentecostal songs, and of course... there's a political and musical hot take (or two).
Thanks again for listening! If you want to contact us with any questions, comments and/or suggestions, the address is: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
A Conversation With Emily Davis
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
Saturday Feb 24, 2024
This is one of the best post-inaugural episode gifts we could have. We are incredibly appreciative for Emily Davis, El Paso, Texas-based singer-songwriter (and MASSIVE Bad Religion appreciator) taking some time out and spending some of it with us. You may be familiar with them from being in the BR community, by finding their covers of Bad Religion on Youtube... or by hearing their band, Emily Davis And The Murder Police.
Emily and jamilah speak on various topics such as the importance of intersectionality in music, how BR's music inspires a creative process, the pitfalls of a 'Vote Blue No Matter Who' perspective, the humanism and empathy of the band's lyrics, tour experiences (and the kindness of the band and crew), the positive qualities of being in the BR community, and of course... Into The Unknown.
If you want to contact us with any questions, comments and/or suggestions, the address is: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com
Thanks so much for listening!
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
The Inaugural Episode!
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Greetings! jamilah is a giant nerd when it comes to music she likes, and after recording a somewhat in-depth episode for another podcast, she came up with the idea to center a whole podcast around appreciation for the music and experience of Bad Religion. Who knows where this podcast will go; that said, there's no real harm in sharing the joy of music that inspires people to ask some poignant questions, and sing along at the same time.
We hope you (yeah you, your name here) will be able to take something positive with you in this episode, as well as moving forward. Thanks again!