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Before Nirvana ever recorded a note, Greg Graffin's band, Bad Religion, was brilliantly fusing punk rock intensity with philosophy. Who else but Graffin would cite both Black Flag's 'Nervous Breakdown' and Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle as major influences? With wit and brutal honesty, Graffin brings to life his unique journey: his parallel paths as an academic with a PhD in Zoology and that of an internationally influential punk rocker. He offers insights into band dynamics, the creative process, the way that art and career intersect with personal lives, the Southern California punk scene of the '80s and '90s and the currents of the music business that artists deal with along the way. --Danny Goldberg, author of Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain Greg Graffin has been in the guts of the Punk Rock machine for literally decades. I would dare say there's not a lot you can tell him he doesn't already know. Any observation Greg makes is from the front line and worthy of consumption. In Punk Paradox, Greg meticulously lays out the evolution of Bad Religion not only as a band working to stay relevant but also as an entity that's had to carefully navigate great success and the myriad challenges that come with it. Good stuff. --Henry Rollins

A captivating character study of someone pursuing his passions in seemingly contradictory fields and staying true to himself and his own inner compass. Ultimately being able to experience that journey in detail as a reader may be Punk Paradox's greatest gift. --Flood Fascinating... Written with the nuanced detail for research of an academic, but balanced out with a punk rocker's experience, Punk Paradox is a rock memoir unlike most...Greg Graffin knows how to tell a compelling story. --New Noise Greg Graffin's new memoir documents the endless trials and tribulations, as well as the colorful characters who come along with it, all taking place on the allegorical campus of Graffin U. Rather than focusing on elements like the now-iconic crossbuster logo or major moments in the band's rich musical canon, PUNK PARADOX tells a compelling -- and sometimes turbulent -- tale of an artist and academic's pursuit for understanding and (dare I say?) enlightenment. --SPIN [A] thoughtful, deeply personal memoir... [Greg Graffin's] descriptions of the natural world in relation to his emotional growth is as compelling as it is astute, and Graffin is passionate in his reminiscences of a time when punk rock was not distorted with the often deserved stereotype of violence and anger. Readers will discover a trove of insights into the music industry and living creatively. --Booklist The hard-driven Graffin compellingly and eloquently describes the rewards and pitfalls of a career as successful musician and academic that will fascinate general readers. --Library Journal A well-crafted memoir and manifesto... An entertaining, memorable look at 'the most intractable paradox of all: punk as a positive force in society.' --Kirkus Fearlessly pulling back the veil to show us the unpretentious, self-aware, deeply sensitive pacifist with a love for humanity and going against the grain, Greg Graffin shatters all expectations and assumptions of what it means to be punk rock, inviting us all to evolve. --Aimee Allen, lead vocalist of The Interrupters Before Nirvana ever recorded a note, Greg Graffin's band, Bad Religion, was brilliantly fusing punk rock intensity with philosophy. Who else but Graffin would cite both Black Flag's 'Nervous Breakdown' and Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle as major influences? With wit and brutal honesty, Graffin brings to life his unique journey: his parallel paths as an academic with a PhD in Zoology and that of an internationally influential punk rocker. He offers insights into band dynamics, the creative process, the way that art and career intersect with personal lives, the Southern California punk scene of the '80s and '90s and the currents of the music business that artists deal with along the way. --Danny Goldberg, author of Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain Greg Graffin has been in the guts of the Punk Rock machine for literally decades. I would dare say there's not a lot you can tell him he doesn't already know. Any observation Greg makes is from the front line and worthy of consumption. In Punk Paradox, Greg meticulously lays out the evolution of Bad Religion not only as a band working to stay relevant but also as an entity that's had to carefully navigate great success and the myriad challenges that come with it. Good stuff. --Henry Rollins

The hard-driven Graffin compellingly and eloquently describes the rewards and pitfalls of a career as successful musician and academic that will fascinate general readers. --Library Journal A well-crafted memoir and manifesto... An entertaining, memorable look at 'the most intractable paradox of all: punk as a positive force in society.' --Kirkus Fearlessly pulling back the veil to show us the unpretentious, self-aware, deeply sensitive pacifist with a love for humanity and going against the grain, Greg Graffin shatters all expectations and assumptions of what it means to be punk rock, inviting us all to evolve. --Aimee Allen, lead vocalist of The Interrupters Before Nirvana ever recorded a note, Greg Graffin's band, Bad Religion, was brilliantly fusing punk rock intensity with philosophy. Who else but Graffin would cite both Black Flag's 'Nervous Breakdown' and Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle as major influences? With wit and brutal honesty, Graffin brings to life his unique journey: his parallel paths as an academic with a PhD in Zoology and that of an internationally influential punk rocker. He offers insights into band dynamics, the creative process, the way that art and career intersect with personal lives, the Southern California punk scene of the '80s and '90s and the currents of the music business that artists deal with along the way. --Danny Goldberg, author of Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain Greg Graffin has been in the guts of the Punk Rock machine for literally decades. I would dare say there's not a lot you can tell him he doesn't already know. Any observation Greg makes is from the front line and worthy of consumption. In Punk Paradox, Greg meticulously lays out the evolution of Bad Religion not only as a band working to stay relevant but also as an entity that's had to carefully navigate great success and the myriad challenges that come with it. Good stuff. --Henry Rollins

A well-crafted memoir and manifesto... An entertaining, memorable look at 'the most intractable paradox of all: punk as a positive force in society.' --Kirkus Fearlessly pulling back the veil to show us the unpretentious, self-aware, deeply sensitive pacifist with a love for humanity and going against the grain, Greg Graffin shatters all expectations and assumptions of what it means to be punk rock, inviting us all to evolve. --Aimee Allen, lead vocalist of The Interrupters Before Nirvana ever recorded a note, Greg Graffin's band, Bad Religion, was brilliantly fusing punk rock intensity with philosophy. Who else but Graffin would cite both Black Flag's 'Nervous Breakdown' and Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle as major influences? With wit and brutal honesty, Graffin brings to life his unique journey: his parallel paths as an academic with a PhD in Zoology and that of an internationally influential punk rocker. He offers insights into band dynamics, the creative process, the way that art and career intersect with personal lives, the Southern California punk scene of the '80s and '90s and the currents of the music business that artists deal with along the way. --Danny Goldberg, author of Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain Greg Graffin has been in the guts of the Punk Rock machine for literally decades. I would dare say there's not a lot you can tell him he doesn't already know. Any observation Greg makes is from the front line and worthy of consumption. In Punk Paradox, Greg meticulously lays out the evolution of Bad Religion not only as a band working to stay relevant but also as an entity that's had to carefully navigate great success and the myriad challenges that come with it. Good stuff. --Henry Rollins

Author Information

GREG GRAFFIN is the lead singer and a songwriter in the punk band Bad Religion. He obtained his Ph.D. in Zoology at Cornell University and a masters in Geology from UCLA. He has lectured at UCLA and Cornell where currently he teaches evolution. He is also the author of Anarchy Evolution, co-authored with Steve Olson, and Population Wars: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence. When he is not on tour with Bad Religion he divides his time between upstate New York and Southern California.

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