THIS PODCAST STRIKES FIRST!

He May Make Flash Art, But He's Gonna Be Here For A Long Time: A Conversation With Jared Gaines

*(This episode was recorded on the 25th of March 2026; Watch-o! is still okay so far; however, we also want to send condolences to the community and loved ones of Bo Lueders, of the band Harm's Way and the HardLore podcast, who has passed on since the recording of this episode.  If you are mentally struggling (and many of us are), please call the 988 hotline (if you live in the US), and whatever other hotlines are available globally; you are definitely welcome to reach out to us as well.) In keeping with our objective of this podcast to be about community, it would make obvious sense to have someone on whose art has been inspired by the band.   jamilah initially learned about Jared Gaines when someone shared a poster they'd gotten of his art, where every piece was themed around the Suffer album.  As a person who is heavily tattooed (and who loves tattoo art), within minutes she ordered the poster.  Obviously, the poster looks much better in person than it does on a screen, and she had to find the person behind the art. (She has a couple of BR-related tattoos, and intends to get at least a couple more, including one of Jared's pieces.) Jared and jamilah discuss being straight edge, contradictions in the hardcore scene, the inability to detect/read satire, meeting aliens (and what music they would choose to present to them), the importance of fundamentals, alternatives to problematic promoters, and of course, tattoos, and Bad Religion.   Thanks for listening! For information about Jared's art, go to: https://jaredgaines.com/ [https://jaredgaines.com/] If you have any questions or comments for us, we're at: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com [thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com]

TPSF 2nd Anniversary Episode: Some Bad Religion Songs, Relevant To Our Modern Times

Given the current state of world affairs you may hear in certain circles, "(insert band) is massively needed right now."  Bad Religion tends to be one of the bands high on that list- the thing is though, their music has gone nowhere.  They have a whole catalogue of 17 albums (plus b-sides and more) to listen to, which is pretty timeless.  To be honest that is sad to say; because none of these songs should be, as that means the system is sill oppressive.    One thing we DO know is that they've been here the whole time, and their music will last long after they're gone.   This episode is a list of jamilah's personal choices- one song per album (in order to make things fair) for the 'soundtrack of the current times'.  It must always be noted that (a. this list, as usual, was incredibly difficult to do; and (b. these views are jamilah's, and (of course) may not necessarily be an accurate interpretation/representation of what the band intended.    She's also using equipment she's never used for the podcast before; and while things were tested out, she's still experimenting.  So looking back, the mic's gain most likely needed to be reduced.  Life is a series of lessons.  i hope none of this takes away from the episode, which we, of course, will always be grateful for your taking the time out of the day (or night) to listen.   What are some BR songs you connect with in these times?  Let us know! thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com [thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com]

2025 Year in Review

As 2025 winds down, we felt it was time to reflect upon the year...  Many interesting (and wonderful) things happened, and we do not take that for granted. Thank you all (again) so much, for taking the time out to listen to this humble little podcast.  See you in 2026! Anytime you want to contact us, we are here: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com [thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com]

Two Punk Kids And Some Microphones: A Conversation With Brian Baker

There's something to be said for having conversations with people who have made a positive impact in your life in some way: The more opportunities we have to do it, the less separate we become from each other.  We value wisdom and the mass range of experiences; and ideally, the more we converse with those who have inspired us, the more human they become. It's not unlike someone who donates a kidney, donates blood for crucial transfusions, or sat with you and listened when you were feeling at your lowest.  Music is no different.   Obviously we do this podcast because Bad Religion is one of our all-time favorite bands; but we want to also humanize the experience.  Whether someone got into them yesterday or has been into them since 1981, all of us are misfits who connect with this band in our own ways.  However, we can't forget that we also have very human experiences- which is why we connect to the music.   And who comprises of Bad Religion?  A group of humans, who have very human experiences.  jamilah always says they're "imperfect people who make perfect music." So as we've had teachers, graduate students, preacher's kids, ginormous fans and newbies alike (and more) on this podcast- and we hope this continues-   our door will (also) always be open to the people who inspire all of us in this journey- the band.   Because guess what?  They are humans too.   The human who so kindly spent part of his day with us this time is Brian Baker- a man who, if we named every band he was in, it would probably go over the word limit.  To start, he is associated with three bands who have been cited as among the most influential bands in punk/hardcore:  Minor Threat, Dag Nasty and (of course), Bad Religion.  He played on stage with Carlos Santana's band when he was 12.  He is a survivor.  And in this latest iteration of his journey, he is a published author of a photography book.   In this conversation, Brian and jamilah speak about a wide range of topics:  the power of seeing kids starting their own scenes, the joy of going to shows, support during sobriety, Phil Upchurch & Steve Cropper (RIP), The Denny's Grand Slam, the importance of literacy (and being a good listener), tattoos and more! Shoutout to Christina and Victoria. Thank you once again for listening! To get Brian's book, The Road, go to:  https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/the-road/ [https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/the-road/] jamilah's piece on George Carlin:  https://jamilah1.substack.com/p/people-say-they-love-george-carlin [https://jamilah1.substack.com/p/people-say-they-love-george-carlin] Where you can find the 'Bumblebee' song: https://teodorasfist.bandcamp.com/album/one-day-i-slipped-and-fell-on-a-thought [https://teodorasfist.bandcamp.com/album/one-day-i-slipped-and-fell-on-a-thought] If you have any queries, comments or critiques, send them here: thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com [thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com]

The Drum Episode!!!!!!

In the continuation of the series highlighting our favorite things about the band's respective instruments, we finally have an episode about the drums.  In doing this episode, jamilah heard some things that made her choices even more difficult, but fun. What are some of your favorite things about BR drums?  Let us know!   thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com [thispodcaststrikesfirst@gmail.com]