Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin Talks Evolutionary Science

Greg Graffin is an accomplished academic, having earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a highly respected position as lecturer in evolutionary science at UCLA. Students of rock music, however, know this man not as an evolutionist, but as the lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. In a new book, Graffin combines his two lovesscience and musicto tell a very personal tale.

Graffin has never shied away from voicing his opinions on larger topicsmany of Bad Religion’s songs have showcased Graffin’s rejection of both authority and religion. Anarchy Evolution traces Graffin’s maturation as a musical artist and student of evolutionary science. He discusses his personal tenets and experiences in writings that successfully further a centuries-old debate about the existence of god, the purpose of religion and the reasoning behind human existence. The battle between religion and science is often told in stark black and white, but Anarchy Evolution provides fresh, nuanced insights. Throughout the book, which is co-authored by award-winning science writer Steve Olson, Graffin offers his persuasive convictions about naturalism and espouses a linkage between art, religion and science.

Anarchy Evolution is a timely take on the intersecting viewpoints of science and religion as well as a personal look into how science made Graffin into the man he is today. With a fall tour scheduled for the release of Bad Religion’s 15th album, along with the arrival of Graffin’s book, fans will have a chance to enjoy both Graffin the scientist and Graffin the rock star. In Milwaukee, music and science strike a chord on Saturday, Oct. 9, with a discussion by Graffin on Anarchy Evolution at 6 p.m. at Boswell Book Co., followed by a Bad Religion concert later that night at The Rave.