God Gave Rock & Roll To You

Send a text We're back! In this episode we discuss the Christian Rock period of Bob Dylan's discography: the trilogy of albums Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love. Did you know that Dylan played harmonica on a Keith Green song? Also, learn how Dylan tried to convert his producer Jerry Wexler while recording Slow Train at Muscle Shoals. Is Bob Dylan still saved? Also, we touch on t...

Send a text We finally get to Matt and Doug's all-time favorite Steve Taylor album, 1987's I Predict 1990 . We cover the first three songs, beginning with "I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good", about an ice cream salesman who blows up an abortion clinic to make sure he still has a clientele to sell to. Next, "What Is The Measure Of Your Success" skewers the big business Wa...

Send a text We cover the second half of Steve Taylor's album On The Fritz, focusing on two songs: "I Manipulate", which tackles the warped theology of Bill Gothard, a minister who preached strict hierarchy in the family, and "Lifeboat", which critically discusses Values Clarification, a movement in the early 80's that emphasized personal values over values given from...

Send a text We continue our comprehensive exploration into Steve Taylor's ouvre, this time tackling his second full-length album, 1986's On The Fritz . We cover the secularization of the sacred with "This Disco (Used To Be A Cute Cathedral)". We try to figure out what "On The Fritz" means. We discuss whether "It's A Personal Thing" makes sense anymore i...

Send a text We continue our ridiculous in-depth, track by track analysis of Steve Taylor's first full length album, 1984's Meltdown, covering the last five tracks. Standouts include the great song "Sin For A Season" and "Guilty By Association". Bands/ Artists discussed: Steve Taylor Starflyer 59 Dance House Children Pixies The Smiths Morrissey Mountain Goats The Weake...

Send a text We continue our track by track analysis of Steve Taylor's work. We only get halfway through his classic first full-length album, 1984's Meltdown, because there is so much to talk about. Highlights on this side include Taylor's groundbreaking song "We Don't Need No Colour Code" which boldly takes on racism in the Church, and "Am I In Sync", which...

Send a text We're back for a new year! This is the first in a series of episodes diving into the music of Christian alternative rock artist Steve Taylor. His music was ubiquitous in our youth, and we are going to go deep into his songwriting, both musically and lyrically. Steve Taylor was a pioneer in Christian rock, using his formidable songwriting skills to skewer American culture and Churc...

Send a text We continue our conversation with comedian Jeremy Alder. He describes how his preaching stints at Mennonite services primed him for standup, and how his divorce led him to find a connection in the stand up comedy community. He discusses the art of "clean comedy" and how his negotiations with the faith of his childhood have provided a source for his work. Bands/ Artists discus...

Send a text We interview the standup comedian Jeremy Alder, who draws comic inspiration from being brought up in a Fundamentalist Christian family and being homeschooled his whole life. He talks about loving Michael Jackson, then being confused when all the cool music and his TV suddenly went away. We explore the dubious science and anthropology lessons from the A-Beka homeschool curriculum, remem...

Send a text We diverge from our usual discussion about music to touch on the intersection of Christian faith and politics. Using Lee C Camp's recent book Scandalous Witness   as a starting point, we discuss the various attempts by Christian religious movements to co-opt U.S. politics from the left and the right, and try to articulate a proper Christian response to political action in a plural...

Send a text We talk with Doug Van Pelt, frontman of the Christian hardcore punk band Lust Control and founder of Heaven's Metal Magazine. In Episode 6, we did a critical takedown of what we consider to be troublesome content in the Christian Rock of our youth, specifically relating to shame and guilt-inducing themes, and singled out Lust Control as one of the worst offenders. Doug Van Pelt of...

Send a text We have a great and wide ranging conversation with Brett Tohlen, Matt's songwriting partner from their band Lewis. Brett talks about growing up listening to the local Christian radio station, then discovering U2 and James. Matt and Brett discuss their years spent writing songs together, and Brett describes some of the themes behind the lyrics of their album "Even So". Do...

Send a text We talk to the Oklahoma musician and filmmaker Beau Jennings of the bands Lasso, Cheyenne, and Beau Jennings & The Tigers. Beau talks about Christian ska, youth group rallies about "taking our country back", and religion and faith as a backdrop to music writing. Tony & Beau talk about Okie Noodling, Will Rogers and all things Oklahoma. We create a string-map connectin...

Send a text We interview the Texas musician and radio personality Danny Balis, from the bands Sorta, King Bucks, Bastards of Soul and Silver Skylarks, and from his long tenure on Dallas' talk radio show The Ticket. We talk about his journey through Christian Rock as a youth under the tutelage of Brother Bruce, throwing his secular records away, returning to Satan by buying an Iron Maiden reco...

Send a text We continue our conversation with musician Daniel Hopkins of the band Radiant, also known as Denim Wonder. Daniel recounts how Radiant got to play in Times Square on New Years Eve for the Jimmy Kimmel Show. We discuss the current state of Christian music. We talk about what is was like to be a Christian on tour, including encountering softball-sized mounds of cocaine. Tony wants to kno...

Send a text We have our first guest!!  We talk with the musician Daniel Hopkins of the band Radiant, also known as Denim Wonder. He talks about growing up with Christian music, sneaking secular CD's into the house, loving Creed and The Dave Matthews Band, listening to great music in spite of the lyrics, and songwriting. We discuss the "dangerous songs" of our youth. Matt keeps talki...

Send a text We discuss the video of the Mike Knott tribute concert that just dropped on YouTube. Matt listens to Starflyer 59 for the first time ever. We take a survey of secular songs that were co-opted by Christians for their own purposes. Matt describes his teenage initiation into the Cult of R.E.M. We take a deep dive into the seminal Christian alt-rock album "All The Flowers Growing In Y...

Send a text In this episode, we explore the spiritual roots of popular music and listen to examples of Christian themes that have shown up outside of the Christian Rock cloister throughout the decades, from Black Gospel quartets, through Elvis, Johnny Cash, and into the modern rock of the 1990's and 2000's. Plus, another edition of "We Were Wrong", Tony's idea for a rock b...

Send a text We revisit some of our favorite Christian rock songs from our youth and discuss the lyrics and theological messages that were being communicated through the music. Also, did Dante create our modern conception of Hell? Why do we talk about Adam Again so much? How was one of the most uplifting hymns of all time written by a man who lost everything? Does God hate us? Bands/ Music discusse...

Send a text SPOOKY ALERT: We delve into the Devil-obsessed 80's, when demonic messages were deciphered by playing rock music backwards. We listen to some of the most notorious tracks and test for ourselves whether nefarious incantations were being subliminally infiltrated into the minds of the youth. Also, was skate culture Satanic? Did Led Zeppelin record Stairway to Heaven in Aleister Crowl...

Send a text The Apocalypse is here in this week's episode! We discuss how Premillennial Dispensationalism informed the American Evangelical culture in the 70's and 80's, and how the End of Days affected the Christian music of the time. Also: what do you do when the Rapture doesn't happen in the middle of 7th grade Bible class? Is not sinning more important than loving your neig...

Send a text In this episode, we explore how ideas about Christian guilt and shame found their way into Christian rock. Also, have you ever seen 60,000 grown men weeping like babies? What is "The Big M"? What's so bad about music with a message? Is Ringo Starr still alive? Bands discussed: Altar Boys Keith Green Lust Control One Bad Pig The 77's Mike Knott Steve Taylor The Beatl...

Send a text In this episode, we dive into the catalog of Christian alt-rock artist Terry Scott Taylor, who began his career fronting the band Daniel Amos, and went on to make albums with the Swirling Eddies and Lost Dogs, as well as recording many solo albums. We courageously face eternal conundrums such as, was Amy Grant into the occult? What are the Seven Mountains of cultural dominance, and how...

Send a text In this episode, we dig into the concept of “crossing over”, when Christian artists would try to break into the mainstream music world. We dig into crucial topics like, were all of the founders of CCM on drugs? Is David Bazan too preachy? Can God be embarrassed? We open this episode with an exhortation from our brother Church Chad, who just wants to keep his brother in line. Bands disc...

Send a text Michael Knott passed away on March 12, 2024. He was a highly prolific musician and label owner who fronted many bands, including Lifesavers, Life Savers Underground, L.S. Underground, L.S.U., Cush, Bombay Babies, and more. He also released many solo albums under his own name. For the three of us, he is important as the main force behind Blonde Vinyl Records. For a couple of glorious ye...