The Record That Changed My Life: Mike Patton on Bad Brains- Bad Brains (1982)
Banned in D.C. with a thousand more places to go.
Bad Brains, Banned in D.C.
Gonna swim across the Atlantic, cause that’s the only place I can go.
You, you can’t hurt me, why I’m banned in D.C.
People say that the best about the Bad Brains is the fact that they were all black and still more radical than every white band. As far as I’m concerned, they could have been green, yellow, or purple- what made them really special was their music. The immense energy that was (and still is) in their songs. When I heard them for the first time, I sat there stunned and with my mouth open, mumbling „Oh my God!” to myself. With 14 or 15, hardcore and death metal had already started to bore me. I thought: for a moment this was breathtaking, but what comes next? Then I came along a tape of the Bad Brains, it was their debut that had ‘Pay to Cum’ on it. It blew me away!
In no time, I collected everything by them I could find, especially live recordings on cassette- those I swapped obsessively. There was probably no other more active tape-dealer at Highschool than me. I ran a blooming business with the Bad Brains bootlegs. And with every new recording I managed to put my hands on, I understood a bit more why this band was different than any other band: they played hardcore in the most melodic way one could imagine- with incredible skills on their instruments, and vocals that were so exciting that it left you speechless. I actually considered H.R. as the only singer in hardcore who was really a master in what he was doing, whereas others would pretend to be something they lacked the class for. H.R. showed me the way. Through him, I became the singer I am today.
by Mike Patton
I’ve never been a fan of the hardcore genre. My favorite American “punk” album of the 1980s is Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime.
I agree. If you’re attracted to the feeling that the music is trying to transmit, that’s enough. I still need to dig deeper into “Hardcore”, it´s an interesting genre. Thanks for introducing me to Bad Brains, I´ll definitely check out their CBGBs live gig !.
And Paul is nobody
Bad Brains was an important band in the US for many reasons. But most importantly they were the best hardcore available. The speed and adrenaline very stop the band from being musical or melodic. They simply wouldn’t obey the rules. Great choice. Thank you.
Bad Brains good, Faith No More not good. But I liked “Easy”.
He’s absolutely right, the Bad Brains are one of the very best. Bad Brains + Dead Boys forever!
And Paul is nobody jaja!
And Paul is nobody
King for a day, fool for a lifetime 👑
First of all: American punk is the real thing.
Great choice, the Bad Brains album is a stone cold classic and fresh and terrifyingly fast to this day. Insane Their CBGBs live gig is pure energy and insanity. Love their self-proclaimed “PMA”: positive mental attitude. Salute
Bad Brains is like the unexpected cocktail served in a full pint: I&I Rasta – Supertouch/Shitfit
I totally agree, The CBGBs concert is really worth to see.