A Rock-n-Roll day at the Races
Summary
In 2005, Pennywise headlined the "Rock-N-Roar" concert presented by KROQ at the 31st Annual Toyota Grand Prix.
Article
This year it was Bad Religion who pumped out loud music, morphing the lawn in front of the Long Beach Terrace Theater into a mosh-pit overflowing with sweat and slam dancing on April 8. Earlier that day, Southern CalÕs elder statesmenÑBad ReligionÑof punk also spent time near another kind of pit. One that pumps out massive amounts of fuel, changes more tires than Goodyear and makes or breaks the outcome of a race. The racing pit. "Yeah," lead singer Greg Gaffin stated, "we like sports." Guess that spits on the misconception all punkers hate jocks. The life of Bad Religion is sex, drugs, rock-n-roll and sports. Well, sports for certain. "We were down there earlier today," bassist Jay Bentley said, "checking out cars in the garage and down by the pit." Gaffin even managed to drop a joke about NASCAR racer Mark Martin in the middle of the groupÕs set. "You heard that?" he asked, after B.R. wrapped up their performance, "I didn't know if anyone caught that." Truly pioneers of their genre, Bad Religion has been rocking crowds for almost 27 years - that's only a few less than the Grand Prix. After hooking up in 1980, the band released its debut album "How Could Hell Be Any Worse?" in 1982. After a brief break up, the guys reunited in the late-80's and created a string of successful recordings, Suffer (1988), No Control (1989), Against the Grain (1991) and Generator (1992), that solidified their place in music history. On their journey, Bad Religion often crossed paths with fast cars and with racecar drivers. "We used to perform on a lot of racing tours," Bentley pointed out. It's only natural for an affinity to form between the band and some of the men behind the wheel. When asked to name his favorite professional racer in NASCAR, IRL or Champ Car, Bentley replied, "They're dead - and I'm not getting a new one." Bentley's plans might change in the near future, though. It's no secret that Gaffin yearns to take a shot at the Pro/Celebrity Race. In fact, he wanted a crack at it this year. "I wanted to race," Gaffin stated. "I'm serious about that." Apparently, those in charge of selecting the participants in the Pro/Celebrity Race didn't take him seriously. Gaffin's request resulted in a crash and burn. "But they still asked us to play here," Gaffin went on to add. The Pro/Celebrity Race, which occurred a few hours before Bad Religion took the stage, has attracted famous faces and pros for 30 years. This year notable figures who participated in the event included William Shatner (Star Trek), John Elway (football), Exhibit (rapper), Martina Navratilova (tennis), Dave Mirra (BMX), 2005 winner Frankie Muniz (Malcom in the Middle) and 2006 champion Bucky Lasek (skateboard). With Exhibit representing the rap community and Bo Bice providing street cred for pop fans, it only seems fair that someone should have stepped up to the plate for those who support punk rock. Surely the men behind the scenes didn't think the "American Idol" alumnus, who proclaims he's a rocker, filled this role. The 41-year-old Gaffin offered a different explanation: "I told my agent - they told him this is a family event." A strong political stance may have also been responsible for Gaffin's rejection. On the band's latest CD "The Empire Strikes Back," Gaffin clearly attacks the Bush administration and the current military occupation of Iraq. Additionally, touring under a name like Bad Religion couldn't have helped his chances, chiefly with Easter marked on the calendar for the ensuing Sunday. Perhaps Gaffin fell victim to his own reputation, the same one that has made Bad Religion a household name for three different decades. However, Grand Prix officials should remember the old saying, "never judge a book by its cover." This front man is well-rounded and more than just a mouthpiece. In the midst of touring and recording, Gaffin found the time to earn a Master's degree in geology at UCLA and later received a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. So when the selection committee or whoever else decides to snub him in 2007, they better remember to address him as Dr. Greg Gaffin in the heading of their rejection letter. Clearly, he deserves the title. For someone who doesn't fit the profile of a family guy, Gaffin showed genuine concern upon learning his two nephews never received admittance into the backstage area. "I better call them," he said, "right away."
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