'Just Means You Thrive On Shitty Times': Bad Religion On Why Rage's Reunion Isn't So Exciting

The Donald Trump era has widely been suggested why Rage Against The Machine's reformation is coming at the perfect time, but according to Bad Religion, that shouldn't be a reason to get excited. 

Band bassist Jay Bentley says the idea that bad times politically equals good times for music is "a shitty analogy".

"That just means you thrive on shitty times," Bentley said during an appearance on The Green Room with Neil Griffiths podcast backstage at Good Things Festival in Sydney. 

"It's being a bottom feeder... I can't speak for other bands, but I know that as our band, we don't wish for bad times at all," he told host Neil Griffiths.

"Our conscious effort has always just been to ask questions about what can elevate us as a species out of our own quagmire.

"... We either resort to faith and hope, which isn't a bad thing until you turn it against other people... we're just basically looking for a better time, a better people."

While Rage Against The Machine are gearing up for a headlining set at Coachella 2020, Bad Religion are touring on the back of their May-released album, Age Of Unreason, the punk rockers first record in six years. 

Bentley told Griffiths that the current political situation in the US is unlike anything he has seen before. 

"I'm 55 years old and I've never experienced anything like this," he said.

"I've heard about times like this... I've never seen this sort of behaviour from people. It's pretty primal.

"My best hope, and hope is a shit word, is that this is sort of the death knell of the cave man in us and what's going to be born out of this is a more respectful, higher educated population who believes in science, who believes in the better part of human nature and that not everyone that you don't trust is a bad person."

Stream the full Good Things episode (which also features chats with Parkway Drive and A Day To Remember) on Spotify, Apple Podcasts (below) or SoundCloud.