The Diviners

Andrew Beaujon sees the future of rock, and it is Christian.

by Laura Barcella

June 13, 2006

Andrew Beaujon drew the name of his new book, Body Piercing Saved My Life, from a t-shirt popular at Christian rock festivals. On the front of the tee reads the aforementioned slogan. On the back? An image of two outstretched palms with puncture marks through them. Get it — body piercing as metaphor for Jesus? Oh, those kooky Christians.
    To research the book, Beaujon — a D.C. native, Spin writer and former indie-rock notable (of short-lived but much-loved band Eggs) — traveled the country for six months and interviewed the key players in America's flourishing Christian rock scene.
    Beaujon tagged along with Pedro the Lion's super-emo singer/songwriter David Bazan, the brash, eyeliner-ed boys of POD and cheesy late-'90s one-hit wonder-group Sixpence None the Richer.
    Though he doesn't buy what they're are selling, Beaujon emits nary a hint of music-snob cynicism — even in trickier moments (like when he accompanies anti-abortion organization Rock for Life to a pro-choice rally).
    With about 50 percent (!) of Americans now identifying as "born again," Christian music just might be the future of rock, minus the sex and drugs. I asked Beaujon what the fuss was about. — Laura Barcella

What provoked you to write Body Piercing Saved My Life?
[My interest] started with a conversation with a friend who had just graduated with a Masters of Divinity from a seminary in Richmond, Virginia (where I was living at the time). He grew up listening to Christian rock; I didn't know anything about it. I pitched it as a story to the Washington Post.

When I was preparing for the Post article, I had trouble finding anything about Christian rock that wasn't written by someone who loved Christian rock — or magazine writers who were just sneering about it.

How did you manage to stay so neutral throughout your interviews and your writing?
I'm glad you feel that way, because that was something I really strived for. I'm not religious; I guess the right term for me is agnostic. I think atheists are like those people who don't have TVs — they always tell you about it. For me, it's just not part of my life.

Before I read the book, I had no clue that some of the bands you mentioned were part of the Christian rock world. Did you come across many bands like that?
You'd be surprised at the number of bands that have Christian rock roots, like Chavelle; and [the number of bands] with an uneasy relationship to Christian rock, like Switchfoot. Then there are bands that got out of it, but are going back to the Christian market, like POD.

There are Christian bands in the public eye that seem to go back and forth between the [mainstream and the Christian rock scenes], like Under Oath, one of the headliners at this year's Warped Tour. But as evangelicalism becomes a more mainstream part of American life, we're going to see a lot more bands that are openly part of that world.

Is Amy Grant still around?
Oh, yeah! She's married to Vince Gill — remember him? The country singer? For me, she was Christian rock — for a lot of people, she still is. I went back and listened to her stuff while writing this book, and was very impressed with her songwriting.

What else impressed or surprised you while immersing yourself in this world?
How open people were in talking to me. I was worried about it.

Christians in the music business are a lot more conversant with pop culture than is usually evident, which was a surprise. Also a surprise was that there were good bands. Me without You, one of the bands I saw at Cornerstone [Christian music] festival — their show reminded me of Rites of Spring shows I used to see as a kid.

A lot of these bands idolize U2, a group made up of Christians that you don't have to be Christian to like. I think a lot of the difference between European and American Christians is that Bono can sing directly about his faith, or he can sing about lemons, but he never has trouble connecting with people.

Does Bono talk much about his faith?
Yes, he talks about his doubt a lot. Over the past few years, a lot of Christian bands have become much more bold about discussing their struggles with faith, though they rarely talk about their doubt, [because it's] taboo. Which is why David Bazan is such an interesting character, because he's all about doubt.

It seems strange to separate the sex and drugs from rock 'n roll. Do you think the Christian rockers miss that stuff?
I have a unique perspective because I grew up outside D.C. The music scene here was heavily influenced by bands that didn't drink, smoke or do drugs. I don't think they missed out on anything, or piggybacked on the valiant drug taking efforts of other bands.

One thing I found, though, is that a lot of Christian groups drank a lot more than you'd expect. They were just much more careful about people seeing them.

Did you witness any typical rock 'n roll behavior?
No, not at all — other than people thinking what they do is as important as curing cancer. [laughs]

You wrote that fifty percent of Americans consider themselves born again. Why isn't Christian rock more mainstream than it is?
Being born again and being evangelical Christian aren't the same. A lot of people consider themselves born again, but not part of evangelical culture. But evangelical culture is growing, and I think Christian music will continue to grow and cross over.

In a lot of ways, I think being Christian is the ultimate American experience. Americans always believe they can better themselves and change their lives. As long as people think their lives can be better, there will always be new Christians, and as long as there are new Christians, there's a market.

Did you find it alarming that so many of the people you encountered were so strongly anti-abortion?
I wouldn't characterize the scene as strongly pro-life. A lot of evangelical Christians are pro-life, but a lot of Catholics are, too. It really depends on someone's background.

But you didn't meet many pro-choicers in the Christian rock movement, right?
No. There's not a lot of liberal politics in evangelical Christianity, in general. But there's not a lot of liberal politics in America, either.

Did you meet anyone who stood out as being especially outrageous or nutty?
I don't think I talked to anyone whose beliefs were too nutty . . . That's important to remember — these aren't wackos in Idaho growing their own food. These are really normal people. It's just that, as opposed to your average San Francisco or New York resident, they believe they're going to heaven when they die. They believe there's a very clear path to heaven, and that the Bible is literal.

It's important for people outside of middle America to remember what mainstream views are. I feel like I've learned a lot about the country. n°

©2006 Laura Barcella and Nerve.com