God Gave Rock & Roll To You
A podcast exploring the Christian Rock subculture of the late 20th Century: where it came from, what it was, and what it turned into. With hosts Matt Beaton, Doug Dickens, and Tony Hormillosa.
Episodes
15 episodes since 2024
If Taylor Swift Killed You, Would You Go To Heaven? Beau Jennings Interview (#015)
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 back...
September 14, 2024
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Episode 15
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1:35:29
Sorta Christian: Danny Balis Interview (#014)
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 Christi...
August 31, 2024
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Episode 14
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1:08:30
Write Drunk, Edit Sober: Daniel Hopkins Interview Part 2 (#013)
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 Chris...
August 17, 2024
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Episode 13
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1:06:45
Chik-Fil-A is the Christian Rock of Fast Food: Daniel Hopkins Interview Part 1 (#012)
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 B...
August 10, 2024
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Episode 12
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1:05:27
The Throes - All The Flowers Growing In Your Mother's Eyes (#011)
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...
July 14, 2024
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Episode 11
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1:02:38
Lord Have Mercy On Me: Christian Themes in Secular Music (#010)
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...
June 30, 2024
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Episode 10
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1:12:53
Bowl of Wrath: Questioning the Theology of Christian Rock (#009)
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 ...
June 16, 2024
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Episode 9
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1:10:10
Satanic Panic! The Evils of Backward Masking (#008)
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 sublim...
May 26, 2024
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Episode 8
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1:04:44
Oh My Sweet Rapture! Christian Rock at the End of the World (#007)
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...
May 12, 2024
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Episode 7
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1:03:36
Lust Control! Guilt, Sin and Shame in Christian Rock (#006)
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 St...
April 28, 2024
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Episode 6
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1:06:43
We Get A Big Warm Sweet Interior Glowing: The Music of Terry Scott Taylor (#005)
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 a...
April 14, 2024
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Episode 5
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1:07:37
Church Chad Would Not Approve: Crossing Over into the Secular World (#004)
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...
March 31, 2024
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Episode 4
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1:05:01
I Don't Wanna Get Kicked Out: RIP Michael Knott (#003)
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 ma...
March 24, 2024
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Episode 3
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47:13
If You Can Go Without Sinning For Just One Minute, Then You Can Go Two (#002)
In this episode, we dive into each of our backgrounds and how we were introduced to the Christian alt rock world. We wrestle with hard-hitting questions like, how do you know which album to buy based on the cover art alone? If you can go just o...
March 17, 2024
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Episode 2
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1:13:26
The Choir is the Sex Pistols of Christian Rock (#001)
In this first episode, we tackle the important questions like; Is backwards masking real? Do Catholics speak in tongues? Was Keith Green too preachy? Was it more punk rock to be in a Christian band than to be a punk? Is The Choir the Sex Pistol...
March 04, 2024
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Episode 1
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1:05:52