fat mike vs. xchristian punkzx

I recently caught an episode of Fuse's "Warped: Inside and Out," a show where they take you "backstage" to witness all the happenings of the corporate punk orgy otherwise known as Vans' Warped Tour.

In this particular show, NoFx's Fat Mike sat in on the Warped Tour bible study, occupied by mostly Tooth and Nail bands, all the while cracking jokes and throwing in some casual swearing. It was a very surreal segment. On the one hand, you had Fat Mike who tried to make light of his argument with the bands by saying that he "loved pissing people off." Yet you can't help but think of what his motives were to sit in on a bible study, if not for a laugh at the expense of these kids.

One thing I did notice during the segment was when Fat Mike attempted to debunk their Christian guilt. It was a pretty painful thing to watch, not unlike the drill scene at the end of "Pi." I couldn't help but feel sorry for these bands who, while they meant well, obviously had a lot of issues that had them pulling at both ends. It reminded me of when I was going to SPU and there was a debate regarding girls who were into Jesus the way that they'd be into boys, moving well past admiration and hope and into the romantic jungle.

In a lot of ways, the roundtable discussion Fat Mike has with Underoath, Emery and Amber Pacific is the sort of male version having a romantic sentiment toward the Lord. Not in a sexual manner, but these guys were so heavily into the guilt aspect of it, I don't really see them enjoying their lives, and if a band who moves hundreds of thousands of units can't enjoy their life's work, is it even worth it?