REAGAN YOUTH
Reagan Youth performing at Max's Kansas City Festival at Bowery Electric - 25th of May 2017. By Eranariel. [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
ABOUT
Before Reagan Youth was born, Dave Rubinstein and Paul Bakija started their band in junior high under the name of Pus. This band morphed into Reagan Youth in 1980 after it was apparent the Ronald Reagan was going to win the election. Staunchly against the right-wing conservative values of Reagan, the name “Reagan Youth” was chosen in reference to Hitler Youth, a group of young people who chose to closely follow and support Hitler during World War II. The band’s goal was to expose the evils of society while simultaneously embracing “anarchy, peace, and unity” through the use of irony and extensive imagery often associated with Nazism or the Ku Klux Klan. Rubinstein’s motivation towards making a political statement was fueled parents having been holocaust survivors, suffering under the Nazi regime. Reagan Youth embarked on many tours throughout the U.S., played with Rock Against Racism on the West Coast, and could often be found playing matinee sets at the famous CBGBs in New York, showcasing their strong vocals and highly distorted, fuzzed out guitar. After Reagan’s presidency was over, the band broke up having dealt with financial issues for some time.
1980s
Discography
ALBUMS
Fistful of Metal (1984)
Spreading the Disease (1985)
Among the Living (1987)
State of Euphoria (1988)
1980s
Discography
ALBUMS
Youth Anthems for a New Order - 1984
Volume 1 - 1989
1980s
Band Members
MEMBERS
Paul Bakija – guitar
Dave Rubinstein – vocals
Andy Bryan – bass
Charlie Bonet – drums
Al Pike – bass
Steve Weissman – drums
Victor Dominicis – bass
Rick Griffith – drums
Javier Madriaga – drums
"Reagan Youth"
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Youth Anthems for the New Order - 1984
The anthem for Reagan Youth, “Reagan Youth” epitomizes the overall message of the band through the use of Nazi imagery and humor. With frequent comparisons of Reagan to Hitler and the conservative party to the Nazi regime, Reagan Youth tries to not only villainize Reagan, but to also to ridicule his ideology for being extreme.
ABOUT
We are the sons of Reagan ...Heil!
Gonna kill us some pagans ...Heil!
The right's your sacred mission
Start an inquisition
Gonna purge the heathen minds!
We are Reagan Youth! ...Heil! Heil! Heil!
Reagan Youth ...Sieg Heil!
We are the sons of Reagan ...Heil!
We are the godforsaken ...Heil!
The right is our religion
Reminiscent of the well known “hail Hitler,” the song opens with a hail to Reagan by his followers, namely the conservative party.
We'll watch television
Tons of fun and brainwashed slime
We are the sons of Reagan ...Heil!
We are the unawakened ...Heil!
Want another war?
Forward to El Salvador!
Gonna kill some communists!
We are Reagan Youth! ...Heil! Heil! Heil!
Reagan Youth! ...Sieg Heil!
Don't be fooled!
Reagan Youth believed that the political leaders have control over the media where they used television programs to steer public opinion in their favor, therefore brainwashing the public.
This is a ridicule of Reagan, comparing the reasoning behind his conservative actions to Hitler’s religious basis for the holocaust.
LYRICS
A criticism of right-wing politics eagerness to go to war.
A reference to and criticism of Reagan’s policies towards eradicating communism.
VIDEO
Live performance of "Reagan Youth" in Haarlem 2016.
"Go Nowhere"
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Volume 1 - 1989
“Go Nowhere” is likely referencing the baby boomer generation and their emphasis on material success and climbing the social ladder to achieve the American Dream. While they may achieve monetary success, they are simply falling prey to the system that success is equivalent to the best paying jobs and a home with a white picket fence. The subject of the song differentiates himself from the previous generation in a declaration of defiance towards tradition.
ABOUT
You're a gonowhere! And you don't care!
You're a gonowhere! You're not even there!
Living your life on the conveyor belt
No time to think so your brain just melts
No destination you're lost inside
Standing still, deaf dumb and blind! Go!...
A whole generation of gonowheres
The living dead in 3-D life
LYRICS
People may work hard to achieve their success, but they are still following the path of many before them, simply fulfilling expectations set before them.
Likely a reference to baby boomers, known for their drive towards monetary success and the American Dream.
A whole generation of stagnant lives
Standing still, deaf dumb and blind
You're a gonowhere! And you don't care!
You're a gonowhere! You're fucking lost!
The old bat say i have no manners
Pardon me my manner is my own
I might not climb the social ladder
But I can climb the schoolyard fence
Not allowing himself to be categorized by social standards, the subject of the song is declaring an act of rebellion against the blind expectations of the previous generation.
VIDEO
Live performance of "Go Nowhere" in Tompkins Square 1988.
"No Class"
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Volume 1 - 1989
Similar to “Go Nowhere,” “No Class” is a complete rejection of the conservative ideals of the previous generation. While society always says to respect elders, Reagan Youth is making a statement that this can go too far, as the previous generations try to categorize and put youth into a conformist box rather than allowing them to embrace their own identity.
ABOUT
I say, got no class
I'm just my fuckin' self
And at times i might be gentle
Don't mean that I'm a gentleman
I ain't no conformist mark
I am simply what I am!
Got no class
I say, got no class
I say, got no class...
Got no class
I say, got no class
I say, got no class
I'm just my fuckin' self
The old timer tries to socialize me
And keep me neatly in my place
Excuse me I'm not a category
And cheap profession is not my taste
Got no class
I say, got no class
LYRICS
A declaration that the youth do not want to be categorized, they simply want to be allowed to be themselves.
The older generation tries to place their own ideals on the next generation, pushing them towards the same professions and lifestyles.
The nonconformist youth doesn’t have to be villainized. While they may not conform to the ideals of the older generation, they are still good people with values and goals, just not ones that reflect their predecessors.
VIDEO
"No Class" live in Las Vegas 2013.