About Us
What does Pop Punk Radio do?
Why listen to Pop Punk Radio?
Old School Era (70s-80s): This basically includes bands such as The Ramones, Descendents, The Queers, The Riverdales, Screeching Weasel & The Buzzcocks. The music was simple, but energetic and played way faster than much of the music of the time.
Q: When you say you're "anti-woke" what does that mean? Do you hate LGBT people?
A: Not at all. Just look at our history of sharing music videos such as Coheed & Cambria's "Island" which features two male street performers who share a kiss at the end, I thought it was edgy for the time and the song has a great message. One of the first videos we ever shared was "Apple Juice" by Taintstick because my podcasting partner at the time liked it and I thought it was funny. I also really enjoy a handful of Pansy Division songs ("Luv Luv Luv" is an all-time fav). We have at least one trans artist in our live radio rotation and I think they have two of the best songs played on our airwaves. I have no problem with people being who they want to be and loving who they want to love.
But do LGBT people show me the same respect?
What I do have a major problem with is having such opinions
shoved in my face or forced upon me or being judged for being a cis "white" male. Be gay all you want. Just don't
expect me to be anything more than an "ally." Unfortunately, in the past
my support of gay or trans people has led me to being surrounded by the
wrong people. Which leaves me hesitant to show such open support moving
forward. If LGBT-nazis are gonna label me and call me names anyways then I have no problems with going back to saying words like "faggot" and using "that's gay" as an insult again. How about that?
I've often been accused by friends and family who
thought I was gay. I'm socially awkward, probably on the autism
spectrum. I may not be gay but I've always related with gay people and had
sympathy for them in terms of feeling like an "outsider."
In a
previous job, I made friends with a trans person who sat in my row
because I witnessed another co-worker in the same row make transphobic
jokes towards them. I could tell by the person's reaction and facial
expression that they were not amused by his jokes. I felt bad for this
person and just wanted them to feel accepted. (That, and the other guy
was kind of a jerk.) So I struck up conversation with them about Star
Trek, a topic I have very little interest in myself. I just asked them
how they felt about the new Star Trek reboot movies and if they would
recommend them to someone like myself who has not watched the original
series. This person was also closer to my age than the other college age
kids in our office and was a fan of The Simpsons. In an office full of
immature college-age shitheads who are all mostly a generation younger than me, I welcome
the opportunity to discuss The Simpsons with someone at work who actually
understands the show and doesn't look at me like a Grandpa when I quote
the show.
In any case, I only wanted a platonic, work-related
friendship with this person. However, this person developed feelings for
me and began stalking me at work, cyber-stalking me outside of work,
and harassing me to the point that I had to report them to HR. They
created a hostile working environment for myself and made other people
form negative opinions about me largely because they were butt-hurt that
they couldn't get what the wanted from me. When my contract at this job
end and I re-applied for a new one during the pandemic, I was not
re-hired and I feel quite strongly that this person was responsible for
sabotaging my career. Why? Because I only wanted a platonic friendship?
What about the douchebag Dylan Bie who made the transphobic comments to
begin with? He still gets to have a reliable job at Pacific Gas &
Electric in Silicon Valley despite being witnessed making transphobic
comments directed at coworkers while on the job? Why wasn't
he targeted with the same level of malicious intent as I was when I
just tried to make a coworker feel accepted? :shrug:
Unfortunately, that person's
behavior also has encouraged me to never be as friendly or supportive of
such people in the future out of fear of my friendship being
misinterpreted. This also wasn't the only situation I had along these
lines, although this wast he only one that creeped me out at such a
personal level. The more common scenario was that I might make a guy
friend at work and be stoekd to have a "buddy" but down the line I start
to pick up vibes that they are attracted to me despite my attempts to
make it clear to people I am not gay. I feel like some people either
don't want to believe me or see it as a challenge. In either scenario,
they were dead wrong and just end up making the friendship awkward.
So
be gay, be lesbian, be trans all you want. If
you write music and I think it's awesome I will play it. But if your
song has words like "patriarchy" in the lyrics or rails too hard on the
Social Justice Warrior or Modern Day Toxic Femnazi narratives, I'll
kindly let you know
that we are not a good fit.
Fly your flag and fly it
proudly. Just don't expect me to fly your flag while people label me
every bad name in the book for being "straight," "white," or "male" and having more moderate opinions on the
subject. I might agree with your cause but why would I want to hang out
at LGBT rallies where I'm likely to get creeped on by men and ignored by
woman if that's not my thing? I'd much rather hang out with a crowd of
dudes I can have a conversation with and not feel like they're going to
hit on me or get offended by everything I say, or with women who don't
think all men are the anti-Christ. This really shouldn't be shocking or
offensive to anyone.
Q: What genres of music do you accept submissions for?
A:
Primarily: Pop-Punk, Alternative, Punk Rock, Rock n Roll, Emo,
Post-Hardcore, Indie, Ska, New Wave. However, we will accept some Hard
Rock, Nu Metal, Hip-Hop, or other genres if the song resonates and fits
with what we are doing.
Q: Do you have a preference for the type of music submitted?
A: Hm... good question. While I used to love me some emo break-up songs, I also feel that listening to such music can cause a person to remain trapped in a depression which can delay the healing process. I really like to support music that has a message of being strong, taking accountability for one's own dumb decisions, overcoming bad habits or addictions, and overall projects a message of positivity. Five or ten years ago I used to listen to the "why did she leave me, why doesn't she love me" songs and related with the emotion of the music, but these days I listen to such songs and think to myself "what a whiny little blue-pilled b**** I used to be!" Does this mean all music on our airwaves has to be "motivational?" No. I will play some sad songs. I still enjoy emo music. Silverstein remains one of my all-time favorite artists and that won't change. I still strongly believe that music should be emotional. But a great song with a positive message is always welcome at Pop Punk Radio.
IE: "Relentless" by The Nearly Deads / "Buildings Tumble" by MxPx / Stay Strong Playlist
Q: Are you willing to accept submissions from Christian artists?
A: Absolutely! We already have more than a few Christian artists in our rotation. Although I won't play worship music or songs that feel too preachy. Songs that mention God are fine. Songs that call me a "sinner" or "lost" for not being overtly religious can take a hike!
IE: "Future Me" by Winona Avenue / "Light" Playlist
Q: Are you willing to accept songs from Atheists?
A: Absolutely! Although I won't play anything that comes across as too disrespectful. I used to love me some "Best God In Show" or "Leaving Jesusland" by NOFX but I would not play those types of songs now out of respect for my audience. I also felt those songs meant much more to me back in 2004 or so when religion was being forced on us much more than it is now. Times have changed. Although I'll keep this opinion on a short leash because some religious people can indeed be quite pushy. If a George W Bush Jr ever became president and started forcing religion on us again, I would likely go right back to listening to songs like "Hysteria" by Aiden.
Q: Do you like songs about outer space, UFOs, or aliens?
A:
Yes and YES! "Aliens Exist" is one of my favorite
songs by Blink 182 along with "Little Weirdo" by The Vandals. Unwritten Law
also has one or two albums themed around UFOs and outer-space with a handful of good alien tunes (Self Titled & Oz Factor). We also have a few more alien/ & outer-space themed songs on our airwaves
including "Aliens" by Naked Walrus. We would love to have more songs of this theme!
Q: What about Halloween or occult themed songs about ghosts, vampires, werewolves, etc...?
A: Also yes! "Vampire Lover" and "Ghost Town Love" by Your Best Nightmare receive heavy rotation on our airwaves and "Pet Semetary" is one of the best Ramones songs ever! Change my mind.
Q: Are you a Democrat or a Republican?
A: Neither. I'm a registered Independent voter. Although many people called me liberal during the George W Bush administration because I didn't want to get sent to fight in a war I didn't agree with and now people call me conservative because I am not a supporter of vax/mask mandates or lock-downs. Maybe I'm just one of those assholes who likes to play devil's advocate? I think there will always be political elements that I will agree / disagree with regardless which party is in control. In terms of polittical parties and polticians, I subscribe to a "don't trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em" philosophy.
I did vote for Trump in 2020 and 2024 after sitting things out in 2016. I was not a supporter of Trump initially and had never voted for a Republican or Democrat until voting for Trump. I typically voted third party or not at all. I live in California and we all know my state's electoral college votes go blue every time. So I vote for other parties I agree with in order to prevent Democrats from going too far with their policies, which they usually end up doing anyways.
After experiencing three years of Trump's presidency, I started to wonder what everyone was complaining about. I had a good job and the economy was great. As a Mexican buddy of mine who became a Trump supporter said, "I never had more money in my bank account than when Trump was in office." The only thing I heard people complain about were personality issues. Well I don't need to like my president. I just need him to do a good job and make my life better.
In January 2020, a coworker point out to me that the only thing people ever say about Trump is that he's "racist" but if you ask them to explain what he's done that makes him racist, they can't provide an answer. I found this to be true, and this fact continued to reveal itself for the following years. I initially had a negative opinion of Trump because a professor in an Environmental Science class that I took in college influenced me to feel this way over something stupid like Trump built a golf course in Palos Verdes, CA and only kept the bare minimum of native vegetation required by whatever dumb environmental agency polices such activity. At the time, I thought "well that sounds like something a typical business asshole would do." But after experiencing Joe Biden's corruption of American politics and prejudice against white men for four years, I say "boo-fucking-hoo about some stupid fucking plants." I want a good economy and a reliable job again!
Nearly every negative thing the lyting-scumbag-media has said about Trump since he decided to run for office has been spun out of context using tiny snippets of larger statements he has made, edited in a way to hide the facts, and told in a way that is highly manipulative and dishonest. In some cases, it has been outright fabricated. Stop letting the media manipulate you with vague and generic statements. If the media tells you someone is "racist" and you don't ask for the facts regarding what actions the person actually made to warrant that claim, then the fault is on you for so easily believing words of people who have a vested interest in manipulating your thoughts and opinions.
You should always ask yourself two questions:
"What is this person telling me? And what do they have to gain from it?"
In many cases, the answer is power and/or money.
Fear is often a tool used to control a gullible populace.
