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UCLA Rocks! The 10 Best Bruin musical acts/artists of all-time

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performs the national anthem before the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on January 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performs the national anthem before the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on January 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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4. Bad Religion

Punk rock can be gritty, but punk rock can also be smart. Punk rock can double-major as an undergrad and also get a masters in geology at UCLA. And if that is not all, punk rock can get a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell.

Dr. Greg Graffin, lead singer of the Los Angeles-based punk band Bad Religion, is as punk rock as you can get. Though he is not known for sporting a mohawk or actually looking like a punk in any sense of the word, Graffin is one of the premier singer/songwriters in the world of punk music.

"I want to conquer the world Give all the idiots a brand new religion Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness and toil Promote equality in all of my decisions With a quick wink of the eye and a “god you must be joking!”"

Excerpt from “I Want To Conquer the World” from the album No Control

Graffin had formed Bad Religion in 1980 in the San Fernando Valley with high school mates, Jay Bentley, Jay Ziskrout and Brett Gurewitz (founder of the L.A.-based label, Epitaph Records which signed bands such as NOFX, The Offspring, and Rancid).

Graffin is indeed a Renaissance Man as he has lived a double life as an academic and a musician for almost 40 years. Not only has the frontman earned a doctorate and an accomplished author, but he has also taught Life Sciences at UCLA as well as a course on evolution at Cornell.

All of this whilst putting out 16 studio albums with Bad Religion and three solo records. Now this is a Bruin that knows how to Fight, Fight, Fight for what he believes in.