Looking For A Visionary: Redd Kross on YouTube

Published on May 30th, 2008 in: Issues, Music, Top Ten Lists, Underground/Cult, Video |

By Less Lee Moore

thescream

Although Redd Kross recently reformed with its finest line-up to date (Jeff McDonald, Steve McDonald, Roy “No Relation” McDonald, Robert Hecker) and although they have been playing shows all over the world for the past few years (UK, Spain, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago. . . to name a few) I’ve chosen to focus on ten older videos (plus one honorable mention).

Some of these are the videos that got me hooked on the band in the first place, so I’m hoping to induct new fans into their Popular Cult by sharing them with you here. Since I haven’t seen most of these since the pre-YouTube Stone Age, I’m thrilled that I am finally able to enjoy them once again.

Note: One may find all sorts of Redd Kross oddities on YouTube if one is so inclined.

10. The Muffs interview on KDOC’s Video Request show
Although the Muffs are the guests, Redd Kross shows up at the KDOC studio around four minutes into this clip, part two of two on YouTube. From the hairstyles of the band and the fact that Criss Crass is there as the Muffs’ drummer, I think this took place around 1990. A person who appears to be guitarist Eddie Kurdziel is introduced as “Flakey Jake.” What’s really hilarious about this video, though, is right towards the end, when Jeff McDonald starts gossiping about The Nymphs and Steve McDonald makes a not-so-subtle reference to the animosity between Nymphs singer Inger Lorre and Courtney Love.

9. “Ballad of a Lovedoll” on KDOC’s Video Request show
Cutoffs, teased hair a la Axl Rose. . . oh youth.

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Redd Kross in Creem

8. “Neurotica,” live at Variety Arts Centre
This is a kick-ass, non-lip-synced performance from around 1987. Robert Hecker provides an eerily-accurate vocal facsimile of Kiss’s Paul Stanley, but my favorite part is the trademark choreographed McDonald thrashing around the two-minute mark.

7. Decoupage, Episode Two
During the height of their retro-kitsch, uber-long-hair phase, Redd Kross appeared on cable access TV show Decoupage (hosted by the stylish Summer Caprice) to discuss television and argue about which was a better show: Small Wonder, Punky Brewster, or Webster. Band friend and fan Ann Magnuson makes an entrance halfway through, looking fabulous.

6. Cover of “Kappa Ex” by Shonen Knife on Decoupage, Episode Two
Words don’t do justice to this delightfully loopy, over-the-top performance.

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5 Responses to “Looking For A Visionary: Redd Kross on YouTube”


  1. Cave-In:
    June 14th, 2008 at 9:36 am

    Oh, that performance of Don’t Worry Kyoko is gold! A good Redd Kross video memory for me was when MuchMusic played my request for the “Yesterday Once More” video on the Wedge. My friends and I freaked out when Sook-Yin Lee said my name all weird-like.

  2. Popshifter:
    June 14th, 2008 at 11:38 am

    Hey, thanks for joining us! I forgot you lived in the T.O. area. Are you going to the show tonight?

  3. Mrow:
    June 27th, 2008 at 5:06 pm

    The McDonald brothers are some of the only straight fellas on this planet who can shimmy into that backbone-to-jelly, teenybop shake ON DEMAND. It’s uncanny.

  4. Popshifter:
    June 27th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    Before I even saw who posted this, I knew it was you.

    And you’re totally right.

    LLM

  5. Popshifter » Attacking Non-Creativity With Creativity:
    March 29th, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    […] to “stop surfing YouTube” (although I have personally found YouTube to be a fantastic source of inspiration), while typographer Erik Speikermann thinks we should “avoid Google—it takes […]







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