Greetings, CROSSED CHANNELS fans. Just in case we sound inappropriately chipper in our latest episode, bear in mind that we recorded this episode the day before the election, when both of us were feeling way too optimistic over how it would turn out. That said, we figured our listeners might appreciate a little distraction and uplift right about now, since music is something that has always propped our spirits up in dark times, and the band we’re discussing has been a force for joy since they first started making music back in 1978…
Welcome to Episode 11 of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast, in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.
Actually, we should probably change it to KROSSED CHANNELS for this episode, since it finds us discussing one of Dan’s all-time favorite bands: Southern California cult heroes Redd Kross!
Dan’s new book, Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross (co-written with Redd Kross co-founders Jeff and Steven McDonald) was published in the US on October 29 by Omnibus Press. It follows the McDonald brothers on a wild ride as they boldly fly their freak flags through the original L.A. punk scene of the 1970s, the ridiculousness of the 1980s Sunset Strip, the Brit-pop and American alt-rock explosions of the 1990s, and on up to the present day. Along the way, Jeff gets messed up on drugs, Steven gets kidnapped, and Redd Kross blow several opportunities to “make it big” — though they just as often run afoul of bad timing and a music industry that has no idea what to make of their joyful mash-up of D.I.Y. punk attitude, heavy rock riffs, sparkling pop hooks, soaring vocal harmonies, and lyrical and aesthetic sensibilities that have been permanently warped by prolonged exposure to the trashier end of the pop cultural spectrum.
Nevertheless, Redd Kross still manage to make one fantastic album after another despite the hurdles. And 45 years after they started writing songs together, Jeff and Steven team up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam) to make what may well be the the greatest Redd Kross record to date: A self-titled, 18-track double dose of rock and power pop goodness colloquially known as “The Redd Album,” released in June on In The Red Records. Throw in Andrew Reich’s award-winning 2023 documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story — which has recently been picked up for U.S. distribution — the publication of Now You’re One of Us, and the biggest U.S. and European tours that the band has done in years, and it all adds up to 2024 being The Year of Redd Kross.
The quintessential cult band, Redd Kross are fiercely adored by their fans — and their influence is audible in the music of far more popular acts — but they nonetheless remain largely unknown to a great swath of music aficionados. As we find out in this episode, Tony was tangentially aware of Redd Kross back in their punk days, but never paid proper attention to them until just a few weeks ago. What does he make of their music, especially their sprawling new record? Why does Dan feel such a deep connection with Redd Kross, and how did he come to co-write their autobiography? What’s Dan’s favorite Redd Kross album? How did Tony’s early album purchases match up with those of Jeff and Steven’s? Find out all this and more in the latest episode of CROSSED CHANNELS — er, KROSSED CHANNELS!
This podcast episode is only available in full to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a preview of the episode is available for all to listen to. To hear it in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one (or both!) of our Substacks.
And as an added bonus, we’re also giving away a copy of Now You’re One of Us, courtesy of Omnibus Press, to one of our paid subscribers. To enter the drawing, simply write a few words about Redd Kross — why you love them, which is your favorite album, who’s the dreamiest McDonald brother, etc. — in the comments section below. Subscribers from the UK and the US are welcome to enter this one. The winner will be chosen by Dan and Tony, and announced during the next episode of CROSSED CHANNELS. Speaking of which, congratulations to
for winning last month’s MC5 book giveaway!Thanks as always to our paid subscribers for keeping this podcast going. We love you all and really appreciate your support. Please be safe out there, and make sure to look out for each other…
