By Eleni P. Austin
Coming to a theater near you on December 5th is the long-awaited Redd Kross documentary, Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story, directed by Andrew Reich. I first heard about this Hawthorne band in the mid ‘80s. Brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald began playing music together as The Tourists in 1979, at age 14 and 11, respectively.
Musically, they took their cues from bands like Kiss, T. Rex, Led Zeppelin, Iggy & The Stooges, David Bowie and The Who. But it was their cultural touchstones that really intrigued me. From the beginning, they were inspired by The Partridge Family, Tater Tots, Linda Blair, The Brady Bunch, Saturday Morning Cartoons and Charles Manson. Their very first gig they were opening for Black Flag.
Their albums were initially released on small labels with poor distribution, so it was a couple of years before a cassette of 1987’s Neurotica found its way into my loving arms. I was immediately hooked. These guys managed to distill their influences without ever feeling derivative. Punk, Glam, Power Pop and Psychedelia quickly coalesced. Their music packed a powerful punch and delivered hooks galore.
The documentary charts their highs and lows, major and minor label woes, sabbaticals and reunions. Music luminaries like Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, as well as members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, The Melvins and Mudhoney sing their praises. Of course, the L.A. music scene also chimes in, insiders like Ella Black, Ronnie Barnett and Kim Shattuck from The Muffs, along with members of Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. It’s also packed with archival footage and candid interviews from Jeff and Steven as well as their parents. Funny and self-deprecating, poignant and triumphant, it’s actually one of the best music documentaries I’ve ever seen.
Luckily, director Andrew Reich was kind enough to answer a few of my burning questions.
ELENI: How did this project come about, have you always been a fan, what drew you to their music?
ANDREW: I’ve been a fan since I heard Teen Babes From Monsanto as a Punk Rock kid from Morristown, New Jersey in 1984. I was pretty much exclusively listening to super fast, thrashy hardcore Punk at that point. But Teen Babes really opened my mind to a whole world of other music. They were heavy, and clearly into Punk. But also melodic and mysterious. They seemed to inhabit their own universe, and I was immediately fascinated by it. They would change and evolve with each record, but I loved each iteration.
ELENI: You have some amazing archival footage. Did the McDonald brothers give you access to most of it, or did you have other sources?
ANDREW: Jeff gave me a box of VHS tapes, as did their longtime guitarist, Robert Hecker, and I got another box from Jon Krop who runs their website. I spent many hours watching and cataloging those tapes. Then I found other archival materials through watching eBay and from fans. You really need to be an archeologist to make a film like this about a band where so much of their career was pre-cellphone cameras and was not well documented by the music industry. That can lead to some thrilling discoveries. When Greg Hetson, their original guitarist, told me that somewhere in a box he had color slides that his dad had taken of the band’s very first gig, it was like I had found the Ark Of The Covenant.
ELENI: Without giving too much away, you steer the brothers through a fairly dark and traumatic time in Steven’s life. Were you surprised that they, along with their parents, were so candid about this period?
ANDREW: I had heard Steven talk about that dark story on a podcast. So, I had some confidence that he would be very forthcoming. Bringing it up with their parents was one of the hardest parts of the whole process. I got a strong feeling that their father had not talked about the events of that time since it happened. It was heavy and painful for them to discuss, and I did not feel good about making them relive it. They have yet to watch the film, but I hope they feel I treated the material appropriately.
ELENI: The consensus has always been that Neurotica was Redd Kross’ masterpiece, but personally, I have always loved Third Eye best. Do you have a favorite record of theirs?
ANDREW: It really depends on the day. Teen Babes will always hold a special place for me, since it’s the record that made me fall in love with the band. Neurotica was in pretty constant rotation throughout my college years. I guess, gun to my head, I would say Phaseshifter, but the new double album is giving it a run for its money.
ELENI: What I loved about this documentary is it really shines a light on how shockingly talented Jeff and Steven were from the beginning. The tight musicianship, coupled with their shameless and sincere love of 60s/70s pop culture should have guaranteed world dominion. Surprisingly, it didn’t. But they both seem okay with their place in the Rock & Roll firmament. Was there ever a moment in the interview process where they second-guessed their career choices?
ANDREW: Steven-yes, Jeff-no. That’s the short answer. Steven is much more self-analytical and self-critical. Jeff spends zero time on second-guessing or regrets. He has always had a clear artistic vison and followed his muse wherever it led. I am convinced that he doesn’t care about record sales or any of that. Personally, I feel like they may have achieved the ideal amount of fame. All the cool people know who they are and respect them. But they can live their lives without constantly being hounded by fans or paparazzi. Also, the fact that they didn’t have one big hit is a great thing too. Go to a Redd Kross concert and you and you will hear fans shouting out 20 different songs that they want to hear, not just one.
ELENI: It was remarkable to see how many musicians were influenced by Redd Kross. As you point out in the film, everyone from Guns N’ Roses and Poison to Nirvana incorporated some Redd Kross into their sound or stage personas. Did you make that connection organically from viewing the footage, or did that topic come up during the interviews?
ANDREW: I made that connection over the years just by being a fan. I saw how much influence they had on the underground and how that translated when big parts of underground Rock became mainstream in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. I saw how Sonic Youth changed the way they dressed and performed after hanging out with Redd Kross. I heard Redd Kross’ combination of heaviness and melody in Nirvana. I was sure it was Redd Kross when I first heard “Big Bang Baby” by Stone Temple Pilots on the radio. If you were a fan, it was easy to see their influence everywhere. I don’t think there would have been a Brady Bunch Movie without Redd Kross. They made that whole ‘70s TV nostalgia thing mainstream.
ELENI: Finally, what was your goal when you began making this documentary? Do you think you achieved it?
ANDREW: My single-minded goal was to make more Redd Kross fans. I didn’t want to just preach to the choir, I wanted to recruit more choir members. The most rewarding thing has been when people tell me “I had never heard of this band, but now I’ve got them on constant rotation,” or “I can’t believe I didn’t know about them!” The ultimate dream is Redd Kross headlining the Hollywood Bowl. They deserve to be on big stages. I believe it can happen!
