Redd Kross almost didn’t enter my life in 1987. When their album Neurotica showed up on my desk at the Technician (the student newspaper of NC State), I wasn’t sure what to make of the cover with the hippie looking guys next to giant masks. I put it into a pile of promo records that were a mix of unwanted review copies and albums dumped by WKNC. I wandered over to The Record Hole to see what John Swain would give me in cash. This was how I was able to afford to enjoy the weekends. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hang onto the Redd Kross album, but John was extra generous. I didn’t want to redo the deal so I left knowing that I was going to be able to buy a few $1.10 Olympias. The next day, a pal played the title song on the “alternative” Night Wave show. A few seconds into the song, I realized that I made a horrible mistake. This song was addictive. The next afternoon, I returned the Record Hole and paid John Swain four dollars to get the record back. In addition, he sold me the radio only special “My Dinner with Redd Kross” that features the band members dishing with WBCN legend Oedipus. I didn’t drink much that weekend because I was too busy rocking out to Redd Kross. They were glorious since their lyrics were filled with pop culture references that I got. A few months later, I interviewed drummer Roy “Chaka” McDonald (not related to brother Steven and Jeff) for the paper (included at the end of this review). We swapped pop culture references. These were my kinda people. This was topped off by seeing them at the last tiny Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill. They ruled. I even bought a tour t-shirt that featured MacKenzie Phillips on the front. I wanted to know more about them that wasn’t covered in the press release. Now we all can know a lot more about the McDonald brothers with Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story documentary.
We learn that Steve and Jeff McDonald aren’t the only famous musical siblings from Hawthorne, California. This is where the Wilson brothers grew up before forming The Beach Boys. The McDonalds grew up near the runways for LAX although their old neighborhood is gone because a highway went through their yard. When the punk scene started in Los Angeles area at the end of the ’70s, the young McDonald brothers didn’t wait until they were old enough to get fake IDs. They started their own bands while Steve was still 11. Their first gigs involved playing with Black Flag. Hanging out in LA’s growing punk scene is great but leads to the darkest part of the film. Steve ends up with a girlfriend who is in her mid-20s. She gets him to run away from home. This is the bleakest part of the film. Eventually Steve returns and the brothers get back to music. They talk about being rebels in the punk scene because both grew their hair long. This was at a time when being punk meant a buzz cut. They looked like hippies. Their two big musical influences were Kiss and The Partridge Family. Even with such strange influences, they found themselves part of the L.A. music scene that was exploding at this time with bands such as X, Black Flag, The Germs and others that appeared in The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization. Redd Kross got radio airplay when Rodney on The ROQ played their song “Annette’s Got the Hits.” One thing we learn is that Jeff and Steve are best compared to Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks. Like those brothers, they get rather nasty with each other. They also go through plenty of other members. Every record seemed to feature a different line up. They burn out drummers and lead guitarists. But it appears none of the drummers died like members of Spinal Tap. One of the great accomplishments of Born Innocent is locating and interviewing so many of the people who kept the beat. The brothers keep chasing their sound and atmosphere over the decades.
What’s interesting about the film is that Redd Kross never had that superstar moment. They didn’t have a massive hit. In 1990, the hit “Annie’s Gone” stuck #16 except that was the Modern Rock chart. Even though they had a massively influential concert in Seattle, they didn’t rocket to stardom like Nirvana and Pearl Jam or even Mudhoney. But this lack of a hit adds to the film because you’re not impatiently wanting them to get to their big moment. Likewise you don’t become bored after the year their blockbuster record falls off the chart. They keep making records, hitting the road and having odd things happen in their lives. Thanks to Francis Ford Coppola and his kids; the brothers end up in the movie The Spirit of ’76 with Keith Partridge himself, David Cassidy. Except the film doesn’t do well at the box office. I didn’t see it until the VHS tape showed up at Videorama. Born Innocent is about cult success. We’re there to witness two brothers who keep making music with each other after all these years. Most importantly, Born Innocent: The Redd Kross story is a fascinating film for people who have never heard of the band. Director Andrew Reich makes a case that you should listen to them once you’re done with the film. I broke out my copy of Neurotica while the end credits rolled.
If you’re wondering why the film didn’t cover certain topics; don’t worry. The second disc has nearly a second movie of segments that had to be snipped or trimmed. All is answered eventually. It must be pointed out that Desperate Teenage Lovedolls & Lovedolls Superstar: The Complete 4K Remastered Collection comes out April 17th. You can see the brothers in these two microbudget masterpieces about the price of rock and roll fame. The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell featuring more tales of the McDonald brothers is also out on Blu-ray. Bartell ran the record company that made Redd Kross’ legendary Teen Babes From Monsanto EP. You can have an all-day Redd Kross cinema festival in your home.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The video quality varies between clips and people being interviewed since this was done over a few years. Everything loosk fine. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1. You’ll want to crank up the volume during the concert moments. The movie is subtitled in English.
Commentary Track with Jeff McDonald, Steven McDonald and Andrew Reich is interesting since it’s like a second documentary. They give more stories about the visuals and the people. We learn one interview was conducted at a Moose Lodge.
Desperate Teenage Lovedolls and Lovedolls Superstar Featurette (15:07) gets into how they were into culture with the guys from We Got Power with Dave Markey. They recognized that these were their people since the brothers loved pop culture and cult movies. This led to the brothers appearing in the movies directed by David Markey and starring Jennifer Schwartz. Both were shot on Super 8 film. Both films are coming out on home video this month too.
Polliwog Park Concert Featurette (5:09) has them reflect on their first gig from 1979 when they opened up for Black Flag. It was supposed to be a family event. Black Flag landed the gig claimed they were a Grateful Dead or Wet Willie cover band. Redd Kross was called The Tourists at the time.
Santa Monica Pier Concert Featurette (4:29) has the band rocking out on a tourist place. The McDonalds were dressed to appeal. Skinheads showed up to watch. They performed a Partridge Family cover that led to the audience pelting them with fruit.
Beginnings – Expanded (8:04) has them explain how they started a band by learning all the Ramones tunes before they started coming up with their own songs. Steven adapted the songs from his school band into punk.
The Posh Boy Era – Expanded (10:35) has them talk about how their first gig at the Hong Kong Cafe, David Bowie showed up. They also got signed to record their first record. They weren’t happy about the cover.
Ron Reyes and Dez Cadena (4:50) recount their band “the happy tampons.” Ron explains how he moved into a practice space used by Black Flag. The punk kids hated The Knack.
Name Change from Red Cross to Redd Kross (9:13) has them breakdown how the American Red Cross heard about them during a concert from 1983. There was also a band called The Salvation Army on the bill along with the Minutemen. Steve called to the principal’s office to receive a message from the local Red Cross who didn’t want people confused by the band’s name. The organization suggested the duo use a K for Kross. It was nice instead of the usual cease and desist letters that get passed out to defend a name.
Teen Babes From Monsanto – Expanded (12:33) has them talk about how they picked the cover tunes on the EP. How did they pick a song from Bewitched?
Neurotica – Expanded (8:39) has them explain how they actually sobered up before they made their most psychedelic record. They explain how the George Harrison reference has a basis in reality.
The Naz Pad (2:05) explains the Beverly Hills pool house studio that turned into their rehearsal space that was also used by L7, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others. They pranked Lucile Ball.
Third Eye Gets A Good Rap (1:47) has people praising the album that followed Neurotica.
Roman Coppola’s Original 16mm 1976 Music Video Footage (3:56) includes black and white concert footage without sound.
Spirit of ’76 – Expanded (5:47) starts with them talking about Francis Ford Coppola wanting to fly the brothers up to his place so they can hang with his daughter Sophia. This turns into making the movie about time travelers that want to go to 1776, but end up in 1976 with the McDonald Brothers. The time traveler is David Cassidy – better known as Keith Partridge. They learned that David Cassidy didn’t have memories of recording songs during the show. The film was directed by Lucas Reiner, the brother of Rob Reiner.
Naz Pad Rehearsal Jan 1989 (52:45) has Redd Kross rocking out in the pool house.
Media Blitz Appearance (12:28) has them on a local TV show after the release of Teen Babes From Monsanto. This series must have been so amazing to watch as a kid in 1984. They open up with Kiss’ “Deuce.” They do it better than Kiss.
Digging in Jeff’s Record Closet (17:54) has them show off the gems in the vault. They show off a Tater Totz live single from infamous Beatlefest show. He even has his VHS collection in the space. They have a box with rare Go-Go’s singles.
Steve Breaks Down Every Redd Kross Record (27:50) has him give the background to each other their dozen or so releases.
Kim Shattuck Full Interview (30:52) has the lead singer of The Muffs talk about her time with the brothers. Kim passed away in 2019. She was kind of responsible with getting Roy McDonald to join the brothers for Neurotica.
The Tourists Reunion Rehearsal 11/21/15 (12:37) has the pre-Red Cross band get together one more time. There’s a lot of foam on the walls.
The Tourists Reunion Show 11/22/15 (13:18) has the McDonald brothers get back to the old punk roots They do a lot of songs since they’re short.
The McDonald Brothers Unplugged (41:19) has the brothers performing in a living room.
Santa Monica Screening Q&A with McDonald Brothers and Andrew Reich 11/11/24 (30:11) have the brothers talk about how the movie inspired the brothers to create another new album. They talk about doing press from their own homes. They both like the film.
First Pressing of 2000 Limited Editions comes packaged in an o-ring with a booklet and 2 of 4 randomly inserted postcards
Theatrical Trailer (1:33) talks about the brother dynamic.
MVDvisual presents Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story (2-disc special edition). Directed by Andrew Reich. Starring Jeff McDonald, Steve McDonald, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, and a lot of Redd Kross drummers. Running Time: 89 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: April 3, 2026.
Here’s my column about Redd Kross coming to Chapel Hill:
My copies (please notice the 4 sticker that John Swain put on the album). Imagine buying “new” used vinyl for $4.
