When the hardcore sound evolved out of Punk rock in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the songs were all about protesting modern life. It was frustration against the “safe” and “dull” that people felt with Ronald Reagan back in the White House. The youth knew they were getting screwed over by the Hollywood cowboy when he refused to get rid of Selective Service (after promising he would) and jacking up the drinking age to 21 to appease his “Just Say No” wife. Growing up in Raleigh, we had Corrosion of Conformity, The Ugly Americans and No Labels letting us fight back against the slick corporate rock wannabes that clogged up the local bars. I bring this up because a few decades later, Wayne Taylor, the lead singer for No Labels ran for mayor of Raleigh. His joyfully unorthodox campaign with his orange sign and white star dotted the landscape. We were bummed out that he lost to a guy who once worked for Jesse Helms (if my memory serves me well). Raleigh was not ready for a hardcore mayor. However years later on the other coast and just over the border, the voters were cool to a hardcore city council member. Something Better Change – A Film About D.O.A.’s Joe Keithley covers the singer/guitarist’s bid for re-election to the board.
The documentary gives us a crash course in the hardcore scene in the early ’80s. This was a time of Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, The Dead Kennedys, The Avengers and Germs. The focus was Los Angeles and San Francisco for many of the bands. But D.O.A. came out of Vancouver, Canada. D.O.A. was the original band that hit in road to his every little pocket of punk humanity in North America. They blazed a trail on the highways that Black Flag and other SST acts followed. And decades later D.O.A.’s Joe Keithley reached the people once more to do more than make them form a mosh pit. He wanted to get elected.
Joe Keithley played under the name Joey Shithead. Which normally would make people a bit hesitant to vote for you. But think of all the shitheads that get elected now. Thus he ran for the city council in Burnaby, Canada a suburb of Vancouver with a population of 270,000. Keithley does a great job at selling the beauty of Burnaby in the film. This is a very diverse community with over 100 languages spoken in the area. You have the waters and nearby mountains. But there are problems that he’s eager to address. And other people want it addressed. Even as an outsider Green Party member with a tiny budget, he sneaks into the final 8th City council member seat. Now he must run again to continue his work. He’s running for re-election for his seat on city council in Burnaby. He has been working on more EV charging stations, new affordable housing units, community gardens and approving backyard chicken coops. The affordable housing is a major issue as smaller apartment buildings are being torn down to make way for high rise buildings. This leaves the original renters out in the street looking for a new address at a reasonable price. There’s also the TMX pipeline that’s being expanded to bring oil from Edmonton to Vancouver for exporting. We see an overhead shot of how the pipeline is ripping apart the community.
Director Scott Crawford does sit down with Joe’s opponent who he unseated from the City Council. He’s claims that all Joe has done is put chickens in backyards. He views Joe as someone who ran based only on protesting the council and not on any real plans. I’m going to guess the opponent was more into Loverboy during the early years of DOA.
The movie catches up with several notable figures that have known Joe over the years including Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat/Fugazi, Duff McKagan of Guns ‘n Roses, Keith Morris of Circle Jerks, Jello Biafra from The Dead Kennedys, Penelope Housont of The Avengers, Black Flag’s Henry Rollins and on archival video Dave Grohl of Nirvana. Noted Hawkwind fanatic Beto O’Rourke chimes in about the situation since he was in a band and ended up winning a seat in Congress.
Something Better Change does a fine job at showing how Joe is still an outsider even with a seat on the city council. We follow him around to events and when he goes door-to-door in neighborhoods to talk to potential voters. He’s willing to break into song. There’s still a punk rock feel to him as he deals with issues in his community. He’s willing to protest the pipeline and not merely see what his big dollar donors want. The documentary should also be seen as an inspiration and a guide to any punk rocker wanting to run for city office. Don’t worry about your mosh pit past being used against you by dullards. If Joe Shithead can get elected, you need to get your name on the ballot. Something Better Change gets into how Joe Keithley wants to change things from the stage and inside city hall.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The film was shot on video and uses a lot of archival footage from D.O.A.’s history. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Things sound good whether Joe is talking to neighbors or singing on stage. The movie is subtitled in English.
Trailer (2:17) sets up the idea of a hardcore legend running for office.
MVDVisual presents Something Better Change – A Film About D.O.A.’s Joe Keithley. Directed by Scott Crawford. Screenplay by Scott Crawford. Featuring Joe Keithley, Duff McKagan, Jello Biafra, Ian MacKaye and Keith Morris. Running Time: 77 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: March 10, 2026.
Here’s No Labels with Wayne Taylor on vocals!
