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Stephen McDonald
Hi friend, it's your inner child calling.
Jeffrey McDonald
And they want churros.
Stephen McDonald
A new toy.
Buzz Knight
And a new adventure.
Jeffrey McDonald
Or maybe five with the bestest besties on earth. Find your moment at Walt Disney World Resort.
Nikki Glaser
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide, and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, Spectrum Business knows.
Stephen McDonald
That small business owners put in the work.
Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford
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Stephen McDonald
Passion, all to unlock the unlimited potential of your business.
Jeffrey McDonald
Get fast reliable Internet, advanced WI fi with security shield and an unlimited mobile.
Stephen McDonald
Line, all only $49.99 a month. Learn how Spectrum Business can connect your business to unlimited possibilities@spectrum.com business it's your business made limitless.
Jeffrey McDonald
That's Life Unlimited.
Stephen McDonald
That's Spectrum Business. Restrictions apply often not available in all.
Buzz Knight
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Jason Alexander
Season 2 is coming to Apple TV.
Buzz Knight
Plus, what you all did five months ago was one of the most painful moments in the history of this company. Our message got out. We're famous. All of us equally or one of.
Nikki Glaser
Us is like the star.
Buzz Knight
What did you see?
Nikki Glaser
My audi's wife was Ms. Casey.
Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford
If you want to find out what happened to her.
Buzz Knight
Uhoh, she stuck Gentleman why I want.
Stephen McDonald
To see my wife he should have.
Jason Alexander
Left severance new season streaming January 17th only on Apple TV.
Buzz Knight
Taking a walk a lot of times stuff that I write then after I'll just go I can't sell this. I just can't. And that I then I know it's either not the right time to do it or it's not right at all.
Jason Alexander
Welcome to another episode of Taking a Walk, where we're joined today by Jeffrey and Stephen McDonald, the dynamic brother duo behind the influential rock band Red Cross. These punk rock pioneers are here to chat about their new documentary, Born the Red Cross Story, which is making waves in the music documentary scene. From their early days as teenage punks opening for Black Flag to becoming influential figures in the grunge and power pop movements, Red Cross has maintained a unique position in rock history for over four decades. Join us as we take a stroll with Jeffrey and Stephen McDonald, exploring the highs, lows, and everything in between of their remarkable career, all captured in their new documentary, Born the Red Cross Story. Coming up now on Taking a Walk with Buzz Knight.
Peter Tilden
Well, welcome you to matinee idols to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Buzz Knight
Thanks for being on, but thanks for having us.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, thanks for having us.
Peter Tilden
So if you could, since it's called taking a walk, if you could take a walk with any celebrity or musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
Buzz Knight
Ooh, they're actually taking a walk. And I'm trying to think of where I would want to walk first. It might be kind of fun to walk with Bach down Wilshire Boulevard.
Stephen McDonald
With who?
Buzz Knight
Walk with Bach.
Stephen McDonald
Bach, the composer?
Buzz Knight
Yes. Yes.
Stephen McDonald
Okay. J.C. bach. There's a lot of them, I think.
Buzz Knight
Johan, Sebastian and Bach.
Stephen McDonald
Okay. Yeah.
Buzz Knight
Walk down from Koreatown to Santa Monica would be fun. It would be really fun.
Stephen McDonald
A walk with Bob.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. Imagine like just how tripped out he would be by all the latest inventions of the 21st century, huh?
Stephen McDonald
Searching for that fun.
Peter Tilden
I thought you meant Sebastian Bach.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, yeah. You sure you don't?
Buzz Knight
That might be fun too, because Sebastian Bach is a huge, like, deep cut Kiss fan. So there is a language that we do speak in common.
Stephen McDonald
So you would like. Maybe you'd like to take a walk with your Johann Sebastian Bach and Sebastian Bach. On Wilshire.
Buzz Knight
On Wilshire. From Koreatown to Santa Monica.
Stephen McDonald
Have you done that walk? I know you're planning on doing that walk.
Buzz Knight
That's the next walk I'm actually planning on doing with you, actually.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, I'm down. And just for people that don't live in Los Angeles, that's like a five mile walk or something.
Buzz Knight
12 mile.
Stephen McDonald
12 mile walk. So you do both ways or what would happen?
Buzz Knight
No. So you go from Vermont to, you know, all the way to the beach.
Stephen McDonald
How are you getting to Vermont? Are you dropping your car at the.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Stephen McDonald
Okay. Well, so, yeah, that's probably a little bit more than you bargained for, Buzz, but Jeff wants to take a 12 mile walk. Are you okay with that? Totally, totally. I could tell I'm gonna be in.
Peter Tilden
Tears throughout this, which I love. I love the documentary, guys, Born Innocent is. Is so wonderful. Tell me how it came together, the whole project. Okay.
Stephen McDonald
Well, we did. There was someone. I wish I could remember his name, but there was a director who started.
Buzz Knight
It, like Eric something.
Stephen McDonald
Eric, yeah. But the cinematographer stayed the same. Steve Appelford. Steve Appelford is technically the person who worked on the film the longest, and that was like 10 years ago. And then about eight years ago, or a little bit more than that. And that kind of fizzled because the director realized this is a complicated story, and it's got. I don't know if he. I think he just was like, this is too much for me to take on, or maybe something happened in his life. I'm not sure. But we stopped hearing from him. And then about eight years ago, Andrew Reich reached out to me through mutual friends, and he very earnestly asked me, and I was impressed because he was the showrunner at Friends for, like, eight years, the hit TV sitcom. And I was surprised that he was interested in our little underground rock band. But he, as it turned out, had a deep love of the world that we came from. And although you would think he's only aligned with mainstream things, he's actually very obsessive about a lot of underground culture.
Buzz Knight
He's very into hardcore punk, which I only recently discovered.
Stephen McDonald
Right. Because Jeff's daughter's in a hardcore band.
Peter Tilden
Well, only recently discovered. Come on.
Buzz Knight
Yes. I mean, we were like, the later.
Stephen McDonald
Like, other phases of hardcore.
Buzz Knight
We were. We were adjacent to the birth of hardcore, but I ignored it for 45 years. 40 years.
Stephen McDonald
He was trying to pretend it wasn't happening.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Peter Tilden
And. But your parents were supportive and still are supportive to this day. How did that happen?
Stephen McDonald
How did that happen? Well, we can't take credit for that. That's just naturally what they brought to the table, their support.
Buzz Knight
I think they found it interesting because we were the only kids, the only teenagers who were even trying to play in a band, much less a rock band or a punk rock band. We were very unique in that sense.
Stephen McDonald
Do you mean, like, amongst our family or do you mean, like on our.
Buzz Knight
No, I'm saying in our whole neighborhood. There were no children. In our neighborhood, there were no anything. So we were doing something interesting. And Kevin Newman's band.
Stephen McDonald
There was. Kevin Newman had a band.
Buzz Knight
He'd have a band. Couldn't get it together to have a band.
Stephen McDonald
Well, he had, like, a cover band. I remember hearing his band.
Buzz Knight
No, no, that was, like this friend of mine, the only other person I knew when we were in junior high School. He had an electric guitar. And we put together, like, a fake band to play the talent show. And I said I would sing. I'd never sang before, but he was gonna do Snakeskin Cowboy by Ted Nugent. And once I looked at the lyrics, they were so stupid, I just reneged. I said, I can't do this.
Peter Tilden
Oh.
Buzz Knight
And I was in seventh grade.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah. At 12 or 13, Jeff took a pass. And it's funny. Cause at the time, I probably thought he chickened out, but now I think I believe him, that he really just thought the lyrics were too stupid.
Buzz Knight
Well, I just thought, I can't sell this. I can't sell this song at all. I. I really felt that I didn't. I didn't use that term then, but I. That's feeling. I. I got ever since now. Like, when there's something that comes. Comes across that. Like a lot of times stuff that I write, then after I. I'll just go, I can't sell this. I just can't. And then I. Then I know it's not either not the right time to do it, or it's not right at all.
Stephen McDonald
What are the lyrics to Snakeskin Cowboy? I know there's. Who the hell you think you are? You read my mind.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, it's just a dumb song. It's just. It just. There's nothing offensive about it.
Stephen McDonald
I'm gonna look him up right now. I'm in front of my computer. I'm gonna look up Snakeskin Cowboy lyrics.
Buzz Knight
Maybe he was like, I think it was about Ted Nugent making. You know, giving some shades of some dude who was peacocking around, you know, someone within their vicinity.
Stephen McDonald
Okay, here we go. Ooh, snakeskin cowboys. Oh, it's cowboys. Who you think you are? You're dancing around with your high heeled boots. Don't. You don't think that should get you far just hanging around with your fancy pants on. Ain't got nothing on me. Think you got it right here on the stage. Stick around, boys maybe I can set you free.
Buzz Knight
Okay, I know exactly what that song is probably about. That song was about Ted Nugent's bitterness for the explosion of popularity of Grand Funk Railroad.
Stephen McDonald
Oh, so you think it's a Mark Farner?
Buzz Knight
Yeah, it's Mark Farner. You know, they kind of came from the same scene, and then Mark Farner exploded.
Stephen McDonald
All right. Yeah. You with your best pants on. That sounds like Mark Farner, but, you.
Buzz Knight
Know, I think I could probably relate to that song now, though.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah. Give me a break. Why are you so judgmental because the.
Buzz Knight
Song was very judgmental.
Stephen McDonald
Now I'm going back to my old stance. You just chickened out.
Buzz Knight
No way. I want to see you sing that song. The next Red Cross performance, Stephen will be performing his rendition of Snakeskit Cowboy.
Stephen McDonald
And I'm going to sell the hell out of it.
Peter Tilden
I can't wait. Oh, my God. Now, you guys have had an obsession with Grand Funk Railroad going back to the spirit of 76, is that correct?
Buzz Knight
Well, yeah, we liked Grand Funk Rabbit, but we kind of just. We discovered their first two kind of acid rock albums. The spirit of the 76 grand spunk was more the 70s version. And that was. I would have to hand that over to the writer, director Lucas Reiner. He was the one who was obsessed with them. Excited. We didn't know their name. We didn't know Don Brewer or. What's the other guy?
Peter Tilden
Mark Farner.
Buzz Knight
Mark. We knew Mark Varner. Don something.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, Don Brewer. That sounds right.
Buzz Knight
Lisa Drum.
Jason Alexander
Yeah, yeah.
Buzz Knight
Like, there's an actual line where they name. They name check all three members of the original band that were like, Don.
Stephen McDonald
Brewer, Mark Farner, which I have Mark Farner hair, something.
Buzz Knight
Satchel. Was it Satchel Something?
Stephen McDonald
I don't know. But it's funny because I just did a Q and A in Phoenix for the movie. I went by myself. And that was one of the questions. Someone asked me if I could remember all the members of Grand Funk Railroad, and I choked. I said, mark Farner.
Buzz Knight
And then I joked, now you can add Dodd Brewer, but find out who the other guy is.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, I took a stab. And I think I said, someone from Mountain. I said, I don't know. Felix Pappalardi.
Buzz Knight
That's Mountain. That's the bass player, Mountain. And the producer of Cream.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah. Very good. Yes.
Buzz Knight
It was killed by his girl. Jealous girlfriend.
Stephen McDonald
Esteemed bass player.
Buzz Knight
He was killed by his girlfriend.
Stephen McDonald
Wow. I have a lot in common with him. I had a crazy girlfriend, too, you.
Peter Tilden
Know, Mark Farner was on this podcast, and I want to get your take on something he said. He said the creation of Closer to Home was a moment of divine intervention. What do you think?
Buzz Knight
Well, Mark Farner would say that because isn't he like, a hardcore Jesus freak now? I don't mean freak in the most positive way, too. Jesus freak. Yeah. Well, I imagine, you know, all creation, all musical creation is divine, you know, inspiration on some level. Yeah, we're inspired. We are inspired a lot by Divine. There's a lot of, like, female trouble isms in our music.
Stephen McDonald
So when you say Divine Inspiration. You literally mean the actor Divine.
Buzz Knight
That's what Mark Farner must have met. The actor Divine. I see a connection between Divine, the actor, the actress actor, and Mark Farner.
Stephen McDonald
Okay. All right. I don't think that Mark was talking about female trouble. Inspiration, but that's fun.
Buzz Knight
Oh, that's the first thing that came to mind, because I thought, oh, he meant Divine inspiration.
Stephen McDonald
No, because then you brought up the. You said Jesus freak, but whatever. It's all good, you know, Divine.
Peter Tilden
Three days before Divine mysteriously passed away, I interviewed Divine. You're going to make me go back and now find that air check of that interview. It might have been the last interview, honestly.
Stephen McDonald
Wow. Amazing. With Divine or Glenn or. I don't know how Divine.
Peter Tilden
I think. Yeah, fine. Yeah.
Stephen McDonald
And. And, and so it was mysterious. I didn't really. I didn't really. I don't really know much about Divine's passing, but they were fine. When you talked to Divine, everything was seen.
Peter Tilden
Just. Just hunky dory.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. It's like sudden deaths are drowned.
Peter Tilden
Yeah.
Buzz Knight
This.
Peter Tilden
This is so easy to go. And it's so beautiful to go down rabbit holes with you guys. Which, by the way, is the way the documentary is. It's one rabbit hole after another, isn't it?
Buzz Knight
Yeah, But I think he controlled it. Like, that was where you have to hand it to. To Andrew. Andrew, he really helped to, you know, kind of tie it all together to make sense, because, yeah, there are. There are so many rabbit holes we can go down with Red Cross.
Stephen McDonald
It's like an ADHD nightmare. And that's one of the things I've said several times now in interviews that, you know, Andrew, really, he could clean my junk drawer any day because he's really good at making organized scents out of total chaos.
Peter Tilden
You guys had a lot going on since the moment you started. You were 15 and 11, respectively. Is that right when you guys started out?
Stephen McDonald
That's true.
Peter Tilden
And did you have any idea whether this band would exist for a week, two weeks, when you started? I mean, what did you think was going to happen at 11?
Stephen McDonald
I couldn't imagine 50. I had no idea what that was, so I didn't think about the band. I don't think I could even imagine what I would be like at 57, much less the band, you know?
Buzz Knight
But I think at that age, it's like the one time in your life you can actually live in the moment. Maybe because once you get older, you're just always tripping on the theater or freaking out about the past.
Stephen McDonald
That's True. Because there's not much past to trip out on. And then the future. You don't know anything about it, so you kind of just. And then time is.
Buzz Knight
You're really, really in vomit. Yeah.
Peter Tilden
There's so many characters that are in the documentary and part of your life and part of the band. Just drummers alone. Was. Is it nine drummers that came through Red Cross?
Stephen McDonald
I don't.
Buzz Knight
Well, we actually. We actually only count drummers who are on record.
Stephen McDonald
That's not.
Buzz Knight
The other ones don't exist.
Stephen McDonald
That's not fair. You. You do.
Buzz Knight
Think about it. Think about it.
Stephen McDonald
Well, pretty much all of them are on records. Even Glenn. I'm sorry, but Glenn Holland's on records.
Buzz Knight
What is Glenn Holland on?
Stephen McDonald
He's on. On the Desperate Teenage Love Doll soundtrack, the COVID of Purple Haze. And that's on that soundtrack. And I think there's a couple. Yeah, I think a couple of the songs from the Desperate Teenage Love Doll soundtrack. I think he's on I Want to Be a Cholo Chick. That song. Do you remember that song?
Buzz Knight
Okay.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah.
Buzz Knight
Okay. Yeah, yeah. So. So, Gwenha. Yeah, but I mean, so that's basically.
Stephen McDonald
Whatever you can to exclude him somehow.
Buzz Knight
No, that's not true.
Stephen McDonald
That one. I'm sorry. Sorry for you. Look at that. So molded.
Peter Tilden
If there were to be a biopic done on you guys, who would play you?
Stephen McDonald
Well, I would.
Buzz Knight
Yes. Steve.
Stephen McDonald
He was good enough for Dylan. He's good enough for me.
Buzz Knight
But he's too. He's too short to play.
Stephen McDonald
Who cares? I don't care. Well, he. Timothee Chalamet could play David Cassidy in our story. So when we go to make. So we have to get some tall. Some tall guys. And then when we go. And then in the part where they have the spirit of 76 section, we. Perfect. Because he's tiny like David Cassidy.
Buzz Knight
Tony Tenille can play me. And maybe the captain will play you.
Stephen McDonald
Although we both have the captain's mustache now and the captain's probably not with us anymore. Daryl Dragon?
Buzz Knight
No, he did. He passed a year or two ago.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, I think we could play. We could have played Daryl Dragon. Jeff and I could share the role of Daryl Dragon and the Tony Captain and Tenille movie.
Buzz Knight
Is Dennis Dragon still alive?
Stephen McDonald
Is that the brother from the surf punks?
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Stephen McDonald
I don't know. I haven't kept tabs on it.
Buzz Knight
There was a surf punks where we're kind of influential on. We were gonna do too big for her top on Teen Babes from Monsanto album, but we had to we tossed it the last second.
Stephen McDonald
You know, it's funny, I don't remember that. That discussion, but. Okay, that's a surf punk's deep cut.
Peter Tilden
Is. Is. Is Monsanto. Do you think your. Your true classic of all? Is that the one?
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, we didn't write any of the songs, so that's definitely our.
Buzz Knight
But, I mean, some people, it is their classic. But no, I mean, for us, it was. It was just a fun kind of exercise.
Stephen McDonald
Well, I like what Jeff says in the documentary. He says that's when we came out as rock stars.
Buzz Knight
It is. It's when we just fully just blew it out there. And, you know, and it was. And it was an exercise. We were so snobby at the time. We felt that the scene we were in needed a rock and roll education, some kind of. So we were playing songs that were obscure to the kids, that were our peers at the time. Now it's, you know, everyone knows Kiss and the Stooges and the Shangri Las, but the hardcore kiss of 1982 had no idea who these were.
Stephen McDonald
We'd say it's pedantic.
Buzz Knight
Pedantic.
Stephen McDonald
Pedantic. I think that word applies. It's like, you know, we were schooling them and we were getting.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, we were school. We were schooling them. But, you know, I mean, now I have a much more humble connection to that record than I did that.
Stephen McDonald
But, you know, it is one of the records that Andrew Reich cites quite a bit as his entrance point into Red Cross.
Peter Tilden
Now, you guys, I feel like, have always gotten along except for one thing. Maybe the additional D and Red Cross. Is that still something that's come between you two knuckleheads?
Stephen McDonald
Yeah, well, we did sing a chant on the new record where we're. I've been trying to, like, just cement it somehow, get it more into people's consciousness. Because every time I see our name spelled incorrectly, which there's several opportunities, there are several different ways to do it, I always feel like it's a little bit of a reminder of, like, you're not famous.
Buzz Knight
Well, and I also think about. I always think about the. And every time I see it, I am not angry for myself. I'm sad for Steve.
Stephen McDonald
Oh, well, that's so thought.
Buzz Knight
Because I know it's good. It's torturing him. But, you know, what's weird about it is it's, you know, even today, like, the headline of an article will be spelled wrong, but it'll be spelled correctly throughout the body of the article, vice versa. That happens all the time. So People would just should start, you know.
Stephen McDonald
The one I find the most interesting is R E D D C R.
Buzz Knight
O S S. That one which is almost never.
Stephen McDonald
It happens though. It does happen.
Peter Tilden
Do you think, though it happens, people are just messing with you?
Stephen McDonald
No, no, I did. People. I. Well, I just think that. I mean, maybe. Yeah, maybe some. But I know that I'm so. I know how I am about names and I never want to get them wrong. So I just assume that people are making a mistake and I'm always having to let them off the hook. Like, I mean, I don't really care. Of course. I'd be like, oh, no, of course. I mean, my mom calls me Je. I don't. It's all fine. But. But it is always a moment where, like, if, say it has something to do with like promoting the band, I have to correct people and I hate having to correct people. That's a drag. And you know, whatever, it's fine. But what the point I did want to make was that on our new album we have a song called Good Times Propaganda Band and it's under. It's sort of buried in the mix. But we do do a chant at the end of the song where we say, yes, two Ds, K, hey. Yes, two Ds and a K, hey. So we're, you know, we're.
Buzz Knight
We're trying to train.
Stephen McDonald
If nothing else, that is our motivation for continuing to do this. To get people, to see how many people we can get to. To spell our name correctly before we die.
Buzz Knight
And it could have been worse. We could have easily spelled it with a Q.
Peter Tilden
There you go.
Stephen McDonald
I know you would have said until you would have said it's cool. It's like Stacy, Q.
Peter Tilden
Was it influenced by Red Fox? Yes, yes, without a doubt.
Buzz Knight
Now, you know, now the word red, I see it a lot used. And in the hip hop world.
Stephen McDonald
It'S very.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, it's like Redd. It's really coming to its own in the past, you know, like 15 years.
Stephen McDonald
Probably inspired by Red Fox also, because, I mean, like, is Red a common name? Is it a common proper name? And adding the second D, I guess kind of takes it out of a nickname and into a proper name.
Peter Tilden
Would you ever consider a punk version of the Sanford and Son theme?
Stephen McDonald
I feel like we've.
Buzz Knight
The Sanford Son theme is pretty punk to begin with.
Stephen McDonald
Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun. What is that? It's got like, what is a juice harp or.
Jason Alexander
Wow.
Peter Tilden
I feel like it is.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah.
Buzz Knight
And clavineth. Yeah, yeah. That.
Stephen McDonald
No, but there's that, that. It's got that one drone instrument in the intro. I don't know. It's cool.
Buzz Knight
We'll take it apart later.
Stephen McDonald
It's a. It's a classic. I don't know who. I don't know who the composer is on that.
Peter Tilden
Yeah, we're gonna have to check on that.
Buzz Knight
You know, it sounds like Quincy Jones, but I don't think Quincy.
Stephen McDonald
You know what? I think it is? I think it is. I think I recently just. Yeah, hang on.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, because I know he did. He did. Didn't do too many comedies.
Peter Tilden
Oh, that's amazing. It was Quincy.
Stephen McDonald
It is Quincy.
Peter Tilden
And he just passed away recently. I wonder how he felt about that in his. In his last years about that part of his body of work.
Stephen McDonald
Oh, I'm sure he's always proud of it. It was such a, like.
Buzz Knight
I'm sure he was proud.
Stephen McDonald
I mean, it was. That was such a great piece of American television, you know, it's a really good mainstream moment, I think.
Peter Tilden
Oh, totally.
Stephen McDonald
At least from. At least from my household's perspective. My dad loved Red Fox. My dad's sort of personality, in many ways, I would say is informed by both the Red Fox character from Sanford and Son and also the. I'm forgetting the actor's name, but from the Jeffersons. George Jefferson.
Peter Tilden
Yeah.
Stephen McDonald
My dad walks like George Jefferson. Our dad walks like George Jefferson, I think.
Peter Tilden
And then Red Fox was known before that show for those infamous party records. Those nasty records.
Buzz Knight
X rated comedy, right? Yeah. But on. On Laugh Record, was it Laugh Records?
Peter Tilden
I believe so.
Buzz Knight
Like they. Early, Early Richard Pryor was on that same label and yeah, early dirty comic Luanda Page. Lawanda pay. Well, Luanda Page is part of the Rudy Ray Moore scene.
Stephen McDonald
Well, that's also.
Buzz Knight
So I don't know, is it on Joke records though, or whatever? Laugh Records. I see the logo in my head.
Peter Tilden
I can too, actually. They were filthy as all get out though. That's for sure. They really were.
Jason Alexander
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a Walk podcast.
Nikki Glaser
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report 2025 is bound to be a fascinating year. It's going to be filled with money challenges and opportunities. I'm Joel. Oh, and I am Matt. And we're the hosts of how to Money. We want to be with you every step of the way in your financial journey this year, offering the information and insights you need to thrive financially. Yeah, whether you find yourself up to your eyeballs in student loan debt or you've got a sky high credit card balance because you went a little overboard with the holiday spending, or maybe you're looking to optimize your retirement accounts so you can retire early. Well, how to Money will help you to change your relationship with money so you can stress less and grow your net worth. That's right. How to Money comes out three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For money advice without the judgment and jargon, listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jeffrey McDonald
Hey, it's Nikki Glaser. I'm not here to roast you. I'm here to overshare everything that went down at the Golden Globes last Sunday. Everyone is already talking about what happened on air at the Golden Globe Globes, but you are going to hear about what happened off air from the horse's mouth. Yes, I'm the horse. Me, Nikki Glazer. Join me on my podcast, the Nikki Glaser Podcast, where I will be telling you all the details. I can finally relax with my besties, my listeners, and dish. What happened backstage? What went down? The things people are already talking about, the things that people should be talking about. I've got it all. From what it took to prep for the Golden Globes to the behind the scenes of the Golden Globes. What went down in the rehearsals, who said what at the after party, who I saw at the after party, who was dancing with who. I'm gonna spill it All. Secrets will be revealed. You do not want to miss this episode. Listen to the Nikki Glaser podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford
Hey, y'all. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford, host of Therapy for Black Girls, and I'm thrilled to invite you to our January Jumpstart series For the third year running. All January, I'll be joined by inspiring guests who help you kickstart your personal growth with actionable ideas and real conversations. We're talking about topics like building community and creating an inner and outer glow.
Stephen McDonald
I always tell people that when you buy a handbag, it doesn't cover a childhood scar. You know, when you buy a jacket, it doesn't reaffirm what you love about the hair you were told not to love. So when I think about beauty is so emotional because it starts to go back into the archives of who we were, how we want to see ourselves and who we know ourselves to be and who we can be. So a little bit of past, present, and future all in one idea, soothing something from the past. And it doesn't have to be always an insecurity. It could be something that you love.
Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford
All to help you start 2025 feeling empowered and ready. Listen to therapy for black Girls starting on January 1st on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jason Alexander
I'm Jason Alexander. And I'm Peter Tilden. And together on the really Know really podcast, our mission is to get the truest answers to life's baffling questions, like why they refuse to make the bathroom door go all the way to the floor. We got the answer. Will space junk block your cell signal? The astronaut who almost drowned during a spacewalk gives us the answer. We talk with the scientist who figured out if your dog truly loves you and the one bringing back the woolly mammoth. Plus, does Tom Cruise really do his own stunts? His stuntman reveals the answer, and you never know who's going to drop by.
Buzz Knight
Mr. Bryan Cranston is with us.
Stephen McDonald
How are you?
Buzz Knight
Hello.
Jason Alexander
My friend Wayne Knight. About Jurassic Park. Wayne Knight, welcome to really. No really, sir.
Stephen McDonald
Bless you all.
Jason Alexander
Hello, Newman. And you never know when Howie Mandel might just stop by to talk about judging.
Stephen McDonald
Really?
Jason Alexander
That's the opening?
Buzz Knight
Really?
Jason Alexander
No, really? Yeah, really?
Stephen McDonald
No really.
Jason Alexander
Go to reallynoreally.com and register to win 500, a guest spot on our podcast or a limited edition sign, Jason Bobblehead. It's called really?
Buzz Knight
No really.
Jason Alexander
And you can find it on the.
Stephen McDonald
Iheartradio app on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jason Alexander
Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Peter Tilden
But you guys, it's evident in, in the documentary that you guys are really historians of pop culture. You, you were fixated on the Brady Bunch. You were certainly fixated on the Partridge Family. You got to live out your dream and appear with David Cassidy. How did you become such historians of our time?
Buzz Knight
Well, I mean, we were brainwashed by our time. We came up in the 70s when, you know, kids came up from school and turned on the TV and didn't turn it off until bedtime. We would go out and play and ride skateboards and stuff like that. But yeah, we were raised by television. Our parents never viewed what we watched to make sure it was appropriate for us. I mean, not with television they didn't. I mean, when I had my own child, I was very careful to kind of bet everything she consumed. But in the 70s, it was kind of like the programmers for the networks, they were the ones raising the children, I guess.
Peter Tilden
And there was only three networks then too. Imagine that. Right? Think about that.
Buzz Knight
And the Brady Bunch, was it always kind of an embarrassment, I have to say. You know, we were like. We were Parkinson's family people. And it's not even, it's not even like Beatles or Scones. It's more like. It's more like Beatles or the Herman's Hermits, you know, like I knew the Herman's Hermits. Brady Bunch were more. Brady Bunch became more of an influence. When we got into LSD later, can.
Peter Tilden
You tell us the story how your, your lives intersected with David Bowie?
Stephen McDonald
Well, I mean, I can't. We. I mean, that's more of like a discovery from the documentary because I. I think it was more like a hazy memory when we learned, when we were reminded that David Bowie had been sighted at the Hong Kong Cafe the same night that we played our first nightclub show. But I mean, David Bowie had a huge impact on, on the two of us growing up because we borrowed our uncle's copy of ziggy Stardust on eight track tape, Christmas of 1972, and we never gave it back to him. And that changed us in a lot of ways. But by the time 1979 rolled around and we intersected, I guess we shared oxygen in the same building that night. But neither of us were particularly plugged into David Bowie's music at that point, only because we had lost interest around the time of Young Americans. And when he went soul, we just were looking for a harder edged sound. And we felt a little bit like we were in that camp where we felt somewhat betrayed by his musical pivot. And it was really the punk scene for me. When I was surprised, I think I was probably surprised that everybody was freaking out about Bowie because I assumed everybody had tossed him away too, because he wasn't making heavy guitar music anymore. But that's not the case. The punk rockers that we admired that we were around at that time were all leftovers from the glitter scene. They were all kind of weirdo art students and people like that. They were like Bowie obsessives. Like there was no way they were ever going to. Like they were Ever. He was ever going to lose those people. So I think, you know, it was sort of eye opening and I don't know about that night Specific, it doesn't have. The crew that I hung out with were such Bowie fanatics that I reconsidered Bowie after that time. And I realized, oh, I had missed Low and I had missed Heroes. And this was actually at the time that he was about to make. Our lodger was about to come out. So that's when I got back on. On his train was around the. Around the time that he came to our show. It's.
Peter Tilden
It's. I love that part of the story, the way that unfolded. So as you watch the documentary, are there things that you sort of go, wow, I completely.
Buzz Knight
The Bowie thing, I forgot about completely.
Stephen McDonald
And it was like, thanks to people like our friend Ella Black and, you know, other people that were a little bit older than us that were there and they remembered it. She had journaled about it and it was like, oh, my God. Right? Wow, that's wild. But, like, that's what. That scene, that scene was so exciting to us that, you know, I mean, because we were rubbing elbows with our heroes that we held in the same esteem as the classic rock heroes that we had had five, 10 years earlier. Like, for me, Mick Jagger. I mean, Darby Crash was just as important as Mick Jagger or more so, like, when Darby Crash died, it was the same week as John Lennon's death or the day before or after day before. And I, at that particular time, I was more shaken by the death of Darby Crash than I was the death of John Lennon. And, you know, and these were people that we were like, you know, playing shows with. So it was very thrilling moment for us to be interacting with our heroes. And, you know, so, yeah, so the. So the fact that Bowie was there that night, we were probably also freaking out that Belinda Carlisle from the Go, you know, the yet not really known Go Gos were there, you know, or whoever, you know, or Pat Bagg might have been there. And that would have been a really big deal to us.
Peter Tilden
There's another character that I wanted to ask you about. Tracy Lee.
Buzz Knight
Tracy Lee, yes.
Peter Tilden
Talk about the. The. The mystery of Tracy Lee.
Buzz Knight
Well, she was a. When we first started going to shows in Hollywood, the scene was older than us. We were like. We were the kids and Tracy was another kid that we met. You know, she was the other person that was exactly my age. Like, we were kind of like 50 when we started going to shows. And, you know, and so when we had we were trying to figure out what the new angle for Red Cross should be like. When we were around the time Born Innocent before Born Innocent, we were putting the band back together after Stephen's hiatus. When he returned, we just. It was like, put the band back together and. Oh, I got a great idea. Tracy. Tracy Lee, she, you know, she played guitar with a group called Castration Squad, who were an all girl death rock group, one of the very first goth bands of all time. And we were old friends with her. I figured having her in the band would be like our Brian Jones. She would be the fashion center of our group, which she was on rhythm guitar. On rhythm guitar. But yeah, she was like us. And, you know, we were all. But she actually lived in Hollywood, Tracy. You know, we lived. We were separated from Hollywood by living in the suburbs, so we didn't get to go there until years later. She walked to the Whiskey a Go Go and saw the original Runaways play when she was like 13. Because she could. Because she could. But she didn't live by her because.
Stephen McDonald
She grew up in Hollywood. And it's funny, like, this kind of relates to what I was talking about. Being thrilled by local celebrities more so than, you know, a lot of other people, a bigger artist or whatever. Like, many years later, I was on tour with my hardcore band off, and a really close friend of mine, Josh Klinghoffer, had just joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And they were playing a stadium down the road. This was in England. And so Josh invited me to the show. And like, I knew Flea and Anthony way back, but just a little bit. Like, I wouldn't expect them to necessarily know my name. And. And they, they were excited that I was coming to the show because they wanted to talk about Tracy Marshak, that's her real last name. And they had gone to school with her at Fairfax High. They had grown up in Hollywood too. And this is like in 2010 or something. And they're like, so, you know Tracy Marshak. And I was like, yeah, everyone was.
Buzz Knight
In awe of her. Everyone was in awe.
Stephen McDonald
They were in awe of her. She was the cool punk rock girl at Fairfax High. And they were maybe a year younger than her or the same age, but they were intimidated by her because she had. She just always had this cool mystique about her. I mean, I'm sure Ed Fairfax at the time, she probably was a bit of a loner or not necessarily like a popular social or whatever. But for weirdos like Flea and Anthony, they would have been like, you know, ogling over her and obsessive about her and that she was unapproachable on some level. And they were. They still talked about her on that level, which is so funny because of, you know, who they are now and what they've lived.
Peter Tilden
So tell us what it's like now, creating new music and. And what has changed in your guys, you know, style and, you know, collaboration practices.
Buzz Knight
Well, a style, something that just comes and goes. It's just something that's a natural part of it. I think it's kind of filtered through whatever it is. Like, for me, I'm speaking for myself, whatever I'm listening to is kind of affects whatever style. But the process is, since we've been doing this for so long, there's no set way. I mean, it's like we both write separately, we both finish songs separately, we both write parts separately, we both get together and write together. So there's just, you know, so many ways to do it. There isn't a set way. And I think that's probably why we can still come up with good stuff, because we're not stuck in a rut of how to create or write music.
Stephen McDonald
I think that's true. I guess we've never really landed on a formula.
Buzz Knight
No.
Stephen McDonald
And so it's still. It's always, you know, I mean, I don't know. I mean, this last time we wrote, it did feel different. It felt a little different, like we were getting some uncharted territory. And, you know, I mean, I know it's cool. It's. It's. It's cool to check back in and see, like, where we are as individuals and where we are as a. As a partnership. And. And this last time was really fruitful, and it seemed like maybe. I also think the documentary, at least for me, the documentary had a lot of. It, offered some inspiration as well.
Peter Tilden
It's obvious watching you two in the documentary and now how much you enjoy being together with each other, that's not acting, is it?
Buzz Knight
No, no. We are we best friends, but we can also really get each other, get on each other's nerves in a deep level. But it's all. That's all like, normal, you know, it's like we recover really quickly when there's disagreements. They may seem like you might have a disagreement, even like a creative one that just seems like, oh, crap, you know, fuck him, blah, blah, blah. But then they get over it very fast, you know, So I think that's. Maybe that's, you know, being brothers and fact that there's just the two of us. And we grew up and, you know, very humble. Yeah, we grew up in the same bedroom, you know, very close.
Stephen McDonald
Our parents have been our parents. As much as they've done some terrible modeling of how to deal with stress and anxiety, I think they've also been really good models in the terms of they're partners. They. They've been doing their own small business since the 80s, since maybe we started Red Cross before they started Omni.
Buzz Knight
Well, oh, yeah, we did. They started in like 83 or something or I don't know.
Stephen McDonald
Okay. So they started their own small business in the early 80s, but they've been partners, so to speak, for, you know, since before Jeff was born, but. And they still work together. They still work together. They're in their 80s and our dad is like 86 now maybe. And they still have their small welding company, Precision welding, Omni Welding. If you need precision welding done in the South Bay region of la, look them up on the way.
Buzz Knight
We're kind of hoping they'll reach fire soon, but they don't really want to. No, they can't.
Stephen McDonald
No. They worked through Covid and they're in great shape, and I think that's been a really positive thing for them. And because they worked their Covid, because they often would do government contracts, so much to our chagrin, we were like, you know, I wanted to go do their shopping for them and they're like, leave me alone, we're working. But. And whatever. But point is that they've. I mean, I'd like to think that Jeff and I have evolved a little better. I mean, obviously we're brothers, is a different dynamic, but we're not quite as bickering as they are. They are like world class bickers, and it's really dysfunctional.
Buzz Knight
But they recover quickly, though. That's the kind of thing I think we may have learned. The quick recovery.
Peter Tilden
Yeah.
Stephen McDonald
Right. When you talk about recover quickly. Yeah. Maybe that's a skill we've learned to push it to our toes like our parents.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. So who knows? But everyone gets along for, I'd say, 89% of the time these days. They do. We do.
Peter Tilden
Jeffrey, what does Stephen do to make you better? And Steven, what does Jeffrey do to make you better?
Buzz Knight
Well, Stephen's very thorough, very, very analytical and, you know, and I think sometimes I'm very flighty and I just go with my first response, you know, in a creative situation. And sometimes it's good. Sometimes it is good to take a beat. So, you know, Stephen has made and has insisted that I take a beat before on certain things creatively and that's, that's good, that's good. Otherwise I would just be, you know, flying off the handle doing everything, you know, on an impulsive level musically. But that's one thing I can think of because anyone who knows Steve well, you know, he's, he's the most analytical person. He's very, very intense that way, which is great. But that's, you know, that's also where we hit like little, you know, butt heads sometimes.
Stephen McDonald
Well, I mean, and I guess the flip side is that I've become more. At least with my writing, I like my first ideas better now than I used to. So maybe that's Jeff's influence on me.
Peter Tilden
Well, guys, is there anything I've missed that you want to say or talk about?
Buzz Knight
Oh, we don't want. Well, the movie, the album, the movie and the Red Cross self titled double album and our book, now youw're One of Us. They're all just, they all fit together. So if anyone sees, reads the book, sees the movie, buys the record or whatever and they need more. There is more.
Stephen McDonald
Yeah. I mean, the only thing I'd say is you can go to Red Cross Film, and that's R E D D K R o s s film.com to find out if there's a screening anywhere in your area. Because the film is screening now. It's, you know, sort of a short, limited theatrical run and then it'll eventually go into, you know, another formats like DVDs. And then I think they're going to do figure out some kind of hosting situation to stream it, which I don't know that much about, but there is distribution for that. But I would say that if you know nothing about us and you're just kind of intrigued hearing our conversation, that the documentary is actually, from what I can tell, it seems to be engaging to people that know nothing about our music.
Buzz Knight
It's really fun to watch with a, with the, with an audience because it's funny but it gets heavy, you know, and it's musical and it's so it's.
Stephen McDonald
Like, yeah, you might not even be a big music fan, but if you're a human being, you might like the human elements of our story. And so I just. Because it's a good entrance point into our world. And then I would say if you watch the movie and then you're intrigued to know more, then I would direct you towards our newest album because we've been together for so long that our catalog is pretty disparate so to speak. It's, it's random. Like there's, you know, there's records from when we were 13 and there's records from when we were 23 and 33. And so we changed a lot in those times. But the new album is a double album, so it's got a, it's got a long track listing in it. It is a good cross section of everything that we're capable of. And, and we just happened to land. And as time would have it, our fate or luck or whatever, we intersected at an inspired moment with the opportunity to make a record. So I think it's a really, it's a great companion for the, the movie and just learning about who we are. I think it's a good entrance. It's a good entrance. And then, and then when that's done, if you're not like completely nauseated by having too much Red Cross in your world, then check out the book, because the book is a deep dive into much more tweakier things than we got into today. But that's the order of events I suggest. That's the analytical Steve that Jeff just called me out on.
Peter Tilden
The the documentary Born Innocent is fabulous. It is a, a saunter through music history without a question. And Jeffrey and Stephen McDonald, I'm so glad that we, we took this, this little walk down memory lane. Thank you for being on.
Buzz Knight
Thanks for having us. It was fun.
Jason Alexander
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Nikki Glaser
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide, and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, Thursdays on ABC.
Jeffrey McDonald
Get ready to move that bus. The beloved series Extreme Makeover Home Edition.
Nikki Glaser
Is making a triumphant return to kick.
Stephen McDonald
Off the new year.
Jeffrey McDonald
Join the makeover mavens Joanna Teplin and Clee Shearer as they hit the road.
Nikki Glaser
On a mission to transform lives of deserving families.
Jeffrey McDonald
They have just four days to rally.
Nikki Glaser
Communities, demolish old homes, and rebuild not.
Jeffrey McDonald
Just houses, but lives new episodes of Extreme Makeover Home edition Thursdays at 8.
Nikki Glaser
7 Central on ABC and stream next day on Hulu.
Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford
Hey y'all, I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford, host of Therapy for Black Girls this January. Join me for our third annual January Jumpstart series. Starting January 1st, we'll have inspiring conversations to give you a hand in kickstarting your personal growth. If you've been holding back or playing small, this is your all Exactly. Access pass to step fully into the possibilities of the new year. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls starting on January 1st on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jeffrey McDonald
Hey, it's Nikki Glaser. So I hosted the Golden Globes at Hollywood's biggest party. Honestly, you've probably seen all the headlines this week, but like any good party, there's a lot of wild stuff that goes down behind the scenes that you don't know about. And since since I hosted the Golden Globes, I'm letting my podcast listeners, my besties in on all the behind the scenes tea stuff that didn't make it to the live TV taping. What went down at rehearsals, who said what at the after party? You're going to hear it all. Listen to the Nikki Glaser podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Nikki Glaser
Jill, the holidays are a blast, but the financial hangover? That can be a huge bummer. If you are out there and you're dreading the new statement email that reveals the massive balance that you may have racked up, well, you could use our help. That's right. I'm Joel. And I am Matt and we're from the how to Money podcast. Our show is all about helping you make sense of your personal finances so you can ditch your pesky credit card debt once and for all, make real progress on other crucial financial goals that you've got, and just feel more in control of your money in general. You know it. For money advice without the judgment and jargon, listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast Title: takin' a walk
Episode: Redd Kross: "Born Innocent and Still Rockin with the McDonald Brothers"
Host: Buzz Knight, iHeartPodcasts
Release Date: January 7, 2025
In this engaging episode of "takin' a walk," host Buzz Knight sits down with Jeffrey and Stephen McDonald, the dynamic brother duo behind the influential punk rock band Red Cross. The conversation delves into their new documentary, "Born Innocent and Still Rockin," exploring the band's storied history, their impact on the punk and grunge scenes, and the enduring legacy they've built over four decades.
[03:36] Peter Tilden: "Welcome to matinee idols to the Taking a Walk podcast."
Jeffrey and Stephen begin by sharing the genesis of their band during their teenage years. They reminisced about opening for legendary acts like Black Flag and navigating the tumultuous music landscape of the late '70s and '80s.
[06:14] Stephen McDonald:
"There was a director who started working on the documentary, but it fizzled out after some time. Eight years ago, Andrew Reich, former showrunner of Friends, reached out to us. Despite his mainstream background, he had a deep love for underground culture, which perfectly aligned with our story."
[07:42] Buzz Knight:
"Andrew was very into hardcore punk, which I only recently discovered."
The brothers highlight Andrew Reich's pivotal role in bringing their story to the screen, emphasizing his passion for hardcore punk and underground culture that resonated with Red Cross's ethos.
[08:22] Stephen McDonald:
"We can't take credit for our parents' support; it was just naturally what they brought to the table."
Growing up in a neighborhood devoid of musical influences, Jeffrey and Stephen found solace and purpose in forming Red Cross. They discuss their early experiments, including a failed attempt to perform Ted Nugent's "Snakeskin Cowboy" during a junior high talent show—a moment that underscored their commitment to authenticity in their music.
[09:30] Stephen McDonald:
"I felt that the lyrics were too stupid. It's that feeling—when something comes across that makes you think, 'I can't sell this.' That's been with me ever since." [09:30]
This early rejection of insincere or poorly crafted music set the tone for Red Cross's dedication to meaningful and genuine artistic expression.
The brothers delve into their musical influences, notably Grand Funk Railroad, David Bowie, and the punk scene. They recount memorable encounters and the profound impact these artists had on their own music.
[12:09] Buzz Knight:
"We liked Grand Funk Railroad, but we kind of just discovered their first two acid rock albums. The spirit of the '76 Grand Funk was more the '70s version." [12:09]
[34:21] Stephen McDonald:
"David Bowie had a huge impact on us. Borrowing our uncle's copy of 'Ziggy Stardust' changed us in many ways." [34:21]
[36:45] Buzz Knight:
"The documentary made us realize connections we had forgotten, like Bowie being present when we played our first nightclub show." [36:45]
Their discussion highlights a blend of mainstream and underground influences that shaped Red Cross's unique sound, navigating shifts from glam rock to punk and grunge.
Creating "Born Innocent and Still Rockin" was a journey filled with challenges and revelations. The McDonald brothers discuss the complexities of translating their decades-long journey into a cohesive narrative.
[06:00] Peter Tilden:
"The documentary is so wonderful. Tell me how it came together." [06:00]
[16:32] Peter Tilden:
"You guys have been around since you were 15 and 11. Did you ever imagine the band would last this long?" [16:32]
[21:43] Stephen McDonald:
"The documentary offered a lot of inspiration for me. Watching our story unfold was both funny and heavy, intertwined with musical and personal elements." [21:43]
The brothers credit Andrew Reich's organizational skills for weaving together the myriad "rabbit holes" of their history into an engaging and accessible documentary.
The episode sheds light on the intricate dynamics between Jeffrey and Stephen, emphasizing their brotherly bond and the balance of their creative processes.
[43:50] Buzz Knight:
"We are best friends, but we can also really get on each other's nerves. It's normal, and we recover quickly from disagreements." [43:50]
[46:50] Buzz Knight:
"Stephen's very analytical, and sometimes I'm flighty and go with my first creative impulse. Stephen encourages me to take a beat before deciding, which balances our approach." [46:50]
This synergy allows Red Cross to innovate continuously, avoiding creative ruts and fostering a collaborative environment where diverse ideas flourish.
As Red Cross celebrates over forty years in the music industry, Jeffrey and Stephen reflect on their legacy and ongoing projects.
[47:59] Buzz Knight:
"The movie, the album, and our book all fit together. If people see, read, or listen, there's more to explore." [47:59]
[49:09] Stephen McDonald:
"The documentary serves as a great entrance into our world. Our new double album offers a comprehensive cross-section of our capabilities, complementing the film and book." [49:09]
They encourage listeners to engage with all aspects of their work—documentary, music, and literature—to fully appreciate the depth and breadth of their artistic journey.
The episode wraps up with heartfelt reflections on their journey, the support from their families, and the enduring passion that keeps Red Cross relevant in today's music scene.
[51:11] Buzz Knight:
"Thanks for having us. It was fun." [51:11]
Jeffrey and Stephen leave listeners with an invitation to explore their documentary, music, and book, promising a rich and multifaceted experience into the world of Red Cross.
Stephen McDonald at [09:30]:
"I felt that the lyrics were too stupid. It's that feeling—when something comes across that makes you think, 'I can't sell this.'"
Buzz Knight at [12:09]:
"We liked Grand Funk Railroad, but we kind of just discovered their first two acid rock albums."
Stephen McDonald at [34:21]:
"Borrowing our uncle's copy of 'Ziggy Stardust' changed us in many ways."
Buzz Knight at [43:50]:
"We are best friends, but we can also really get on each other's nerves. It's normal, and we recover quickly from disagreements."
Stephen McDonald at [49:09]:
"The documentary serves as a great entrance into our world. Our new double album offers a comprehensive cross-section of our capabilities."
This episode offers a deep dive into the lives and legacy of Jeffrey and Stephen McDonald, providing fans and newcomers alike with an intimate look at the artistry, challenges, and triumphs of Red Cross. Through candid conversations and nostalgic anecdotes, the brothers illuminate the enduring spirit that drives their music and storytelling.
Listen to the episode on iHeartRadio or Apple Podcasts to embark on this musical journey with Red Cross.