Redd Kross: Tracing the origins of true punk rock, that lost its identity when hardcore started.

Redd Kross is an American alternative rock band from Hawthorne, California, United States, who had their roots in 1978 in a punk rock band called the Tourists, which was started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald while they were still in middle school. With the addition of friends Greg Hetson and John Stielow on drums, the band's first gig was opening for Black Flag.
At the time of their 1980 debut self-titled EP, the band had changed their original name to Red Cross, which was allegedly inspired by the masturbation scene in the film, The Exorcist. Ron Reyes became the drummer. Eventually, Hetson left to join the Circle Jerks (and later Bad Religion) and Reyes left for Black Flag. They appeared on the Posh Boy compilation The Siren, and then to complete the lineup on their first full-length album, Born Innocent, they assembled a revolving door of musicians including original drummer John Stielow. Full of the brothers' pop culture obsessions, Born Innocent featured odes to Linda Blair (who starred in a television movie of the same name), a cover of "Look on Up from the Bottom" by the Carrie Nations from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and Charles Manson (whose song "Cease to Exist" they covered). The album also contains nods to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Tatum O'Neal, and Lita Ford. Not long after the release of the album, the group was threatened with a lawsuit from the International Red Cross and changed the spelling of their name to Redd Kross, allegedly being inspired by Redd Foxx.

[@rocketsauce420]

Born innocent is one of those albums that completely changed my life

[@jasonmaks]

Absolutely love this vid! Been am avid REDD KROSS fan since 1997 but only saw them a handful of times on reunion tours in the last 15 years so grateful for THIS video that captures them when I first discovered. THANK YOU! :)

[@mirzaghalib8659]

Shits dope.

[@danieldesoto6787]

I can't believe they're not more popular. They're true legends

[@evanabbott2737]

I like that shit.👍

[@krisscanlon4051]

Punk rock origins is hard to really trace especially with Hardcore...moving fwd these lads really came alive with Born Innocent. All 70s references all the time... they are so 70s that it seemed like RK were really active in '73! Meta Gonzo and many other superlatives!

[@uncooldispatch5438]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@uncooldispatch5438]

E.K. Rip 🪦

[@brentbonet4226]

Yeah. It was such a great lineup. His loss? Tragic.

[@GODsCHILD-lm6df]

Two Ds and a K ...

[@julyarchives]

Great band but to ßay their influences omit Neil Young makes no sense😅😅