I don't care what anyone says,there is no group that is cooler than the mighty REDD KROSS.The following was done with guitarist/vocal god Jeff McDonald and he was just as amazing as you would expect.To find out why, read on.

T S: This first question is a total Barbara Walters question. According to my calculations it's the 15 year anniversary of the band. Are you happy with what you've accomplished so far?
Jeff: Oh yeah,definitely. Of course we haven't achieved super-stardom. It's just been so much fun and so rewarding.We just had such a great time and the idea that we are able to remain vital after all these years is mind boggling.
T S: The last 3 things you've released have been singles, so what's up with a full album?
Jeff: We're finished with it. We don't have a title for it yet but it's coming out on This Way Up records out of England which is a Polygram label.
T S: I wanted to ask you about Robert (Hecker, ex-guitarist). What was the deal with that?
Jeff: Well, Robert left because he was just going under a lot of pressure.We were touring constantly after "Third Eye". The idea of a major label and the big business involved was really overwhelming to him. He's the king of guy who likes to keep things simple and the pressure really got to him and he just kinda cracked. He's great and fine now and he's going to be recording his own record soon,but at the time we were just wondering "what are we gonna do with Robert?"and Robert decided he didn't want to be in the band anymore.
T S: Is his new band IT'S OK?
Jeff: Yeah.He's putting together an album. He's not recording it yet but he's going to pretty soon.
T S: On the Rodney(on the ROQ) playlist it said that the B-side for "Switchblade Sister" was "Dancing Queen".
Jeff: No, that's just a Rodney mistake. We recorded "Dancing Queen" for some ABBA tribute record in England that was supposed to come out months and months ago. We recorded it at the same sessions as "Dancing Queen" and when we finished the recording we just gave Rodney a DAT of all 3 songs. I don't know if that ABBA record will ever come out. I'm sick of tribute albums, but our version of "Dancing Queen" turned out really good.
T S: Tell us more about the new record. JEFF':Well, we decided when we had all this label interest in England and we almost signed with a couple of different very major labels. We met with them and we were just like "man,this is kind of like Atlantic revisited". They promise you everything but yet it's all very shallow. When Andrew's label approached us (This Way Up-ed.) we just said "let's just go with this. OK, our,records will be in stores yet it will be a small kind of artistic community". One of the stipulations was that we were going to produce the record ourselves and we were going to do the record we wanted to do just because if it didn't come out the way we liked it we'd only have ourselves to blame.It turned out to be so much fun and the results are incredible. I mean, I can say in all honesty it's a very awesome album.
T S: Is it gonna have "Switchblade Sister" and "What's Wrong With Me"?
Jeff: No, we didn't put any of the singles on it. We just wanted to put on all brand new material, even though that material is essentially very new and alot of people have never heard it, we had such a backlog of songs. We just wrote alot after we got back from our tours in England in the span of about 4 months.We ended up having 15 songs which were recorded with the intent to only put 11 or 12 songs on the record which was really difficult 'cause we couldn't decide which songs to leave off the album, which was really unique. I think most times when you are making a record you automatically know what songs are B-sides. So we had to pick the songs that went the best together.
T S: Whose the girl on the cover of the"Switchblade Sister" single?
Jeff: I don't know.We found all these photos in a swap meet in the San Fernando Valley.We just thought this would be really funny to use as a record sleeve. I think the picture was taken in like '77
T S: How Is Roy (McDonald- drummer on "Neurotica") doing?
Jeff: Actually, I don't talk to him alot but when we're on tour if we're in Texas we definitely see him and I think he's doing really good.
T S: Are you happy with Insipid and Seminal Twaang with the way they distributed the singles?
Jeff: Yeah.They asked us backstage at one of our shows in London if we wanted to do a single of the month.e never had any intentions that the records were gonna be like number one smash hits or really available in the states. We were just like "yeah, let's go in the studio, write a couple of songs real quick and make a record". I have no complaints at all. I had no expectations.
T S: In alot of scenes, bands that originally start a trend usually aren't the ones who get the most success out of it. I think REDD KROSS were doing the "in" sound in '87.
Jeff: I think so, too, and it was real funny at the time no one cared. All these Superstars of Seattle had opened for us on those tours.There was no scene attached to those people but I could tell there was a really artistic groovy thing and alot of those bands were heavily into "Neurotica" and "Born Innocent". That was the first place on those tours that anybody had ever acknowledged those records as far as other musicians. It was really strange that this latter became a big scene.
T S: How do you feel about your older records becoming semi-collectors items?
Jeff: I think that it's really bizarre that it's happening in our own time. With a group like BIG STAR it happened 20 years after they broke up. With us it's really interesting 'cause we're still playing and people can come out and see us. We're still making new records,yet our older stuff is still colectable. It's kind of fun that we're actually playing to audiences and still remaining this band that exist and is doing quite well. It would bum me out if there was no prospect of ever getting those records all together and never reissuing them. We're working on it. It's a difficult process getting records back from major labels, even if they dropped you.I think I feel we're gonna get all those records back.
T S: How come "Cease To Exist" is not listed on the "Born Innocent" album jacket?
Jeff: Well,this was kind of before there was any kind of Charles Manson revival. Now it's very hip in the rock n' roll scene to be a Charles Manson fan. We were kind of pioneers. It was very tounge-in-cheek. It was basically a way to bum out our parents. We were very heavily into this Charles Manson thing and we wanted to do "Cease To Exist" because we would do it in our garage and it sounded really good. In one of the last sessions of "Born Innocent" we just started jamming it and it ended up good enough to go on record. When we had finished it, we heard that there were still Charles Manson loyalist out and Rodney Bingenheimer actually used to know the Manson Family and he said, "Well, you know, those people are kind of a little bit unbalanced and you don't really want to mess with them". So we kind of thought "Well, let's just put it on as a bonus track with no listing". We thought it would be interesting and mysterious.
T S: Did you ever hear G.G.ALLIN do "Garbage Dump".
Jeff: No. I'll have to check that out.
T S: Do you think there will ever be another LOVEDOLLS movie?
Jeff: Um, I don't know.It's hard to say. Everyone's kind of doing their own thing and some of the people we don't see anymore. I think it would be really funny. Dave Markey is really busy right now doing rock videos. I think when he gets tired of doing rock videos he'll want to do something else, maybe.
T S: In "Spirit Of '76" I think I noticed a misplaced artifact. On the wall, is there a picture from the KISS "Alive 2" book? JEFF:Oh, I wouldn't be surprised. I thought everything about that as far as the look and historically speaking was wrong. My clothes were late 60's early 70's, not'76. I guess that's when KISS started their heavy merchandising, in '76, '77.
T S: Yeah, but "Alive 2" came out in '78.
Jeff: You know what, I sat in that set for days on in and I was just in a huff because I'm really bad about that stuff. Especially 60's and 7O's. Alot of it was wrong but I basically just let it go. I think the KISS book was from "Alive", I'm pretty sure.
T S: What was it like working with David Cassidy?
Jeff: It was really fun. Seriously,I had been a big fan of THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY. I have all their shows on tape, boardgame, everything. I think he was just starting to come out of his bitter, post-child star period and he was starting to have a sense of humor about it, although when we quized him about songs he would play ignorant on alot of songs and pretend he didn't know or remember what it was but I think he was just trying to be hip.
T S: You know, Danny Bonaduce once said that THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY were the origional MILLI VANILLI.
Jeff: Well,yeah,if you want to be really technical about it what about THE BANANA SPLITS.
T S: I guess that's true. Did you ever get to meet Shaun Cassidy?
Jeff: No, Shaun never showed up on the set, unfortunately.
T S: Is that Paul Stanley on [the song] "1976"?
Jeff: No, it's Robert. Robert is so great because we'd be in the van on tour really bored and we'd always make Robert sing hardcore songs as Paul Stanley, so we had the luxury of knowing what any song would sound like with Paul Stanley singing. If you ever meet Robert have a playlist prepared and he'll go right into it.
T S: I was reading a while ago that Steve is a big SHAGGS fan.
Jeff: Oh, we both are big SHAGGS fans. We were heavily into the SHAGGS about the time of "Born Innocent". When I got the first album on Rounder records I worshiped it and I heard tracks from the second album and I really got into it but I could never find the album and I eventually got the CD.
T S: It's on CD?
Jeff: The CD has both albums plus bonus tracks and a lengthy interview with Helen Wiggins. It's a must. I have 2 copies of it. The only bummer about it was they remixed some of the first album. I thought that album sonically was perfect.
T S: I also remember you were a big STRYPER fan.
Jeff: I went through a brief STRYPER phase. It was really funny because I just got into it to make the rest of my band mad. I wasn't really into it. Then I got suckered into the "To Hell With The Devil" album. That was the only one I liked and I went to see them live and that was enough and I quietly laid my STRYPER fetish to rest.
T S: How many times have you seen KISS with make-up?
Jeff: With make-up I saw them in '75 for the "Alive" tour. I missed the "Destroyer" tour because I had to go out of town with my parents. Then I was at the "Alive 2" concert at the forum with CHEAP TRICK.
T S: I'm gonna rattle off some T.V. shows and you tell me what each one means to you. THE PATTY DUKE SHOW.
Jeff: Early childhood memories...probably first crush.
T S: Who do you think was hotter, Patty or Cathy?
Jeff: I still debate that to this day. I really hate Cathy at times but then sometimes Cathy's really hip.
T S: I see them as 2 totally different people.
Jeff: So do I. When you see one of them from the rear the illusion doesn't exist.
T S: She aged so bad.
Jeff: Well, I think [Patty Duke] had a heavy life. Geri Fennelly, our keyboard player, recently turned me on to "Valley Of The Dolls" which I never saw before.
T S: I still haven't seen it.
Jeff: You're lucky you've never seen it because you have something to look foward to in life. She is brilliant and so amazing. Sharon Tate is in it as well.
T S: What about "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls".
Jeff: That was a huge influence on us.I've seen it at least 300 times.
T S: OK, how about JAMES AT 15?
Jeff: I stoped watching T.V. when they canceled JAMES AT 15.
T S: GET SMART.
Jeff: GET SMART I loved as a child. I try to watch it now occasionally. It doesn't really do it for me.
T S: GOOD TIMES.
Jeff: Worship GOOD TIMES.
T.S.: EIGHT IS ENOUGH.
Jeff: EIGHT IS ENOUGH, the theme song "there's a plate of homemade wishes on the kitchen window sill" is the most Dylan-esqe (sic) theme song ever.
T S: You loved when Grant Goodeve played it on the show.
Jeff: Yeah, I hate him and Willie from FAMILY. Him and Willie should have started their own show together.
T S: So you can just hate it.
Jeff: Yeah, so I can just hate it and not watch it.
T S: Is there a reason why you hate them?
Jeff: I just can't stand them. Especially Willie, the bummy, no good, older brother, sensitive, Berkley, hippie, bullshit jerk.
T S: JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS.
Jeff: Very great band. Cheryl Ladd played Melody. Melody is great and I think she basically inspired Debbie Peterson of THE BANGLES.
T S: SAVED BY THE BELL.
Jeff: Oh,that show is filthy.
T S: You don't like it!
Jeff: I didn't say I didn't like it.I just said that it's filthy.
T S: Why is that?
Jeff: I don't watch the new SAVED BY THE BELL.! I refuse. I boycott. I can't even deal with it. I watch the first season with Haley Mills. I'm a huge Haley Mills fan. That show is filthy. Filthy is a word that is non-committal to me. It could mean great, it could mean awful. It's filthy, that's what comes to mind.
T S: Do you ever watch FIFTEEN?
Jeff: Oh yeah. That's a great show. I love the episodes when they have the band. They were a really good band.
T S: LOVE AND WAR with Susan Dey.
Jeff: I've never seen it.
T S: Do you still love Susan Dey?
Jeff: Yeah, she's great. I can get in to her. She was really good on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. Did you see her when they did the "Bradys vs. the Partridge family" skit?
T S: No.I didn't see that.
Jeff: That was one of the greatest moments in television history. They had a battle of the bands at the end. Jan came into the Partridge family's garage while they were rehearsing and realized that they weren't really playing their instruments and freaked out and ran and got the Bradys. They had a big fight and they did a song. The Bradys did "Sunshine Day" and the Partridge family did "I Woke Up In Love This Morning". They kept on going back and forth.
T S: What do you think about the BRADY BUNCH being reissued on CD?
Jeff: I think it's great but they left out alot of the great songs. I don't have it yet but I'm familiar with it. There's only one good album by them and it's called ["The Kids From The Brady Bunch"] and it has a cartoon cover and has some of their greatest songs. Some of those songs from that album are on [the CD] like "Sugar Shoppe"
T S: Did you see the BRADY BUNCH special last night?
Jeff: Yeah, I was extremely disappointed.
T S: How did you chose between that and the last episode of 90210?
Jeff: I taped the BRADY BUNCH and watched the last episode of 90210.
T S: What about GET A LIFE with Chris Elliot?
Jeff: That was a really good show.
T S: Wasn't that the worst when they cancelled it.
Jeff: Oh, that was awful.(Jeff goes on to talk about how a friend of his got fired from a job for faxing a nasty letter to Fox-ed.)
T S: LOVE CONNECTION.
Jeff: Brilliant. It's not a show that I actually set my timer to but it's on so many times a day that I'll sit and watch it and worship it.
T S: What do you like better, that or STUDS?
Jeff: STUDS I can't deal with. I liked STUDS when it first came on but then I started seeing the little quotes repeated by other people and it spoiled the illusion that they were actually making them up.
T S: Do you watch THE JANE PRATT SHOW?
Jeff: Oh, she's cute. She's foxy. Those shows are on 24 hours a day. I think everyone will settle down and watch one at any given time, no matter how immoral those shows may be. One day I turn it on and I go "that girl is actually kind of cute". She has a cool 60's image. I think she's boss.
T S: Have you ever dreamed about REDD KROSS being available on 8-track?
Jeff: Well, it's strange that you should say that. We are blessed with incredibly intelligent, creative, demented fans who always give us gifts that they make themselves. I got a very, very realistic 8-track version of "Third Eye" with everything perfect. The logo is a perfect color xerox. They even shrinkwrapped it. I haven't listened to it, of course. The guy assured me that it was recorded and "I Don't Know How To Be Your Friend" faded and continued on another track. You cannot tell this from another 8-track.
T S: That's incredible. If there were a REDD KROSS cereal, what would it taste like and what would be the prize in the box.
Jeff: It would probably taste like Captain Crunch because all celebrity cereals have that Captain Crunch [taste] and I think it would have a side panel version of some unreleased songs. I remember when I was a kid cutting MONKEES and BOBBY SHERMAN tracks of the side of Honeycombs.
T S: At the same token, if there were a REDD KROSS sitcom, would it be in B/W or color and who would star in it?
Jeff: It would definitely be in color. I think I would like to have Sarah Gilbert in it, we'll wait until after she graduates. I worship her. I hated ROSEANNE for so many years then I started getting into it when Sarah Gilbert started playing a bigger role on the show. She's brilliant. She's like Joey Ramone.
T S: I don't know if I'd go that far. Did you ever see "Poison Ivy".?
Jeff: No. That's one movie I have to rent. I heard incredible stories about that.
T S: Yeah, her and Drew Barrymore make out.
Jeff: Wow, that's too cool. I'll have to rent that one tonight.
T S: Is DEBBIE GIBSON a huge REDD KROSS fan now that you've interviewed her (in issue #4 of Raygun magazine).
Jeff: Yeah. She was going to produce "Bubblegum Factory" .Her sister Karen was an A&R person for Atlantic and was one of the persons who signed us. We were like "yeah,we should have Debbie produce this track" kind of as a joke and then Debbie heard our demo and totally dug it. I don't know if it would've ever worked out. Musically, we're kind of from different worlds but she's a really cool girl.
T S: How many 90210 dolls do you own?
Jeff: All of them. It's really bizarre because my brother and a couple of friends worshipped 90210 from the start and I was really anti-90210. One day I was in Bangkok on vacation and I was really bored and the only thing on T.V. was 90210 so I was kind of forced to watch it and it was the episode where Brenda kind of lost her superficial self and joined the teen talk-line and became friends with Andrea for the first time.Then I was hooked.
T S: Are you doing any more side projects like TATOR TOTZ?
Jeff: Well, I'm really disappointed because I thought I was gonna produce the next 5,6,7,8 ... single, but they decided that they don't want to make records in recording studios anymore. I'm real disappointed because I worship them. As far as playing side projects, no. Right now, I think we're gonna be real busy for the next year so there won't be alot of time. (this leads to a LYDIA LUNCH story-ed.) ... Steven was about 14 and she had this intense crush on him and used to call him all the time and try to talk him into ditching school and going to her house and changing clothes.
T S: Well how many 14 year olds get that chance.
Jeff: I know. He was kind of terrified. At the same time, TEENAGE JESUS AND THE JERKS were one of our favorite groups. Way before SONIC YOUTH ever existed, we used to play "Orphans" live to bum out the punk rock people.We'd play with the DEAD KENNEDYS or these really stupid hardcore shows. All the jocks who tried to beat us up for being punk had become hardcore. So we bum them out by doing 10 minute versions of "Orphans" and they hated it.
T S: Are you a Barbara Feldon (99 from GET SMART) fan?
Jeff: Yeah, Barbara Feldon was really cool. I like her alot. Her daughter was on the scene for a while. We'd see her at shows. She looked exactly like 99.
T S: What's the coolest thing you own?
Jeff: I have a Lori Partridge doll with the box I didn't even know they existed until recently. It's about a 12" doll and it has buck teeth and she's wearing jeans that have a Partridge on it. I have an autographed picture of CARRIE NATIONS autographed by Dolly Read. That's very cool. Between myself and my girlfriend we have almost every celebrity doll known to man.
T S: What do you think of SAVED BY THE BELL going to college?
Jeff: I hate that show. I put it as a sub-MR.BELVEDERE. You haven't asked me about the greatest show of all time.
T S: What would that be.
Jeff: SMALL WONDER.
T S: That's the one with the little robot girl, Vicki.I know that show.
Jeff: The show is so bad it causes you to cringe.You have to grip on to things so you don't vomit. The idea that there are people out there that might find it humorous on it's own level makes me shutter. We had a tape of one show where Emily (Harriet), the boy, and Vicki have a band.
T S: You should cover that song.
Jeff: No, it's too bad. It's awful.
T S: You should cover the FIFTEEN song. If I get it on tape, I'll send it to you.
Jeff: OK.I would really, really appreciate that.

By: Tom