Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses) with Joe Keithley (D.O.A.)

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got an absolute legend of the punk rock world in conversation with one of his band’s biggest fans—who also happens to play bass in one of the world’s most famous rock bands. It’s Joe Keithley and Duff McKagan.

Joe Keithley has been known for the vast majority of his life as Joey Shithead, singer and guitarist for the band D.O.A., which is coming up on its 50th year of existence. D.O.A. are absolute legends that have always existed on the margins—I don’t think they’d have it any other way—and who influenced and crossed paths with countless bands over the years. They’re credited with bringing the word “hardcore” into the punk lexicon with their album Hardcore ‘81, and guys like Billie Joe Armstrong and Kurt Cobain were vocal fans. Politics and activism have always been part of D.O.A.’s DNA, so it’s no surprise that Keithley decided to run for office in his native Burnaby, Canada. It was a surprise, even to him, that he actually won, and he’s been representing his area for nearly eight years. There’s a new documentary out now called Something Better Change that covers his life both as a musician and a politician, and it’s definitely worth your time. It even comes as a DVD extra in a new double-LP greatest hits collection called Take on the Tyrants: The Very Best of Punk Rock’s Most Enduring Band. Check out the trailer for the doc right here.

Duff McKagan is a lifelong D.O.A. fan; as you’ll hear in this chat, he was onto them super early, including attending a legendary hardcore festival in Canada. McKagan probably needs no introduction here: He’s the longtime bassist and founding member of Guns N' Roses, with whom he still tours—he Zooms into this chat having just landed in Poland for some gigs. But McKagan’s fascinating career and history goes well beyond GnR; he was part of the Seattle punk scene starting as a teen, and he’s been a member of more bands, big and small, than you can count. He’s also an accomplished writer whose autobiography is well worth a read and he’s got a string of solo albums and collaborations. He’s always busy, and he clearly loves music, as you’ll hear in this chat.

In addition to talking about his love for D.O.A., McKagan talks with Keithley here about the good old days of punk rock, diving deep on Black Flag in particular. They also chat about Keithley’s political career and his new venture as the face of a Canadian guitar company. It’s a fun, lively conversation—enjoy.

0:00 — Intro

2:40 — Start of Conversation

3:26 — On how D.O.A shaped Duff’s perspectives on music, and on receiving their album

4:47 — On traveling in Europe on tour, and cities with the best rock audiences

7:52 — On traveling through East and West Germany, and how fans got new music in East Germany

9:53 — On D.O.A’s documentary, Something Better Change, and the politics, music, and punk culture that inspired them both

14:05 — On the Vietnam War and its impacts on music

15:05 — On Joe’s political campaigns, door-knocking, and learning about diverse cultures

18:57 — On crossing borders on tour

22:12 — On local politics and aggressive campaign commercials

24:44 — On touring, and attending graduations

26:23 — On Joe’s new line of guitars

27:46 — On D.O.A’s influence on Duff, D.O.A’s early days, and meeting other punk musicians

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Joe Keithley and Duff McKagan for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

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