At the time of their first self-titled EP, in 1980, the band changed their 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. Keller left to join Trixie and the Doorknobs as its guitarist and singer. To complete the lineup on their first full-length album, Born Innocent, they assembled a revolving door of musicians including original drummer John Stielow and drummer Janet Housden. 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 At 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 their name to Redd Kross, allegedly being inspired by Redd Foxx.
In 1984, Redd Kross returned with drummer Dave Peterson to record Teen Babes from Monsanto, an album featuring songs originally by such artists as KISS, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and The Shangri-Las.
In 1984, lead guitarist Robert Hecker joined the band, as Redd Kross embarked on tour in support of Teen Babes from Monsanto.
In that same year, they were featured on the soundtrack of Desperate Teenage Lovedolls with their cover of the Brady Bunch Kids' "It's a Sunshine Day". Jeff and Steve appear in the movie, along with Robert in the sequel Lovedolls Superstar which the brothers co-wrote with Dave Markey and Jennifer Schwartz. Both movies are available now on DVD.
In 1985, drummer Roy McDonald (formerly of The Things, and no relation to the brothers) joined the band.
In 1987, Redd Kross released Neurotica, an album reportedly influenced by Saturday morning cartoons and breakfast cereal (one of the songs was called "Frosted Flake"). Although the album itself was successful, the band's label, Big Time Records folded. The band continued to tour during these years however, and in 1988, drummer Victor Indrizzo joined the band.
On February 20, 1990, Redd Kross appeared on Episode 2 of the cult Public-access television show "Decoupage" with Summer Caprice.
In 1990, Redd Kross signed with Atlantic Records, releasing Third Eye, and appeared with David Cassidy in the film Spirit of '76, and issued several singles, including "Annie's Gone", which had some mild success on college radio. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers / future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons joined for the Third Eye tours, and appears in the promotional video for "Annie's Gone", which saw some light rotation on MTV. Brian Reitzell succeeded Irons as drummer in the band, and appears in the promotional video for "1976".
In 1991, Robert Hecker took leave from the band.
The album Phaseshifter was released in 1993, with new band members Eddie Kurdziel, Gere Fennelly, and Brian Reitzell. The videos for "Jimmy's Fantasy" and "Lady In The Front Row" were both shown on MTV's 120 Minutes. They toured on Phaseshifter for over a year, headling their own shows as well as tours supporting The Lemonheads and The Spin Doctors in late 1993 and Stone Temple Pilots in 1994. In 1995, Jeff and his wife, Charlotte Caffey (from The Go-Go's), had a daughter, named Astrid.
In 1997, Redd Kross released Show World, produced by Chris Shaw (who also produced albums for Weezer and Soul Asylum) and toured supporting The Presidents of the United States of America. The band took an indefinite hiatus after the Show World tour, and their future was uncertain after the untimely death of guitarist Eddie Kurdziel on June 6, 1999.
On July 1, 2006, Redd Kross returned to the live stage after almost a decade's absence. The Neurotica-era line up of Jeff McDonald, Steven McDonald, Robert Hecker and Roy McDonald performed a career-spanning set at the REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/Cal Arts Theater) at Disney Hall in Los Angeles. The band has subsequently gone on to play at the Azkena Festival in Spain, the Detour Festival in Los Angeles, give a performance of their entire first EP in honor of Rodney Bingenheimer's being awarded a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and a set consisting of the entire Born Innocent album opening for Sonic Youth (who performed Daydream Nation) at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. They toured Spain and England in January, 2007. They have played a number of one-off shows including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. In 2008 they played the Coachella Festival in Coachella, California; ATP vs Pitchfork festival in Sussex, England; and NXNE Festival in Toronto, Ontario. In 2010, Redd Kross headlined the Turbo Rock Festival in Spain. In 2011 they headlined the POP Montreal Festival.
Redd Kross will tour Australia again as part of the Hoodoo Gurus' 30th Anniversary on the "Dig It Up" Festival concert series.
The band released "Researching the Blues" in 2012.
Frosted Flake
Redd Kross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A Raisin Bran Brain
She's tryin' to tell me that I'm insane
(She's tryin' to tell me that I'm insane)
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe she's right
But I ain't sleeping with her tonight
There's just one thing that I think you should know
So Baby, baby, don't touch my arpeggio
And while you're at it - get off of my planet
(get off of my planet!)
Your obnoxious intrusions
Your cocaine delusions
All the trouble that you make
I guess you'll always be just a frosted flake
Got some old man to get her what she needs
She don't gotta beg - she just tease
(She don't beg - she just tease)
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe she's right
But I ain't sleeping with her tonight
(I ain't sleeping with you tonight)
There's just one thing that I think you should know
So Baby, baby, don't touch my arpeggio
And while you're at it - get off of my planet
(get off of my planet!)
Your obnoxious intrusions
All the trouble that you make
I guess you'll always be just a frosted flake
Just a frosted flake!
Yeah, frosted flake!
Just a frosted flake, yeah!
The lyrics of Redd Kross's "Frosted Flake" are about the singer's disdain for a woman he refers to as a "frosted flake," meaning that she is fake, sugary, and superficial. He describes her as having a frosted flake face and a Raisin Bran brain, implying that she is all surface-level appearance with little substance underneath. Despite this, she tries to convince him that he is the one who is crazy. The singer then declares that he won't be sleeping with her and tells her not to touch his arpeggio, which could refer to his guitar playing, but may also be a metaphor for something more personal. The song ends with the singer telling her to get off of his planet, indicating that he wants nothing to do with her.
The repetition of the line "Maybe I'm crazy / Maybe she's right" suggests that the singer is uncertain of his own sanity, which could be why he accuses the woman of trying to tell him that he is insane. However, his refusal to sleep with her and his demand that she stay away from him implies that he has enough self-awareness to recognize that the woman is bad for him. The line "Got some old man to get her what she needs / She don't gotta beg - she just tease" suggests that the woman is manipulative and uses her looks to get what she wants.
Overall, the song is a scathing indictment of superficiality, manipulation, and dishonesty. The singer wants nothing to do with the woman he calls a "frosted flake" and sees her as nothing more than a troublemaker.
Line by Line Meaning
She got a frosted flake face
Her face is cold and hard like a frosted flake cereal
A Raisin Bran Brain
She claims to be smart and healthy like Raisin Bran cereal
She's tryin' to tell me that I'm insane
She is accusing me of being crazy
Maybe I'm crazy
I am acknowledging the possibility of being crazy
Maybe she's right
I am considering that her accusations might be true
But I ain't sleeping with her tonight
I refuse to engage in sexual activities with her tonight
There's just one thing that I think you should know
I have something important to tell you
So Baby, baby, don't touch my arpeggio
Please don't interfere with or mess up what I am working on
And while you're at it - get off of my planet
Stay away from me and leave me alone
Your obnoxious intrusions
Your unpleasant interruption and intrusion
Your cocaine delusions
Your false beliefs or perceptions that are influenced by cocaine
All the trouble that you make
All the problems and issues that you cause
I guess you'll always be just a frosted flake
I assume that you will always be cold-hearted, untrustworthy and unappealing
Got some old man to get her what she needs
She found an older man who provides her with what she wants
She don't gotta beg - she just tease
She doesn't have to ask for things - she just flirts or hints
Just a frosted flake!
She is just an untrustworthy and unappealing person
Yeah, frosted flake!
I agree with the description of her as a frosted flake
Just a frosted flake, yeah!
Once again, she is just a cold-hearted and untrustworthy person
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JEFFREY MCDONALD, STEVEN MCDONALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Owen
The best song by the best band. This performance kicks ass!
kezrix
Luv this song .one of the greatest riffs ever
charlie feigle
Pure rock!
Seabass Simpson
This should have one billion views!!!
zeraku
Scott Simpson no it should have one million
Baby Yoda
the vocals sounds hilarious 😂
Anton Dillét
I like Red Kross very much. I like the performances on KEXP. but I hate about 90% of the camera work there. What do the camera men think? it’s THEIR show? Do they think?
Suneko
Woo!