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.
Secret Life
Redd Kross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The place that's
So hard to face
When I'm feeling sane
I just can't understand why
When I tell you a lie
With no tears in my eyes
Dark places that I have gone
Dark places I don't belong
I'm good deep inside
So why do I hide from you
My secret life
It is so hard living for two
I just can't seem to let go
When I'm living my life
It should be with you
It's here where loneliness lies
The big mistakes
The heartaches, oh
My secret life
When things are going my way
Is the time that I turn
And I run away
I will go far into space
Then return to your door
With a smile on my face
Dark places that I have gone
Dark places I don't belong
I'm good deep inside
So why do I hide from you
My secret life
It is so hard living for two
I just can't seem to let go
When I'm living my life
It should be with you
It's here where loneliness lies
The big mistakes
The heartaches, oh
My secret life
My secret life
It's here where loneliness lies
The big mistakes
The heartaches
My secret life
My secret life
My secret life
The lyrics to Redd Kross's song "Secret Life" seem to focus on the idea that the singer is living a double life. They don't want to face the "dark places" they've been and don't belong, and they lie to the person they love with ease. They are good deep down, yet they hide away from their significant other. The song is about this internal battle, knowing they should be with their partner, but still struggling with the idea of letting go of their secret life.
The chorus repeats the phrase "my secret life," emphasizing the key theme of the song. The singer feels trapped by their double life, and the weight of it is almost palpable in the lyrics. They long to be with their love, but can't seem to shake the pull of their secret existence.
The line "It's here where loneliness lies, the big mistakes, the heartaches" speaks to both the isolation the singer feels, as well as the consequences of their actions. Even though they know they should be with their partner, they continue to make mistakes and hurt themselves and others along the way. The song leaves the listener with a feeling of sadness and a desire to help the singer break free from their secret life and find happiness and peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to go to
The singer does not want to confront their issues
The place that's
The place of introspection and facing the truth
So hard to face
The truth is difficult to accept
When I'm feeling sane
The desire to avoid the truth arises when the artist is feeling normal
I just can't understand why
The artist is struggling to comprehend their own behavior
When I tell you a lie
The singer has been dishonest with their partner
With no tears in my eyes
The singer is unemotional despite lying
Dark places that I have gone
The artist has been to emotional depths
Dark places I don't belong
Despite these experiences, the artist feels like they do not fit in with 'dark' people
I'm good deep inside
The artist is a good person fundamentally
So why do I hide from you
The singer is hiding their true self from their partner
My secret life
The artist is living a double life
It is so hard living for two
The burden of maintaining two personas is difficult
I just can't seem to let go
The singer is struggling to end their dishonest behavior
When I'm living my life
The double life is the singer's own life
It should be with you
The artist wishes they could be honest and live their life with their partner
It's here where loneliness lies
The artist feels isolated and alone
The big mistakes
The singer has made significant errors in judgment
The heartaches, oh
The singer has caused and experienced heartbreak
When things are going my way
When things are going well for the artist
Is the time that I turn
The artist's dishonesty often surfaces when things are going well
And I run away
The artist is tempted to escape their situation
I will go far into space
The singer will distance themselves from their problems
Then return to your door
The artist will eventually return to their partner
With a smile on my face
The singer will act like nothing is wrong
My secret life
The repeated acknowledgement of the singer's double life
It's here where loneliness lies
Repetition of the idea of isolation and loneliness
The big mistakes
Repetition of the idea of significant errors in judgment
The heartaches
Repetition of the idea of causing and experiencing heartbreak
My secret life
Repetition of the idea of the singer living a double life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFFREY A. MCDONALD, STEVEN SHANE MCDONALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind