Joe 'Shithead' Keithley stands tall in 'Something Better Change' documentary

Joe "Shithead" Keithley with DOA in Seattle in the summer of 2024. (Cat Rose photo)

By Andy

It's always a solid time when you've got Joe "Shithead" Keithley on the premises.

Cat and I have witnessed the rip-roaring DOA frontman tear up stages with his band copious times in the U.S., Canada and UK, and now we've got him on the immense screen at the legendary Grand Illusion Cinema in Seattle. 

On the evening of Nov. 19 -- when the "bomb cyclone" whipped through the region and felled trees and knocked out power in some cities -- Keithley (a legend himself, obviously) sat in the back row to check out the stellar, no-holds-barred documentary in which he and the man's hardcore punk band star in, "Something Better Change." He was our positive, impactful and never-say-die tempest for the night, yeah?

Further up in the theater from Keithley sat filmmaker/director Scott Crawford, getting a close-up view of his doc, which is named after DOA's debut album. Both that record and Crawford's handiwork are absolutely killer, with the doc seamlessly weaving together Keithley's 46-year life in punk and leap into Burnaby, BC, politics with the Green Party. 

There are victories along the way and some chowderheads who try to bring the guitar-slinger down -- like a former mayor, or "villain," which is how councillor Keithley describes him -- and the inspirational gravely-voiced singer always stands tall in the social-issues realm by fighting against racism and fascism, helping the unhoused, protecting the environment and heaps more.

Here are some highlights from the post-doc Q and A, which featured Keithley and Crawford -- with some bonus insight from Duff McKagan (formerly of The Vains, The Fartz, The Living, Fastbacks, Guns N' Roses and other standouts).

Keithley, who praised Crawford and producer Paul Rachman for delivering a sterling film, let loose some humor regarding the doc: "It's really good, but the hard time I have with it is the same guy shows up in the film all the time. Why don't you get somebody with some fucking talent? Let's get something more entertaining."

Laughter echoed throughout the theater.

He noted that others have approached him to work on a doc featuring DOA and himself in the past, but those never came to be.

"I'm really glad that we did this because there's a lot of great music docs, and I've watched many. Kind of my thing is that I want regular people to get involved in politics," said Keithley, mentioning young people, someone who runs a daycare, a plumber, a painter and others. "Somebody that would give a different kind of approach to government that relates to, I would guess, all of us in this room -- regular people that grew up in working-class households (like himself)."

Staring into the crowd with a clenched fist, Keithley said that honesty needs to return to the government realm and it's sadly lacking throughout the world. People need political difference-makers who aren't in it for a buck on their side, he added.

Looking into Keithley's eyes, Crawford said that the DOA guy was amazing to work with from day one to the film's finish.

"He's an inspiration to me and will always be. I was just grateful that he allowed me to not just tell his story, but to meet his family and to get that involved in his personal life and tell an honest story. I said to you I wanna do this if you'll have me, but it's gotta be honest, so you're gonna have people that don't agree with what you're saying," Crawford added.

DOA's well-known and powerful slogan Talk - Action = 0 is something I'm sure everyone can agree upon.

When an attendee asked Keithley how much more time he's got left on the punk stage, he got McKagan involved in the discussion and fired the same query his way.

McKagan said he'd never stop playing music. He owes some of his drive to Keithley and DOA.

"I saw DOA play this summer here in Seattle and your band you got right now is fucking killer," said McKagan, adding that he first saw the juggernaut in 1979 and feels the Canadians are better than ever these days. 

Digging back into his DOA past and plugging it into how he lives his life, McKagan noted: "What you kind of taught me, unbeknownst to you, was being a stand-up guy to your fellows and the women around you. 'Don't be a fucking dick,' that's really the punk rock rule, the ethic: keep chest out, head up, keep going forward. That all stems from you guys, DOA."

Cat Rose photo

Crawford and Keithley. (Cat Rose photo)

Courtesy graphic