The Wonderment of The Embarrassment

 

The Redd Kross documentary (Born Innocent) finally came to A City Near Me.  I give it two thumbs up, five gold stars, and 100% on the Tomatometer.  Those of you in the UK and continental Europe will have the opportunity to see Redd Kross live on their summer tour with Melvins in July and August 2025.  

Last year, I attended a screening of We Were Famous: You Don’t Remember (a documentary about The Embarrassment, a band from Wichita, Kansas that existed between 1979 and 1983.)  I watched it again this week after seeing Born Innocent.  

Three of the four Embos were friends since childhood.  They didn’t grow up in the same house (unlike Jeff & Steven McDonald), but they spent a lot of time at each other’s homes, listening to records, learning to play instruments and (once they were old enough) traveling to OKC to attend concerts by David Bowie and the Sex Pistols. “Punk rock changed their lives” and they formed a series of bands.  Eventually (like Redd Kross), they created a sound of their own which both incorporated and transcended their influences (Velvets, Bowie, Iggy, Alice Cooper, Modern Lovers, garage rock, etc.)

The music they made was noisy, melodic, nerdy, and witty.  Most of all (like Redd Kross), it was FUN.  They called it “blister pop”.  They got REALLY good.  Bill Goffrier is a unique and inventive guitarist.  Brent “Woody” Geissmann is an explosive and expressive drummer. Ron Klaus shaped their sound with driving and melodic basslines.  John Nichols developed a visual and lyrical personification of the band’s sound and aesthetic: the skinny guy with glasses who is unapologetically uncool but confident, sarcastic, and smarter than the average bear (without being obnoxious about it).  The members inspired each other lyrically to write songs about American history, space travel, dinosaurs, Mexican monster movies, Elizabeth Montgomery, mathematics and furniture (as well as cars, girls and death).  

They had influential fans and supporters.  Jonathan Demme tried to get them signed to A&M.  Sub Pop, NY Rocker and The Offense championed them. They opened shows for some of their heroes:  Iggy, John Cale, The Fall, and PiL. Mike Mills of REM has acknowledged their influence.  The talking heads in the documentary include Evan Dando, Grant Hart, and Freedy Johnston (who puts it bluntly: “They were so much better than REM.  They were better than Husker Du.”)  

Cultural historian Thomas Frank, journalist Bud Norman, milliner Jack Kellogg (Hatman Jack), and Jeff Jensen (Andrew Earles’ prank calling partner) are also interviewed.  Will McRobb (creator of TV series The Adventures of Pete & Pete) isn’t interviewed, but he's one of the backers listed in the film credits, and he paid tribute to the Embos by choosing “Wellsville” as the name of the town where Pete & Pete lived.

There’s a central conceit to We Were Famous: You Don’t Remember which is implied by the title but doesn't tell the whole story. Thomas Frank opines that it's the nature of culture to create something great which will be forgotten. Viewers are told that the band members (frustrated by their lack of success) went their separate ways in 1983.  Brent became Del Fuegos’ drummer.  Bill got a MFA in Boston and formed Big Dipper.  John and Ron left music behind completely.  

What the film doesn’t tell you is that The Embarrassment reunited several times (in 1985, 1989, 2006, and 2022).  They made another record (God Help Us) in 1990.  Their music has been compiled for several releases: on cassette, album, a double CD, an authorized bootleg, and (most recently) vinyl and digital reissues of their single and their two EP’s.  Bill Goffrier continues to perform their music (in The Embarrassed Men and The Embarrassmen).  A fan website has existed for years, and there’s a massive trove of audio and video at Archive.org.

John Nichols attended last year’s screening of the film and answered questions afterward.  I asked whether there will be a home video release, and if it will include any bonus features.  The 2006 and 2022 reunion shows were professionally filmed.  During the Embos' original run, they made their own music videos, and several live shows were captured on video.  Clips appear throughout the documentary, but none of the band’s songs are performed in full.  Audiences learn why the band is beloved, but don’t get to hear the object of that devotion. (John said a DVD or BluRay release has been discussed.)

Almost Ready Records has done a tremendous job on the reissues, and I don’t want to cost them any revenue.  I encourage you to buy The Embarrassment EP, Death Travels West, and the single (Sex Drive b/w Patio Set) on vinyl or from Bandcamp.  You can also buy or stream We Were Famous... on Amazon, Night Flight, and Hoopla.

Today’s DL comes from the live archive (digitally restored and generously shared by Demolition Kitchen Video).  The songs are from the outdoor show, a 1983 gig in Lawrence, and a 1989 reunion concert in Wichita.  The only changes I made to the mp3's were separating and tagging the songs, removing dead space, and fading out the applause.  Here are two dozen prime examples of Blister Pop.