Joe Who?
B.C.’s godfather of punk rock talks about life on city council, a solution to our mean streets, and a half century of head bangin’.
Record breaker — Keithley launched the independent label Sudden Death Records in 1978. In 2024, it released the star-studded album No Escape From What You Are, featuring D.O.A. songs covered by 14 hard rock and punk acts, including Guns N' Roses’ Duff McKagan and Dead Kennedys. Pictured here is Keithley with Kootenay-based drummer Paddy Duddy, left, and bassist Mike Hodsall, right.
When Joe Keithley was 18, he left home — with almost nothing. A sleeping bag, a hundred dollars, and a guitar. Fifty years later, Keithley is still on the run, still with a guitar. He and his B.C.-based band, D.O.A. — considered the godfather group of hardcore punk music — have played on five continents and visited 47 countries. The band, which for the past decade has included Kootenay drummer Paddy Duddy and bassist Mike Hodsall, plays Cranbrook’s Shotties September 5, fresh off a 17-stop European tour. Once the tour wraps up, Keithley will return to his other job — councillor for the City of Burnaby. It’s a position he was elected to after running unsuccessfully, seven times. As both punk legend and elected official, the grandfather of three lives by D.O.A.’s slogan: Talk minus action equals zero.
“Real change starts locally,” Keithley says in the 2024 documentary about him, titled Something Better Change. “If you have a good idea, convince your neighbours. Then the rest of your town. And if it’s a real good idea, it might spread across the country and maybe the world.” In June, Keithley was a keynote speaker at Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change, an exhibit at the Royal BC Museum, which travelled from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. D.O.A. featured largely in the show, along with luminaries including Neil Young, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, and Elton John.
Punk rock. For nearly 50 years. Why have you kept at it?
I believe in what I’m doing. I believe in politics, getting people to think, to engage in our society and our world. And I also believe in the fun. That’s one of the things we said when we started D.O.A. Go out and change the world, play loud, obnoxious punk rock, and have fun while you’re doing it. That’s always been our three goals.
So, 17 shows in 20 days in Europe, a few weeks’ break, then a Western Canada tour — with 10 shows in 10 days. You're 69. How do you maintain that pace physically and mentally?
Perseverance and a real strong work ethic. I'm running a record label. I'm a councillor, I’m in the band. So, I basically have three jobs. You just work hard at it and take your time, take it easy. If you've got to get a rest, get a rest. It's just really more of a mental attitude than anything else. I used to play a lot of hockey too, but I'm retired from that. Too many injuries.
Who’s had a big impact on the way you see the world, and your careers?
One of my idols is Pete Seeger. I had an opportunity to meet him a few times. He took on authority. He tried to change the world. He was 92 and he was still playing on picket lines and trying to raise hell.
Is there another band out there who’s played as many shows over as many years as D.O.A.?
We sort of think there's only one band within rock, punk, and metal that's played more shows — we think that's Blue Öyster Cult, but we're not that far behind them. The good thing is we're younger than them.
Who’s putting out good music nowadays?
That’s my worst subject. I never have a good answer to that. I spend time meeting up with old mates from bands in California, London, and New York. I’m still basically into punk rock. How’s that for a politician’s answer? (Laughs) Say absolutely nothing.
Politico — First elected to Burnaby City Council in 2018, and re-elected in 2022, Keithley is the only member of the Burnaby Green Party currently serving on the eight-person council.
That's a great segue. You’ve been a city councillor in Burnaby for six-and-a-half years, almost two terms. How do you like it?
Council is really fun. But there’s tension, there are arguments, there’s give- and-take. I take the same approach as a councillor as I do with my band. You’ve got to have your ideals and you’ve got to stick to them.
Going to run again?
Oh yeah. It’s full speed ahead.
You were voted in for your support of climate action, employment opportunities, caring for vulnerable populations. What are your thoughts on how municipal and provincial governments can put a dent in the triad of homelessness, mental health crisis, and addiction?
We need all-in facilities. Like Riverview, which was in Coquitlam, although it was done in a disastrous fashion. Everyone who’s suffering from addiction combined with mental health troubles, they’re often coming from really unfortunate circumstances and something traumatic has happened to them in their life. And we need to help them. We need facilities that get them through the stages. Clear up the addiction. Get them ready to go back into the world. Get a job. It would take a big, big investment on the part of government. And neither political stripe has chosen to do that yet. It’s a big problem. But so is the cost to pay for property that’s stolen, or a business owner’s place that’s ransacked.
The punk scene was heavy back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Did you deal with drug and addiction issues personally?
For sure. I lost a bunch of bandmates due to drug problems. And kicked a few guys out of the band. Told them you can’t play while you’re on this stuff. And tried to help them as much as I can. It’s a tough situation, because everyone is someone’s brother, sister, uncle, father, mother. You can’t just leave them in the woods.
Johnny Rotten, one of the founders of the Sex Pistols, sang that anger is an energy. Is the emotion of anger needed for real change?
Put it this way, when D.O.A. started out, we fought against war, greed, racism, and sexism. Now 47 years later, D.O.A.'s fighting against war, greed, racism, and sexism. I thought things would get better. I think you’ve got to approach issues logically. Anger is part of it. But I think taking a measured approach and trying to get people on board is the only way to change things for the better in society.
In 2019, D.O.A.’s album Hardcore ’81 won the Polaris Heritage Prize — it's basically like a Hall of Fame nod. You guys beat out The Band, Joni Mitchell, k.d. Lang. You think any of those guys were carrying their own equipment after 40 years on the road?
(Laughs) I kind of doubt it, right? I think the previous year we got beat out by Rush. Hardcore ’81 is kind of a template for hardcore punk. It’s funny because D.O.A. was the first band to play for a lot of famous people early in their lives, whether it be Henry Rollins or Kurt Cobain, all sorts of famous people that had great careers or still do. But D.O.A. was often the first punk band to play in their town.
Your two fellow D.O.A. bandmates are in fact Kootenay fellas. Paddy Duddy and Mike Hodsall were with BC/DC for years, and a number of other acts. They’ve been with you for about 11 years.
They’re great bandmates and great at what they do. We have a cohesive unit and we get along. It’s a great lineup. Paddy called me up a few times when he had a show on Kootenay Co-op Radio. Turned out I needed a new drummer. Next thing I knew he was on stage with us, and we were off to tour China. Not long after that I needed a bass player. Paddy recommended Mike, and there you go.
For folks who don't know anything of D.O.A., can you just rattle off the top of your head a list of some of the massive acts you've either shared the stage or marquee with over the years?
I think it's kind of all of them. Basically, every prominent rock band you can think of. We’ve opened for everyone from Noam Chomsky to David Lee Roth. That was pretty interesting. Roth was a fan of D.O.A. And then I got in an argument with his manager and he kicked us out of the building. We did a great show with Slayer in Poland, 20,000 people, about seven years ago. That was incredible. It was just packed. Yeah, there's been plenty of them, whether metal, punk, or sometimes even folk.
The Stones are still at it. Ever cross paths with Mick Jagger?
No, I wish I had. To me, The Stones are probably the top three ultimate rock bands. Them and CCR … another guy I'd like to meet would be Neil Young. And then at the top of my list, the guy I want to have a drink with, is Willie Nelson. People ask me how long I’m going to keep going. Willie's 95 and he's still playing. So why not.
This interview was edited for context and length. D.O.A. plays Shotties in Cranbrook on Sept. 5, The Castle Theatre in Castlegar on Sept. 13, and The Prospector in Rock Creek on Sept. 14. More info? SuddenDeath.com
~ Darren Davidson
Find this full-length story and more in The Trench’s Summer/Fall 2025 edition: