The first time Brian Oake saw a show in the First Avenue Mainroom, it was 1985 — and X were the first band he ever saw there. As a result, X hold a very special place in Brian's heart.

So when Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X visited the Twin Cities to play a show at First Avenue (together with their original bandmates Billy Zoom and DJ Bonebrake) as part of their 40th anniversary tour, Brian Oake welcomed Cervenka and Doe into The Current studio to host a Theft of the Dial.

Considering the youthful rebelliousness of punk rock, one may think it a bit strange or ironic that the band X endure 40 years on. Cervenka sees it much differently, however. "I tell you, if the youthful rebelliousness of punk rock means anything, doing it 40 years later is the most rebellious thing we could have done," she says. "Rebelling against the idea that you can only do things when you're 25 or 20 [but] you can keep going forever."

And as for what keeps them going forever and still sounding so good, John Doe offers a tried-and-true explanation: "Practice, practice, practice," he says.

In their Theft of the Dial session, Cervenka and Doe spin tracks by some of their favorite artists and share a few stories about those artists and about themselves along the way. They also share details about a Kickstarter campaign they've launched in support of a forthcoming X live album.

Playlist

X - "New World"
Garbage - "No Horses"
Skating Polly - "Louder in Outer Space"
Hüsker Dü - "Pink Turns to Blue"
Blondie - "Fragments"
Old 97s - "Bad Luck Charm"
Dead Rock West - "Radio Silence"
X - "Your Phone's Off the Hook (But You're Not)"
Audio produced by Derrick Stevens

Resources

X - official site