As a founding member of X -- the band that put LA punk on the map -- John Doe has earned his gold-plated laurel wreath of musical credibility. In the days before MTV and the internet, X’s urgent, literate brand of punk rock glorified an “outsider” lifestyle that had yet to be exploited by the mainstream media. He also looked fine, pioneering a kind of white trash/greaser/bad-boy brand of punk fashion statement, which has only recently become “in style.” And though he’s also had a successful second career as a film actor since the mid-eighties (Salvador, Roadside Prophets, Boogie Nights and many others), music has remained John Doe’s first love. In between his commitments with X (a band who can’t seem to make their breakup stick) Doe has brought his trademark fusion of punk, country, folk and blues to several solo projects (including The Knitters, with Dave Alvin of The Blasters) and two underrated solo albums: Meet John Doe (1990) and Kissingsohard (1995).

“The Winner,” sees Doe returning to his “punk roots,” with his distinctive wail and a no-frills, rockin’ arrangement in place. And while John’s music could be described as “thinking man’s punk,” the beauty of it is -- you don’t need to think when you hear it. Your body will just respond on its own. Now that’s rock ‘n roll.

Pleasant Gehman is an LA-based writer/performer. Her work has appeared in Spin, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Request, Bikini, The Hollywood Reporter, and dozens of other magazines. She is the author of three books, including The Underground Guide To Los Angeles, which spent nine weeks on the LA Times' Bestsellers List. Her new collection of short stories, Escape From Houdini Mountain, is due out in September 2000.