Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
Joey Goes to China: Interview with Joey Keithley of D.O.A.

Joey Goes to China: Interview with Joey Keithley of D.O.A.

Date: Jan 05 2009

Themes: Alternative, Interview, Travel

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

As the leader of the first Canadian hardcore punk band, D.O.A., Joey Keithley has been performing political punk rock all over the world for 30 years. Well, not all over the world…yet. This week, D.O.A. will perform in China for the first time ever. Joey took a quick break from packing to talk to Jason on the phone. Listen to their conversation below.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

Log in to Listen

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Jason

Joey

Joey

Jason:  Have you guys ever been to China before?

Joey:  No we have not. This will be a first.

Jason:  And what do you expect the punk climate in China to be like?

Joey:  I don’t know. I guess I’m going there to find out. I’m also going there to find out.But it will be an eyeopener culturally, politically and musically. You know what? I’m hoping to stumble across some great Chinese band and sign them up to my record label.

Jason:  Oh are you? Cool. I wanted to ask you about the band’s slogan, “Talk – Action = 0.” I wondered if singing a protest song is talk or action.

Joey:  I guess in a sense you’re trying to inspire people to action, or inspire yourself, I suppose, right. It’s both, I suppose, right? You can change the world to a far greater degree by convincing people that you have a good idea and getting that idea to spread around as opposed to taking a violent method, which I’m not backing.

Jason:  Great. And the last thing I wanted to ask you is, we always have people define a slang term so our members can learn a new term and I figured an obvious choice is the name of your band, and I wondered if you could just explain what the name means.

Joey:  Yeah. It’s Dead on Arrival. It’s like a toe-tag. So when an ambulance picks up a body and they’re not quite dead when they arrive at the hospital, they stick a tag, I think on their right toe and it says, “D.O.A.” on it, because they arrived dead. So the most famous D.O.A. is John F Kennedy.

Jason:  Does it ever come up outside of a morgue?

Joey:  It’s a common thing in the band practice. “If you don’t get this part right, you’re going to be D.O.A.”

Jason:  Nice.

Joey:  We don’t threaten each other quite that much. But it’s something like that, like, “You’re D.O.A.” It’s gonna be curtains in some way or another.

 

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz Go Super!

 

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3 Go Super!

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Discussion

Joey has never been to China before, so he’s excited to learn what Chinese punk rock is all about. He says he’d like to release an album by a Chinese band on his label, Sudden Death Records.

A lot of D.O.A. songs are about political issues like the environment and freedom of speech. The band’s slogan is “talk – action = 0,” which means that if you only talk about making a change and never do anything about it, nothing ever changes. Joey says that singing a protest song can be productive because it can reach a lot of people and inspire them to action.

Finally, Joey explains the name of his band. D.O.A. is an acronym for Dead on Arrival. If someone is injured and then dies on the way to the hospital, that person is D.O.A..

But ideas and objects can be D.O.A. too. If you order a new computer, but it arrives broken, you could say it was D.O.A.. It was probably OK when it was mailed, but it was dead by the time it arrived to you. An idea can also be D.O.A. if it seemed like a good idea when you thought of it, but by the time you start explaining it to someone, you can tell it’s a bad idea. Joey also says that he and his band mates say, “You’re going to be D.O.A.” as a joking threat.

D.O.A.’s Chinese tour dates are below click here to buy tickets or visit D.O.A.’s MySpace page. Go to the Ebaby! blog to see more D.O.A. tour dates in Europe and the US and to read the rest of Jason’s interview with Joey.

Jan 9 – Mao Live in Beijing
Jan 10 – Vox Bar in Wuhan
Jan 11 – Yuyintang in Shanghai
Jan 12 – Castle Bar in Nanjing
Jan 13 – D-22 in Beijing

Is there punk rock in your city? What’s it like? Have you ever thought of an idea that turned out be D.O.A. or ordered something that arrived broken?

 

Comments

Log in to Comment

kpl

kpl

Taiwan

when stumbeling upop some diffrient stuff you meet, it's really a good time to experience it as  a eyeopener, don't make your thought sent to the morgue, soon singing a pretest song  just like judging your mind D,O,A . I'm trying to always backing my heart to be free.  

01:51 PM Mar 15 2010 |

juanjo_perez

Guatemala

i couldn't agree more with BeeBee, Chinese culture is one of the most influent culture in the world and if the "american" people can't take it, so screw them!. I don't believe the "american" people are as free as they say. long life to Punk Rock and if you want to listen a very kick ass band i recomendd you Pennywise!! or Rise against too

12:35 AM Oct 05 2009 |

captivity

Saudi Arabia

cool so interesting

11:44 AM May 03 2009 |

UspringU

China

sounds intersting!0

01:55 PM Mar 10 2009 |

Josè Manuel Cervantes G.

Mexico

It´s interesting, everyday we know new things about music and about differences in the English .

05:44 PM Jan 15 2009 |

magic1015

magic1015

China

ohhh i will go to see them in voxbar with friends!

 

01:32 AM Jan 10 2009 |

makkehund

Germany

Well, i think there are so many different culture in every contry an in every part in the world.
So this is a good plattform to talk whitout the news from
TV ore Radio and maby we find out what they didn’t tell us…...

04:47 PM Jan 09 2009 |

SUIXIAO

China

I don't know why you so many forieners say that we Chinese have little right and where you got it. I think you foriegners in Eourope or other western countries also don't have much right. Yes, it's sounds that American have equal rights. But in fact, people only who have enough money can join the selection of President. So it's only the game of people who have much money. And the seletion narrow the range of the people who can join it by making many other rules. So its route is to maintain its own rule of the country by other means. So your rights are only at the appeace. And it seams that you have many rights. But in fact it's not.

 

10:26 AM Jan 09 2009 |

kukuka

kukuka

Ukraine

i hope sometime all of us will have things chinese people have. They are perfect and their sagacity and energy extort the unwilling admiration of their ill-wishers. I take off my hat out of respect.

08:20 AM Jan 09 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

Here in Brazil we have great names of moviment punk rock as “Ratos de Porão”(Basement of Rats) and “Raimundos”(cover of Ramones);)

08:02 PM Jan 08 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

The moviment punk rock always talked about political issues,here in Brazil mainly,I like it.Certainty the music it's a good form to mobilize the people on mankind mistakes Smile

07:58 PM Jan 08 2009 |

leaf2660

China

BeeBee,I'm agree with you,that's what i want to say.

02:02 PM Jan 08 2009 |

nch

China

Friends!Not all people share the same interests,but we can make friends with peson who do not have our interests!

06:29 AM Jan 08 2009 |

zoebaby

zoebaby

China

if i don't make a mistake the topic is "is there punk rock in your city?" so what your guys are talking about? hey,guys that's not the issue…and whatever happened in china that 's none of your bussiness..right?

04:53 AM Jan 08 2009 |

BeeBee

BeeBee

China

Good lesson(_)

11:45 AM Jan 06 2009 |

BeeBee

BeeBee

China

Erm… Why you guys all focus on politics particularly…? China is quite different from what you think or learn from the reports and books written in 50’s and 60’s… Here is not a prison. Yes, Chinese people are quite reserved and even restrained… But it shouldn’t be explained only by the reason that the government gives few rights to its people. The character of our nation plays an important part in explaining why, i think. This style of living has lasted its life for 5000 years. And i think it’s ok. Because we are not Americans or Europeans or other racials, we are Chinese… Thanks for your consideration for chinese people. But, at least i think, you should not require us chinese have the same attitude and character ,towards politics and other aspects in life, as people in your country…

06:35 AM Jan 06 2009 |

cooller

cooller

China

i don't know what happened…..

03:56 AM Jan 06 2009 |

harchin

Mongolia

 action my chinese friend!!

02:59 AM Jan 06 2009 |

foxing

foxing

China

Sealed

02:55 AM Jan 06 2009 |

Alex Paiva

Brazil

 "I truly hope that,Chinese goverment can let the people got more freedom,nd the rules can be changed cause the way i see ,chinese people have more duty's than they own right's,Must be  tought to do whatever the Wise Guys order u to do,etc.

11:14 PM Jan 05 2009 |

Likes (24):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast