Killed by Desk

Sue got a programming bug at a young age programming an 8 Bit monster gotten out of a relative’s trash minus a key component! After actually completing a double major in college, she actually got a job in the work she trained for. Now a database developer for John’s Hopkins Sue has figured out how to balance being in a popular punk band and keep a career going at the same time. In this episode we talk about the sort of work Sue avoids while relishing technical challenges in their place. Disclaimer: This episode was originally a short test when we were deciding on the general format and style this podcast should be, and was recorded in two parts. The result comes off much more like a late night conversation you’d have at HoJos than any semblance of serious interview, but Sue still manages to communicate her noble approach to work and genuinely has a lot of things figured out that other fledging developers can learn from.

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Growing up in Washington D.C. during the legendary early years of the scene, Bobby learned a lot about community and cooperation from luminaries like Ian MacKaye, H.R. from Bad Brains and his brother Mark. His first band, Lunch Meat, later morphed into the iconic Dischord band Soulside, and he found himself touring the world while learning more about politics, injustice and Rastafari. In our conversation with Bobby, we discuss his introduction to punk rock and how political activism led to his immersion in food co-ops and cooperative economics, his work with prisoners in Western North Carolina and his recent book Revolutionary Threads. Bobby’s enthusiasm for his work is infectious, and we may have bent our ‘no back in the day’ stories rule for some great anecdotes about the D.C. scene in the 80’s.

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Jon formed Bitch Magnet while in college at Oberlin, and continued to play nearly constantly through his twenties and thirties. But when a moment of “what the fuck am I doing” hit him when he was nearly 40 years old, he committed himself to finding gainful employment - turning his occasional freelance writing into a full-time job in the publishing world. As he rose up the ranks in the industry, he found work at AdAge, Businessweek and as the acting Editor in Chief of Inc. magazine. In our conversation we talk about growing up in the punk/hardcore scene, finding a “real” job, writing a memoir, winning a James Beard award and continuing to play and tour on a more part-time basis as your career takes off, Jon is candid, smart and hilarious about it all. Jon has the ability to clearly communicate the experience all of our guests share and why they’re at where they’re at now. If you only listen to one Killed By Desk episode, make it this one!

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As a Creative Director for a regional energy company in North Carolina, Melissa is in charge of a team of designers that create advertising and promotional content for the utility. Moving to Durham with her band The Butchies, Melissa grew up in the NYC-area, playing drums in bands like Born Against and volunteering at ABC No Rio. We talk with her about her time at Reconstruction Records working with Bill, designing the cover for the first Born Against record and the anti-krishna flyers incident, as well as dive into her work for a large utilities company, how that meshes (and doesn’t) with her activist punk rock ideals and what it’s like to be a boss.

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Dan Schafer (aka Dan Vapid) is a pop-punk icon. He started recording and touring as a teenager, but his defining musical partnership with Ben Foster and John “Jughead” Pierson began when he joined Screeching Weasel in 1988. As one of the biggest punk bands at the time, Dan made a living off of the royalties from Screeching Weasel and later the Riverdales, opening for Green Day in stadiums around the world. The lack of consistent touring led to a need for Dan to look in other areas to make ends meet, however, and he spent time as a chef in Chicago hotels before moving to rural Illinois with his wife and family, taking a job as a substitute mail carrier at the USPS. In this episode we explore the challenges of his shift from full-time musician to full-time mailman, and along the way learn a lot about the daily grind - from canines to QAnon - that most people (especially Dave) take for granted.

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A New York City kid goes to Boston for school and discovers the burgeoning hardcore scene, before returning to NYC and forming his own production company. The son of a filmmaker himself, Drew Stone discovered his own interest in film, using what he learned in the hardcore scene to produce music videos for various punk, metal and rap groups. Later, he went on to street biker videos to feature-length documentaries, including Who the Fuck Is That Guy? The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago, as well as films on the Boston and NYC hardcore scenes. Drew’s career is a great example of how one can not only apply the DIY and punk rock work ethic, but also use connections and relationships to tell some incredible stories.

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We took questions from social media about the podcast that included debate on who we should or should not try to talk to in the future.

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Here it is - the suit and tie hardcore company man we promised in the trailer! For those who only know Spag from his years singing for hockey punk legends Two Man Advantage, however, it may be hard to even picture him in a suit and tie. During the day, however, Spag has been working for the same international architecture firm for 25 years, making other’s work-life better by designing innovative and functional office spaces in New York City. Originally enrolled in vocational high school programs, he managed to not only make it as a designer, but eventually move on to management by learning on the job. Spag is a great example of how one can find their passion outside of music yet apply the same creativity, attention to detail and execution anyone would expect from the most entertaining hockey themed hardcore band in history,

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Food was always important to Brooks Headley, even while he was drumming in bands like Born Against and Universal Order of Armageddon, but he didn’t begin a professional cooking career until later in life. Starting in Washington D.C., Brooks traveled the country both with his bands and working at restaurants, before settling in New York and finding acclaim as the executive pastry chef at Del Posto. Later, he left the ultra-expensive white tablecloth world behind to open the wildly popular Superiority Burger, which now has locations in NYC and Tokyo. We talk to Brooks about figuring out what’s important to him, how his restaurant is an extension of both himself and the ethics he learned playing in punk bands, and how to be genuine and honest - as a leader, a musician or a human being.

For Full Length Episodes And Merchandise Go To https://www.patreon.com/killedbydesk

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Sarah Crews became a scientist through a combination of chance and pure determination. While trying to find her direction in life, spilled wine on a borrowed book led to a career studying spiders around the world. Sarah tells us how she went from an upbringing in rural Kentucky to respected scientist in her field. Even if the job means sleeping on the ground in foreign countries, flipping random rocks and chasing specimens without the luxury of grant money to keep you afloat. Sounds pretty punk rock to us.