Keith Morris
Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is a European-American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the age of 21 with guitarist Greg Ginn and performed on the band's 1979 debut EP Nervous Breakdown. Shortly after leaving Black Flag in 1979, he formed the Circle Jerks with guitarist Greg Hetson; the band released seven albums between 1980 and 1995 and have broken up and reformed on numerous occasions. In 2009 Morris formed the supergroup Off! with guitarist Dimitri Coats, bassist Steven Shane McDonald, and drummer Mario Rubalcaba. Morris has also appeared as a guest vocalist on several albums by other artists.
In 1976, Morris co-founded Black Flag (then-known as Panic) along with guitarist Greg Ginn. Their work ethic proved too challenging for some early members; Ginn and Morris had an especially hard time finding a reliable bass guitarist, and often rehearsed without a bassist, a factor that contributed to the development of Ginn's distinctive, often low-pitched guitar sound. The band went through three bass players before Chuck Dukowski joined and then Robo answered a Pennysaver ad and became their drummer.
After a number of line-up changes, Morris recorded vocals for the first Black Flag EP Nervous Breakdown. After two years in the band, Morris left the band citing, among other reasons, creative differences with Ginn and Dukowski and his own "freaking out on cocaine and speed." Morris stated in his autobiography he had also become disillusioned with what he saw as Black Flag's "militaristic" approach to practicing, despite not getting many shows at the time, and being left "out of the loop" on decisions for the band
After leaving Black Flag in 1979, Morris founded the Circle Jerks, along with former Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. They were soon joined by Roger Rogerson (bass) and Lucky Lehrer (drums). In contrast to the top-down decision-making of Black Flag, the Circle Jerks agreed on collective decisions for material and performances. Morris and the band increased their global popularity after being featured in the Penelope Spheeris 1981 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization. Cited as one of the most important hardcore punk groups, the Circle Jerks were active until 1990, when Hetson left the band to continue playing guitar and release a number of albums with Bad Religion.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 0.2626 |
| Birthday | 1955-09-18 |
| Place of Birth | Hermosa Beach, California |
| Also Known As |
2017
Scumbag
2.8/4
A young hipster wannabe-superstar dj, Phil, takes on a day job at a telemarketing company, working with crazy people, ex-prisoners, drug addicts and m...
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Scumbag
2006
American Hardcore
6.858/60
Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardc...
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American Hardcore
1981
The Decline of Western Civilization
7.155/113
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs...
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The Decline of Western Civilization
2007
Plate o' Shrimp: Punk Rock, Sci-Fi and the Making of Repo Man
0/0
Interviews, backstories and insights with a few of the actors involved in the 1984 cult film, Repo Man.
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Plate o' Shrimp: Punk Rock, Sci-Fi and the Making of Repo Man
2013
Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All
8/22
Long before Green Day and Blink 182 inflicted punk-rock's puncture wound on the map of mainstream music, the Descendents were at home concocting the p...
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Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All
1984
Another State of Mind
6.156/16
Another State of Mind is a documentary film made in the summer of 1982 chronicling the adventure (and misadventure) of two punk bands – Social Distort...
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Another State of Mind
2025
Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt
0/0
Follows the story of the groundbreaking Texas-based art-punk band founded by frontman Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary.
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Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt
2007
Punk's Not Dead
6.109/23
On the edge of the 30th anniversary of punk rock, Punk's Not Dead takes you into the sweaty underground clubs, backyard parties, recording studios, sh...
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Punk's Not Dead
2005
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen
6.735/17
A feature-length documentary chronicling early '80s punk rock band the Minutemen, from their beginnings in San Pedro, California, to their demise afte...
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We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen
1982
The Slog Movie
8.333/3
A raw and unparalleled DIY documentary about the West Coast Punk scene made by a group of young fans/filmmakers about the bands they loved.
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The Slog Movie
2015
Records Collecting Dust
5.3/3
Written and directed by San Diego based musician and filmmaker Jason Blackmore, Records Collecting Dust documents the vinyl record collections, origin...
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Records Collecting Dust
2015
The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead
7.7/14
From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first U.K. punks on wax and the first to cross...
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The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead
2011
Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind
0/0
Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind visually documents the explosion of Grunge, the Seattle Sound, within the context of the undergr...
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Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind
2016
Sticky: A (Self) Love Story
4.4/5
"Sticky" is everything your mother was too embarrassed to tell you about masturbation, in one stimulating documentary. Full of candid interviews from...
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Sticky: A (Self) Love Story
1983
Flipside Video Fanzine Number Two
8/1
White Flag : Flipside, Not Alright, Communication Breakdown G.B.H. : Gimme Fire, Wild Thing, I Am The Hunted 7 Seconds : This Is My Life, out of Tou...
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Flipside Video Fanzine Number Two
Flipside Video Fanzine Number 1
0/1
1 Social Distortion– Under My Thumb 2 Social Distortion– 1945 3 Social Distortion– Playpen 4 The Vandals– Anarchy Burger 5 The Vandals– Hocus Pocu...
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Flipside Video Fanzine Number 1
2023
Free LSD
7/1
An elderly sex shop owner's attraction to a younger woman leads him to an erectile dysfunction doctor whose treatment reveals an alluring but treacher...
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Free LSD
2017
The Outhouse: The Film 1985-1997
0/0
In the mid-1980s outside this college town, home of the Kansas Jayhawks, punk rock history was being made in the middle of a cornfield. Where the pave...
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The Outhouse: The Film 1985-1997
2001
The Best of Flipside Video Vol. 1
7/1
This 126 minute DVD features raw, vintage live performances by Bad Religion, The Circle Jerks, The Weirdos, and The Dickies. These performances, origi...
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The Best of Flipside Video Vol. 1
2001
The Best of Flipside Video Vol. 1
7/1
This 126 minute DVD features raw, vintage live performances by Bad Religion, The Circle Jerks, The Weirdos, and The Dickies. These performances, origi...
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The Best of Flipside Video Vol. 1
2018
The Icarus Line Must Die
8.3/3
The Icarus Line Must Die is a dramatic narrative feature set against the backdrop of the current LA music scene. The film tracks Joe Cardamone, front...
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The Icarus Line Must Die
2005
Circle Jerks: The Show Must Go Off! Circle Jerks Live at the House of Blues
0/0
Shot on multiple Panasonic DVX 100 cameras with 24 track digital audio with 5.1 Suround Sound, this episode of "The Show Must Go Off" shows why the Ci...
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Circle Jerks: The Show Must Go Off! Circle Jerks Live at the House of Blues
2012
Circle Jerks: My Career as a Jerk
0/0
From the beginning, LA punk band the Circle Jerks were rooted in controversy. Formed by ex members of Black Flag and Red Cross (now Redd Kross) in lat...
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Circle Jerks: My Career as a Jerk
2001
25 Years of Punk
7/2
Lou Reed narrates this Television special that takes a look back at the beginnings of the punk rock movements in New York & England, the underground p...
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25 Years of Punk
2017
Poison Idea: Legacy of Dysfunction
0/0
From producer/director Mike Lastra comes the story of punk done right. Featuring live concert performances. Including lots of rare photos, interviews...
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Poison Idea: Legacy of Dysfunction
1981
Urban Struggle: The Battle of the Cuckoo's Nest
6/1
Locals formed vigilante groups to fight it, Police used legal force to repress it, City officials wanted to ban it entirely. This never before release...
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Urban Struggle: The Battle of the Cuckoo's Nest
2010
We Were Feared
0/0
We Were Feared chronicles the rise and fall of the Cuckoo's Nest punk rock club. Hailed as the birthplace of slam-dancing, the Nest famously shared a...
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We Were Feared
1984
Repo Man
6.666/666
A down and out young punk gets a job working with a seasoned repo man, but what awaits him in his new career is a series of outlandish adventures revo...
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Repo Man
1996
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
7.025/1493
When Ashtray moves to South Central L.A. to live with his father (who appears to be the same age he is) and grandmother (who likes to talk tough and s...
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Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
2025
40 Watts from Nowhere
0/0
Frustrated by commercial radio in the ’90s, a music-loving legal secretary builds one from scratch and runs it out of her LA apartment.
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40 Watts from Nowhere
I'd Rather Be Turned Into Cat Food
0/0
Starring the voices of punk rock legends Jack Grisham and Keith Morris, "I’d Rather Be Turned Into Cat Food" is an independent feature film that explo...
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I'd Rather Be Turned Into Cat Food
1998
The Decline of Western Civilization Part III
6.924/46
A musical study of Los Angeles in the late 90s, where homeless teens roam the streets and profess to live a punk lifestyle of music, drugs, and flouti...
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The Decline of Western Civilization Part III
2025
Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos
0/0
From his harsh childhood in the burnt-out Lower East Side, musician Harley Flanagan burst onto the punk music scene at age 11 as drummer for his aunt’...
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