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Duff McKagan on D.O.A. in New Doc Clip: "Bigger Than Life"

In a new documentary clip, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan praises Canadian punk band D.O.A. The film, "Something Better Change," follows frontman Joey "Shithead" Keithley's reelection campaign in British Columbia.

Rolling Stone·Jun 16, 2026·via Rolling Stone

Duff McKagan on D.O.A. in New Doc Clip: "Bigger Than Life"

'As Big as Led Zeppelin'

Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan Praises ‘Bigger Than Life’ Canadian Punks D.O.A. in Doc Clip

Something Better Change looks at frontman Joey "Shithead" Keithley's run for reelection in British Columbia

By Kory Grow

Kory Grow

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June 16, 2026

Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris marvel at the impact that the punk band D.O.A. had in the Eighties in a clip from the new documentary, Something Better Change . “D.O.A. was bigger than life,” McKagan says, heaping praise on the Canadian group fronted by Joey “Shithead” Keithley. “They were, to me, as big as Led Zeppelin. I owe so much to what I am today to him and to his band.” The film, which tells Keithley’s story, is now available on streaming.

In the clip, Morris recalls seeing D.O.A. opening for X at the L.A. venue the Starwood. “D.O.A. came out and decided to just level the Starwood,” he says. “It was an incredible show. Jesus Christ, man, how is X going to play after that?”

The film, directed by Scott Crawford ( Salad Days , Creem ), follows Keithley as he campaigns in British Columbia for reelection as city councillor for that province’s Burnaby, where he’s a member of the Green Party. He was first elected in 2018 and again in 2022.

But while politics take center stage, Keithley’s life on other stages play a major part of the documentary, as Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, the Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray, and Dave Grohl all join McKagan and Morris in praising the artist. “It was important for me to show the impact that Joe Keithley and D.O.A. had on notable musicians in this film, because it helps illustrate the portrait of Joe as the activist and elected official he is today,” Crawford tells Rolling Stone .