Rocket from the Crypt - Ditch Digger

What this video is

Rocket from the Crypt emerged from San Diego's fiercely independent punk underground, fronted by John 'Speedo' Reis, who deliberately fused punk energy with Stax-influenced horn arrangements to create a sound unlike anything on the West Coast scene. After signing with Interscope Records at the end of 1992, the band's Circa: Now! album was reissued in 1993 and 'Ditch Digger' was released as a promotional single,…

Why it matters

Represents an early document of the horn-augmented San Diego punk sound — a micro-genre that briefly threatened mainstream breakthrough before grunge fatigue reshuffled the alternative landscape. The song's garage-rock foundation with brass embellishment anticipated the later ska-punk explosion…

The director

Born Adam Spiegel on October 22, 1969, in Rockville, Maryland. Began career photographing BMX riders and skateboarders before transitioning to filmmaking with the influential skate film Video Days (1991). Co-founded Girl Skateboards (1993). Became a…