Here's something: Ben Stiller probably listened to a lot noisy proto-punk in high school. You know how I know? Because A-list actor, Meet the Parents star, and plucky goofball Ben Stiller was in a band back in his teen days. He played the drums. He played the drums like a wild, pubescent kid who thought The Stooges were dad rock but totally worshipped Arto Lindsay.
Ben Stiller, rock star
In a classic angry-teen-with-limited-vocabulary move, the band was called Capital Punishment and their only album was 1982's Road Kill. It's actually not bad. It's very esoteric, industrial noise music, but the song above has a weird squawking thing going on that keeps it interesting. And, dream of all dreams, NYC label Captured Tracks is reissuing the whole thing sometime this fall.
Stars: they're just like us.
This whole this has got me thinking: why don't I know more about Ben Stiller? Why is his past some intangible dream? Why have I always seen him as a Pearl Jam kinda guy? What deep-rooted prejudices against Ben Stiller are lurking around in the dark pockets of my brain?