Skater boy, label owner and comedian Joe Sib Interview
11th June 2025Former punk rocker, skater, and label owner Joe Sib will be taking Ed Fringe audiences on a wild ride this August – through the one fateful day that changed everything. His new stand-up ‘California Calling’ is a high-energy, hilarious and heartfelt ride through Joe Sib’s punk rock-fuelled journey. Sib fuses stand-up and storytelling like no one else, sharing raw, relatable tales from the 1980s to stages with Metallica, The Ramones, and Social Distortion!
Raw, real, and electric—California Calling is punk rock storytelling at its best. We needed to find out more from the man himself ..
Hello Joe – where do we find you today?!
Right now, I’m somewhere between a comedy club and a coffee shop, probably writing a set, booking a flight, or surfing. That’s the rhythm these days—touring, creating, and staying connected to the story I’m telling.
You’re going to be doing some stand-up at this year’s Fringe with California Calling – A Story of Growing Up Punk Rock! It’s kinda stand-up meets punk rock storytelling—how do you keep that raw, high-energy spirit alive on stage?
Lots of coffee! It also comes from the heart, every time. I lived this stuff. So when I hit the stage, I’m not just performing, I’m reliving those moments. Skateboarding, loading into clubs, being in a van with my bandmates, it’s all right there under the surface. The energy is real because the memories are still fresh.
If you could time-travel back to your teenage punk days, what advice would present-day Joe Sib give young Joe Sib?
I’d tell him to enjoy the ride and stop trying to control every part of it. The chaos is part of the magic. Also, keep your journals. You’re going to need those stories one day.
Edinburgh Fringe is legendary for wild late-night gigs—you looking forward to crazy backstage antics like your music life, back in the day?
I’m always down for a little chaos, but these days I’m more excited about the people I’ll meet and the stories I’ll hear. The Fringe has this creative energy where anything can happen. If it gets weird backstage, I’m in—as long as there’s tea.
You’ve lived a fast, loud, and unpredictable life—what’s the biggest myth people have about punk rockers?
That we’re all about destruction. Real punk rock is about building something out of nothing. It’s DIY, it’s community, it’s saying no one’s gonna do it for us so let’s do it ourselves.
From the stage to the business side—what’s something about running SideOneDummy Records that musicians don’t understand?
That passion doesn’t pay rent. It’s not enough to make great music—you have to show up, be consistent, and work the business side too. Every successful band we worked with knew how to hustle and be professional without losing their edge.
If your time in Wax and 22 Jacks had a theme song, what would it be?
No Sleep till Brooklyn Beastie Boys. Pure energy, pure drive, and no looking back. That was our mindset, no sleep, failure is not an option.
Punk rock and stand-up both thrive on storytelling—what’s a ridiculous gig moment that still makes you laugh?
We played a show in King City where a mom came up to us before we went on and said, “If you play, you’re gonna get killed.” Totally serious. We were like, “Cool, so we’re definitely playing now.”
You’ve shared stages with punk legends—who was the most surprising person you ever met backstage?
I didn’t mean to backstage, but I gotta hang with Bruce Springsteen and the edge from U2 once and that was pretty crazy, felt like a dream, in fact it still does.
