Watch Pitchfork’s New Documentary About Ben Stiller’s Teenage Punk Band Capital Punishment
Pitchfork is proud to present Roadkill, a new documentary film telling the surprising and often hilarious story of the band Capital Punishment. Formed when its members were teenagers, Capital Punishment self-released a blistering post-punk/industrial album (also titled Roadkill) in 1982 before going their separate ways upon graduation from high school. Frontman Kriss Roebling’s ancestors built the Brooklyn Bridge. Bassist Peter Swann went on to become a judge for the Arizona Court of Appeals. Guitarist Peter Zusi became a professor of Slavic languages. And drummer Ben Stiller became... Ben Stiller.
Roadkill (the album) was reissued by Captured Tracks in September 2018. In November, they released a new EP called This Is Capital Punishment, their first new music in over three decades.
The film traces the origins and unlikely comeback of Capital Punishment, featuring previously unseen archival photos and video, footage of the band’s sole reunion show (which took place at Le Poisson Rouge in New York in February 2019), and interviews with all the band members.
Be sure to watch all the way through to the film’s credits, which feature a previously unreleased rap song called “Humble Lumberjack,” recorded by Stiller and Swann under the name Sucker MC’s in 1985.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
