Naked And Covered In Blood: An Interview With Indy’s Republikan Sexblanket

Written By Raph

By Staff | January 22, 2026

If you're familiar with RepubliKan Sexblanket, you should take no surprise in the band's theatrical nonsense. With its trash punk howls and 80s themed references, the blood and beer were always flowing at a moment's notice. Something abrasive and entertaining was bound to occur if you spent your evening with RSB. It spawned straight from a Ronald Reagan-possessed VCR, playing neon D.A.R.E. programs in backward Latin. RepubliKan Sexblanket wasn't a band you asked for, it was a band you were going to get regardless. Chances are you deserved it anyway.

The name RepubliKan Sexblanket evokes a very specific, somewhat uncomfortable mental image. Was the name a political statement, a dare, or something you found scrawled on the back of a bathroom stall at a bus station?

Sid: I had a girlfriend who started seeing a drug dealer on the side, he was a Republican,  although he said he never voted. He would come to the house for their liaisons and I told them they had to use their own blanket. We're not Republican and we can't spell good.  I figured it would be a great name for an 80’s punk band. 

If the band truly spawned from a Ronald Reagan-possessed VCR, as has been reported, which specific tape was in the machine when the demon took hold?

Sid: That’s a hard one. I was probably watching “Heathers” and using alkyl nitrite to clean my tape heads. (Fun fact poppers are often mislabeled as video head cleaners to bypass drug laws, but they are not safe or effective for cleaning VCRs and using them can damage the machine.)

Either way the VCR got “clean”.

Indy isn't exactly known for trash punk howls. How does the local scene react when you bring blood, beer, and backward Latin into a venue that’s used to standard Midwestern hospitality?

Sid: It really depends on the venue. We tone down the blood based on what kind of juke joint we're playing. Sometimes I'll just slit my throat and carry on. Other times we've used a half gallon of blood, popcorn balloons, blood pies, sugar glass bottles, whatever we have on hand. We respect the venue at all times. We do want to continue to play music and destroying shit isn't the way to get asked back. I've even personally mopped after. Super punk rock. I mean Ronald Reagan comes to all our shows. So it's not that bad. 

Your visual style leans heavily into neon D.A.R.E. programs. Is RSB an elaborate anti-drug PSA gone off the rails, or are you trying to reclaim the Just Say No era for the high-voltage degenerates?

Sid: I was a D.A.R.E. program baby. Cut my teeth on 21 Jump Street and Scruff McGruff. Our songs are based on 80's movies and punk rock attitude. It's that old time religion that Nancy Reagan started, say no with your eyes, not your nose.

You’ve been described as entertaining and abrasive. Where is the line for RSB? Is there anything too trash or too theatrical for the stage, or is the goal to make the audience want to leave and stay simultaneously?

Sid: We try to strike a very delicate balance between “ no refunds” and dance til you die.  It's a show and we want you to see something different every time.  Theatrical nonsense is a must. I don't want to go see a boring show so I don't think we should give one to the audience.  We use top of the line blood and breakables from an effects house out of California.  (Water soluble Non staining etc.) A friend of mine said he got queasy the first time he saw me smash a bottle over my head. So if you are entertained and sick at the same moment, we've done our job. 

Playing "backward Latin" suggests a certain level of occult preparation. Have you ever accidentally summoned something during a soundcheck that you couldn't send back?

Sid: We did sacrifice a child during our Halloween show last year while playing “Ava Satanas” but all the demons tend to stay within the band. Our bass player has the worst step dad jokes. I'd take demon possession over that any day. 

Why the 1980s? Is it a genuine love for the decade of excess, or do you view that era as the original trash punk blueprint that the rest of the world just hasn't caught up to yet?

Sid: To me the 80's were the perfect time for movies and music.  The best punk came from that neon kitsch Reagan cocaine fueled slick bastard era. We get the best compliments frequently.  People say we sound like a dirty punk basement show from 1984. Like a band from that bygone era they just never heard of. 

It provides a freedom to create the music that people just don't make anymore without being forced to have a certain sound.

Given that the blood and beer were always flowing, how much of your touring budget actually goes toward venue damage deposits?

Sid: The only thing that was ever broken, to my knowledge,  was by our guitar player Wes Hudson. He knows what he did. Fucking scoundrel. 

You’ve said RSB is a band people deserved anyway. What exactly did the average listener do to earn an evening with RepubliKan Sexblanket?

Sid: You’ve earned an RSB show by having the best taste in the worst things. Punk blood and fun. If you stumble in by accident,  to be sure you'll never forget.  

In an era of digital perfection and streaming, why do you lean so hard into the VCR and analog aesthetic? Is there a particular warmth in the 80sdistortion of a magnetic tape that digital can’t replicate?

Sid: So much beauty is lost in this download quick on demand throw away era of music. 

Physical media and actually showing up to see an artist are the cornerstones of d.i.y. music. All of our releases have been cassette only so far. You can't beat that snake swirl hiss and tactile rush. We exist online so we don't die. But analog is forever. 

If RSB achieved its ultimate goal — total theatrical and sonic saturation — what would the world look like the morning after?

Sid: “I woke up this morning naked and covered in blood. Something jagged and neon was carved into my forehead.  I think it was Sumerian? There is a commemorative Ronald Reagan plate covered in white powder in the microwave. The vcr is flashing and my copy of Roadhouse is melted. What happened last night? Is this a cop's gun on the table? Shit. What happened last night?  I know I went to a show … is that Molly Ringwald half naked in my bed? I grab the nearest shirt and start to dress. It's a tour shirt. It all makes sense now.   I look in the mirror.  Emblazoned on the front - RepubliKan Sexblanket World Tour 1984. “

Raph
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