Joe Escalante

Escalante's brother Greg Escalante founded Juxtapoz magazine and the Gregorio Escalante Gallery. Escalante’s step brother Mike Fries is CEO and Vice Chairman of Liberty Global. Escalante's brother in law is actor/composer Paul Williams (songwriter).

In 2018, Escalante wrote the pilot script for the reboot of the 1960s hit TV series Hogan's Heroes for original creator and 2 time best picture winner Albert S. Ruddy, which as of 2019 is still in development with Albert S. Ruddy Productions. This time, the series is set in Guantanamo Bay.

In 2015, Escalante was hired by the Discovery I.D./Discovery Channel channel to produce scripted true crime TV series "True Nightmares" where he wrote scripts and served as the production re-writer for the 1st and 2nd seasons. In 2017 he began working as a writer for History Channel's sci-fi documentary series Ancient Aliens. As a free-lance writer, Escalante has penned scripts for such shows as Oxygen Channel's “Buried in the Back Yard, Travel Channel's “In Search of Monsters,” and History (U.S. TV network) “Curse of Oak Island.”

Escalante received his Bachelor degree from UCLA studying under Professor Jesse Byock in the Department of Old Norse (literature, language, history), and his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School. He graduated from Los Alamitos High School with the class of 81 and was elected to the Los Alamitos High Hall of Fame in 2014. Escalante studied at University of Iceland at Reykjavik Graduate Program in 1985.

Escalante's morning show included daily appearances by film director David Lynch, who served as weatherman, and actor Timothy Olyphant, who served as a sports commentator. The show also featured a weekly wine tasting and education hour called "Wino Wednesday", and hosted a number of celebrity guests including Crispin Glover, Christina Ricci, Pat Buchanan, Will Ferrell, Maynard James Keenan, Werner Herzog, Phil Donahue, Kristen Stewart, Harry Shearer, Dennis Hopper, and Andy Dick. The show was endorsed by companies and products such as iPod, iTunes, and AT&T. Indie pulled the plug on the show in November 2008. Two months later, the entire show went off the air and switched to Spanish ranchero music.

From 2008 to 2012, Escalante worked as a volunteer temporary judge for the Los Angeles superior court, and later placed himself on the ballot for a paid position in a non-partisan race. Street artist Shepherd Fairey created a campaign poster for Escalante, his first candidate poster since his iconic representation of President Barack Obama. Escalante raised $15,000 for his campaign with the posters and received 18.41% of the vote. His opponent spent a record $450,000 to defeat him.

In 2005, Escalante was hired to host a weekly radio program originally "Barely Legal Radio" on the Los Angeles/Orange County radio station Indie 103.1 FM, where he dispensed entertainment and legal advice to aspiring musicians. In May 2006, he became the host of the station's morning drive-time program The Last of the Famous International Morning Shows, replacing Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett.

In 2004 Escalante joined the Sweet and Tender Hooligans, a Smiths/Morrissey tribute band composed primarily of Latino members. In 2006 he traveled with them to the United Kingdom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Smiths album The Queen Is Dead.

In 2003 a settlement was reached between the Vandals and ex-members with respect to past royalties and merchandise rights. The dispute centered around a deal supposedly made between the parties in 1989. 14 years later, some parties claimed the deal was never made, and if made, should have been in writing. After a flurry of letters written back and forth disputing song writing credits on the first two releases, it was agreed that all three original songwriters would split income from all the early songs.

Using his experience in the television industry, Escalante formed Kung Fu Films in 2000 as an offshoot of the record label, and produced and starred in the independent film That Dam Punk and the early streaming series Fear of a Punk Planet. He also continued to produce and direct music videos for The Vandals and for other acts on the Kung Fu label. In 2002 he launched the DVD live concert series The Show Must Go Off!  for which produced and/or directed over 20 long form concert films. In 2005, he directed the independent film, shot on film, Cake Boy featuring Scott Aukerman, Warren Fitzgerald, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn,  and Cherry 2000’s Pamela Gidley.

After four years, he left CBS to consult with the United Paramount Network,  tour with The Vandals,  and  operate his record label Kung Fu Records where he also produced concert films, low-budget features, and in1999, one of the very first streaming TV series, “Fear of A Punk Planet” ordered by the Digital Entertainment Network (DEN), in 1999, and later released as a comic book in 2017.

Escalante married in 1996. His wife, Sandra Escalante, appeared briefly in the 2005 film Cake Boy which he directed (as a member of the counseling group). The two now live together in Seal Beach, California.

In 1996 Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald started the record label Kung Fu Records, initially to release a debut album by the Assorted Jelly Beans. Escalante named the label after his study of Kung Fu San Soo. Eventually, Escalante left CBS Television and took over operations of the label, signing acts such as The Ataris, Ozma,  Tsunami Bomb, Kenneth Keith Kallenbach, Longmont Potion Castle, and The Vandals. Kung Fu’s most successful release was Buddha, the debut album by the band Blink-182. Escalante ran the U.S. and European operations for 20 years, then sold the label to Cleopatra Records, who continue to maintain it as a separate imprint.

In 1995 the Vandals signed a record deal with Nitro Records owned by The Offspring's Dexter Holland and released the album Live Fast, Diarrhea. The album brought increased attention to the band and Escalante toured with them internationally. He directed their music video for "I Have a Date," and would continue to direct the band's videos throughout the rest of their career. The band released 3 more albums on Nitro over the next 5 years, with Escalante participating on all of them.

After graduating law school in 1992, Escalante worked as an executive in the department of business affairs for CBS. During his time with the network, he negotiated actor, writer, and director deals on programs  like Everybody Loves Raymond, Rescue 911, and Walker Texas Ranger, for which he co-produced the theme song “Eyes of a Ranger” after convincing Chuck Norris to sing the theme song to his own series.

In 1980, at age 18, Escalante joined the punk rock band The Vandals, becoming their first permanent drummer. He would remain the sole constant member of the band throughout the rest of their career. They released their debut EP Peace thru Vandalism in 1982 through Epitaph Records. In 1984 Escalante and the other band members appeared in the Roger Corman film Suburbia, directed by Penelope Spheeris and released their first album When in Rome Do as the Vandals. In 1987 they appeared in another Spheeris film, Dudes. By 1989 Escalante had moved from the drums into the bass guitar position. Fluctuations in the band's membership left him as the only member remaining from the original recording lineup. In order to continue the band, vocalist Dave Quackenbush set about finding new members, recruiting guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and drummer Josh Freese in 1989. This lineup released the album Fear of a Punk Planet, establishing themselves amongst an emerging new crop of southern California punk rock bands. This lineup would remain consistent throughout the rest of the band's career and would release numerous albums, tour extensively, and form their own record label.

Joseph Patrick "Joe" Escalante (born January 30, 1963) is an American television writer, musician, radio host, film and music video director, and former television executive. He is most widely known as the bassist for the punk rock band The Vandals, and former owner of their record label Kung Fu Records, and the host of Joe Escalante, Live from Hollywood, on the Los Angeles/Orange County radio station KEIB 1150AM Sundays 5-7PM PST.