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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDEAD KENNEDYSPunk act formed in San Francisco in 1978, perhaps the USA equivalent of the Sex Pistols, undoubtedly influenced by their late '77 tour; like them, they adopted pseudonyms. Jello Biafra (b Eric Reed Boucher, 17 June 1958, Boulder CO) was the vocalist and the main songwriter; the rest of the lineup was East Bay Ray (aka Ray Valium), guitar; Klaus Fluoride, bass; Ted, drums. Their objective was to shock the rock mainstream and satirize the West Coast lifestyle, as in their first single 'California Uber Alles'. Signed by Miles Copeland, they milked outrage from titles like 'Too Drunk To Fuck' (top 40 UK '81 despite airplay ban), 'Kill The Poor' (no. 49 '80). In USA their name alone was enough to ensure commercial failure. They formed a label, Alternative Tentacles, to promote similarly ostracized groups (compilation LP Let Them Eat Jellybeans) and themselves appeared on compilations on various labels; their own first LP Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables '80 appeared on Copeland's IRS label; then Plastic Surgery Disasters '82 was on their own label. There were occasionally intelligent lyrics amid the musical mayhem: 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off' and 'Holiday In Cambodia' attacked both ends of the political spectrum; their refusal to compromise and anachronistic punk thrash made them forerunners of a 'hardcore' music movement of the mid-'80s. Ted was replaced by Bruce Slexinger, then by J. H. Pelligro. Biafra ran for mayor of San Francisco '79 on a platform requiring businessmen to wear clown suits, coming fourth out of ten in the poll; he also made solo EP Witch Trial '81 with UK keyboardist Morgan Fisher on the New Rose label. LP Frankenchrist '85 led to a lawsuit over obscenity of a poster; Bedtime For Democracy '86 was followed by the group disbanding. Fluoride made Cha Cha Cha With Mr Fluoride '86 including a cover of 'Ghost Rider'. A Kennedys compilation Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death '87 saw an approving press describe Biafra as a political performance artist, and indeed the wordsmith is ubiquitous on Facebook 30 years later. |