Dead Kennedys live in Los Angeles, 1984

Dead Kennedys: live at the Olympic Auditorium

(Seconds, May 19, 2011) It was the best show ever. The Dead Kennedys merged revolutionary politics with hardcore punk music and, in the process, became one of the defining hardcore US bands.

Jello Biafra suffers for his art.

Often, they were more notable for their political opinions than their music, but that was part of their great impact. The Dead Kennedys were more inspired by British punk and the fiery, revolutionary politics implicit in the Sex Pistols than the artsier tendencies of New York punks.

Under the direction of lead vocalist Jello Biafra (aka Eric Boucher), the Dead Kennedys became the most political and -- to the eyes of many observers, including fundamentalist Christians and right-wing politicians -- the most dangerous punk band.

By the mid-1980s, the band had become notorious enough to open themselves up to a prosecution for obscenity (concerning a classic art poster inserted into their 1985 Frankenchrist album), and the ensuing court battle sped the band toward a breakup.

"California Uber Alles" EP (DKs)

They left behind a legacy that influenced countless punk bands that followed.

The Dead Kennedys formed in 1978 in San Francisco when vocalist Jello Biafra and bassist Klaus Flouride responded to a magazine ad placed by guitarist East Bay Ray.

Drummer Ted (aka Bruce Slesinger) joined soon after, and the band played locally for the first two years of their career, occasionally venturing outside the Bay Area.

Within a year, the band released their first independent single, "California Über Alles," an attack on hypocritical California Governor Jerry Brown. It was followed shortly by their second single, "Holiday in Cambodia."

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (DKs)

In 1979, Biafra ran for mayor of San Francisco; he finished fourth. By that time, the band had become popular in the American and British underground. Finally, in 1980, the band released their debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, on IRS Records.

After its release, Ted left the band; he was replaced by Black drummer Darren H. Peligro. A year after the release of their first album, the Dead Kennedys formed their own independent record label, Alternative Tentacles (alternativetentacles.com).

The first release on the label was the Dead Kennedys' EP, In God We Trust. That same year, 1981, the single "Too Drunk to F*ck" scraped the bottom of Britain's pop Top 40, despite being banned from airplay.

Plastic Surgery Disasters (DKs)

In 1982, they released their second full-length album, Plastic Surgery Disasters. After its release, the band took a hiatus, during which bandmembers -- most notably Klaus Flouride -- performed with various side projects.

During that time, Alternative Tentacles began to establish itself as a major force in the American underground. The Dead Kennedys returned in 1985 with Frankenchrist, which was the record that earned the band its greatest notoriety.

Frankenchrist (Dead Kennedys)

Included with the album was a poster of the Swiss artist H.R. Giger's Landscape #XX, a garish illustration of penises and anuses.

A year after the release of the album, the Dead Kennedys and Alternative Tentacles were prosecuted under revised Californian anti-obscenity laws for distributing "pornography" by selling records to minors because of the poster in the album.

PMRC Co-founder Second Lady Tipper Gore

For the next two years, the band was embroiled in a bitter legal battle (with prosecutors who admitted the charge was just an excuse to take down the controversial band who opposed Democrat Gov. Brown), during which Jello Biafra emerged as one of the most articulate advocates for free speech and vocal opponents of the PMRC (citizen censors the Parent Music Resource Center).

In the summer of 1987, the case ended with a hung jury and was dismissed. Although the Dead Kennedys emerged victorious from the court battle, they didn't remain a band for much longer.

Bedtime for Democracy (Dead Kennedys)

Just before the prosecution began in 1986, the band released Bedtime for Democracy, which turned out to be their last official album.

After the case was settled, the DKs split, releasing the posthumous compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death in 1987.

Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death

Jello Biafra embarked on a solo career, releasing musical and spoken-word recordings sporadically over the next couple decades. Flouride returned to his fledgling solo career, releasing two albums in the late '80s and early '90s.

The DVD format of DMPO's On Broadway, the Dead Kennedys' June 1984 performance marking the closing of San Francisco's avant-garde theater and nightclub, was released in May 2000.

The punk rock of the Dead Kennedys (video)

Dead Kennedys via RadioRin and The Punk Historian; Seth Auberon (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Dead Kennedys had a good message? - Many good messages.

Jello is passionate about politics

I (RadioRin) did not make this music, but we can all support the people who did, the Dead Kennedys with animated frontman Jello Biafra (itunes.apple.com/us...).

However, I put these videos together using a program I did make. See it here: github.com/RustyRin/Music2Video.

No offense to Kennedy clan, who decay (DK) like US

(The Punk Historian) Radical anti-government critics the Dead Kennedys

The irreverent escapades of the Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys women's tee-shirt

(The Punk Historian) Let's have a history lesson on San Francisco's punk rock pioneers the Dead Kennedys along with added trivia and thoughts from yours truly. Spotify Playlist: open.spotify.com/playlist/3rp...

CHAPTERS

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:39 - Formation
• 4:39 - "California Über Alles" hit song, early tours, and singer Jello Biafra's political [spoiler] campaign
• 7:55 - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables album
• 12:00 - Black drummer D.H. Peligro joins the band and they release the great album In God We Trust Inc.
• 14:20 - Plastic Surgery Disasters
• 16:03 - Alternative Tentacles (Jello's record label) expands
• 17:25 - Frankenchrist album and government lawsuits to destroy them
• 19:19 - Bedtime for Democracy album and post-DK endeavors
• 21:41 - Royaly lawsuits
• 23:05 - DK reunion and Jello's response to a revival
• 24:03 - Legacy
• 27:13 - Closing thoughts

Art of Punk Rock: Crass, DKs, Black Flag

(Bullet Train Productions) By Any Means: A Brief History of Black Flag (Part 1: 1976-1980)

Hi, I'm Sydney Vicious. I do it my way!

Why do punk rockers feel drawn to Buddhism? It might be the anti-authority (as suggested by LA's Wasted Youth in their anthem "F Authority") stance of the Buddha who stood up to the religions of his day or the no heroes Zen ethos they imagine. Both modern punk and the ancient Dhamma were rebellious movements. Maybe they've read the Kalama Sutra and like the F.U. attitude they imagine it embodies.

I did it my way, claims Sex Pistol Sid Vicious as if he were Frank Sin'

Never mind those bullocks. Clear the mind.

Buddhism (the Awakened One's Dharma) doesn't really say "F.U.," but it does give license to free inquiry and questioning rather than blind faith or devotion to idols and authoritative sources. In the end, it's a kind of shamanism (direct experience) over temple-bound priests (intermediaries).

What is real rebellion and freedom?

The Buddha did not ask people to "believe" or worship him but to come see the Truth for themselves. Enlightenment (bodhi, awakening) is open to any person willing to embark on a quest to directly know-and-see. This is a personally verifiable path. There is no waiting until we die to see if what we placed faith in panned out. No.

This path-of-practice (not belief) is about the here and now; it is of immediate benefit, demonstrable: With this, that is; when this is not, that is not. What? Everything. Why? Because everything is Dependently Originated. So if we know-and-see become full of knowledge and wise on the path to Freedom, it is because we have practiced this and left that behind. If suffering (things sucking and disappointing) is a problem (as it is for most living beings), there is a solution right NOW in this moment.

(She Rocks Punk) Eve Libertine's first song with Crass was "Asylum," a

shocking anti-Christian, anti-patriarchal screed of vile and vulgar oopsies

The Art of Punk - Crass - The Art of Dave King and Gee Vaucher - Art + Music - MOCAtv

(The Museum of Contemporary Art) MOCA is a pretty arthouse in ugly Los Angeles. Talk about crass, this is talk about the British anarcho-punk pioneers Crass, the musical collective who back the amazing Eve Libertine, Joy De Vivre, and Steve Ignorant.

The Art of Punk - Dead Kennedys - The Art of Winston Smith - Art + Music - MOCAtv

(The Museum of Contemporary Art) June 25, 2013: In this episode, The Art of Punk hits head on with the art behind the legendary Dead Kennedys. From the chaotic, surreal, madness of collage mixed with political folly that blazed their LPs and gig flyers to the razor edge ultra simplistic four simple line DK symbol.

DKs: 1986 Interview with Jello Biafra (SPIN)

In San Francisco, MOCAtv corners founding Dead Kennedys member Jello Biafra (vocalist and frontman), who discusses his own warped inspiration for the many album sleeves and band posters created in the early days of the group.

Back in Los Angeles, MOCAtv talks with pop surrealist artist Tim Biskup about how the DKs affected and twisted his own young mind, and Steve Olson graces the show with a few words of wisdom.

Remember our Holiday in Buddhist Cambodia after the US turned it to hell?

10 best Dead Kennedys songs (Singers Room)

Finally, it's time to meet up with master collage artist and designer of the DK symbol, Winston Smith, in his North Beach art studio and talk about how he was drawn into the early Bay Area punk scene -- and his long and creative artistic relationship with the Dead Kennedys and their smart frontman and clever vocalist Jello Biafra.

The Art of Punk - Black Flag - Art + Music - MOCAtv

Created, directed, and executive produced by writer/author of Fucked Up + Photocopied Bryan Ray Turcotte (Kill Your Idols), and Bo Bushnell (The Western Empire), The Art of Punk traces the roots of the punk movement and the artists behind the iconic logos of punk bands such as Black Flag (Raymond Pettibon), The Dead Kennedys (Winston Smith), and Crass (Dave King).

In addition to profiling artists, the series includes intimate interviews with former band members, notable artists, and celebrities who have been heavily influenced by the art of punk rock including Jello Biafra, Tim Biskup, Scott Campbell, Chuck Dukowski, bassist Flea (FEAR, RHCP), Steve Olson, Penny Rimbaud, Henry Rollins, Owen Thornton, and Gee Vaucher.

The filmmakers Bryan Ray Turcotte and Bo Bushnell take a unique approach to exploring the rich histories of these three seminal punk legends by focusing on the influential imagery and seeking out stories that have not been told yet through the artwork, which is integral to the importance and influence of each band.

On June 11, 2013, The Art of Punk debuts on MOCAtv with an episode on Raymond Pettibon and the artwork of Black Flag. The stories behind the art of the Dead Kennedys will debut on June 18, and June 25 will see the release of the Crass episode, all of which will be available at: mocatv.

Created by: Bryan Ray Turcotte (bryanraymond) KillYourIdols.com and Bo Bushnell (bobushnell) Instagram.com/BoBushnell bobushnell.com. Directed by: Bryan Ray Turcotte, Bo Bushnell. Executive producers: Emma Reevers, John Toba. Executive producers: Bryan Ray Turcotte, Bo Bushnell. Starring: Raymond Pettibon, Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Henry Rollins, Flea. Camera: Josh Webber, Bo Bushnell, Jason Baker. Edited by: Tim Brooks, Beast. Editorial Assistant editor: Paul Jarolimekproner, Beast. Editorial location sound: Alexander Charles Eastmond. Motion graphic design: Brent Stangel. Music supervision: Beta Petrol. Music by: Raw Nerve. Theme music: Son the Father by Fucked Up Courtesy Beggars Group. Additional music by: C.R.A.S.H. Scanning by: Jesse Spears. Sound mixing: Phil Lantz M Squared Productions. Colorist: Tim Brooks. Photo stills provided by: Brian Tucker, Ed Colver, Ryan Richardson. Like MOCA on Facebook: bit.ly/MOCAFacebook, Twitter: bit.ly/MOCATwitter +1 MOCA on Google+: bit.ly/MOCAGooglePlus.

• Eve Libertine, Crass, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag artists via MOCAtv; Sydney, Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Death of Dead Kennedys' drummer (video)

D.H. Peligro; Polyphonic; The Adventures of TNT (reaction); Raphael Alves; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

D.H. Peligro's heartbreaking last moments before death | He knew what was going to happen: CHANGE

(DIGITAL MEDIA) Oct. 29, 2022. What would Jello do? He (and the other white members of the Dead Kennedys) would hire a black drummer in a racist punk rock scene. Who could handle the job for a band that played faster than most others at the time?

Darren Henley was born on July 9, 1959 and died on Oct. 28, 2022. He was better known by his punk rock stage name, D.H. Peligro (Spanish for "Danger").

He was an American punk rock musician, the drummer for the Dead Kennedys along with a brief stint as the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Drummer D.H. Peligro died at his home in Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Police report that he died from trauma to the head caused by a fall.

He joined the Dead Kennedys in February of 1981 and appeared on the EP In God We Trust, released in Dec. of 1981. He would also record on the studio albums Plastic Surgery Disaster, Frankenchrist, and Bedtime for Democracy. He also appeared on the singles/rarities collection, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.

DK guitarist East Bay Ray, who performed with Peligro, posted on Facebook following the death. “I am heartbroken. D.H. Peligro passed away in his Los Angeles home yesterday, Oct 28th. He died from trauma to his head from a slip and fall. Arrangements are pending will be announced in the coming days. We were musical brothers. Thank you for your thoughts and words of comfort.”

The Dead Kennedys broke up in Dec. of 1986, and Peligro moved on to join the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a short stint, replacing Jack Irons in 1988. He helped write some songs on the band’s album Mother’s Milk but did not perform on the album.

The Dead Kennedys reunited in the 2000s, and Peligro stayed with the band through several changes in front men (after the band split from Jello Biafra). He took a hiatus in 2008 but rejoined in 2009.

Peligro played with several other bands in the punk scene and had his own solo career as a front man, releasing three albums. Of those, the most notable was Sum of Our Surroundings, which was voted Rock Album of the Year by the American Independent Music Awards.

Thoughts go out to family, friends, and fans.  Rest in power.

Punk rock w/ Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys; Finn McKenty (Punk Rock MBA), 12/10/23; Jello Biafra (alternativetentacles.com); Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Jello, founder and former frontman of the Dead Kennedys, has new material coming out soon: Patrik Fitzgerald/Jello Biafra with Motorpyscho - "Punch" – AlternativeTentacles

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The Strange History of the Dead Kennedys

(The Punk Rock MBA) From their early years to Plastic Surgery Disasters, Holiday in Cambodia, and Frankenchrist to the government trying to stop them by bankrupting them with a frivolous but very expensive obscenity lawsuit, the Dead Kennedys breakup and messy reunion without frontman and major songwriter Jello Biafra, it's been quite a history. Playlist

Edited by Tim Gilli: bit.ly/tmgprmba -- 🎉 PATREON: thepunkrockmba 🕹️ DISCORD: discord 🎮 TWITCH: finnmckenty -- 🔊 PODCAST (Spotify): bit.ly/prmbapodcast.

Get the performance package 5.0 Ultra for 20% OFF + FREE international shipping this holiday season with promo code PUNKROCK at manscaped.com/punkrockmba #manscapedpartner #LM5Ultra

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(Kozlaranton) Live at Altavoz Fest 2016: Jello Biafra sings Dead Kennedys material including the first hit he wrote with them, "California über alles." He won't perform with the original members because they are sellouts out for a paycheck now, and he still has principles (and a record label called Alternative Tentacles), so the band tours with other singers and Jello does his own thing. WWJD? What would Jello do? Whatever he wants, so long as it is in keeping with the principles that have guided his whole life, like not participating in events that promote beer and other BS. It's ain't easy being cheesy, but it ain't that hard either. Jello isn't cheesy. He's principled, and that's not a popular thing to be. Hooray, Jello! The DKs were once one of the fastest bands, and they were always the most principled with their Bay Area politics and California style. Other bands and then fans got to hate them when they got a bit preachy (rather than the satirical and sarcastic bunch they started as), but that's how it goes. They influenced the direction of hardcore and speed metal and ultimately grindcore and other subgenres of the hardest music, which is why a lot of musicians wear DK tees.

• 00:0 - California über alles
• 04:32 - F* Donald Trump
• (prelude to) Nazi Punks F*ck Off
• 05:40 - Holiday in Cambodia

Αποποίηση: Το βίντεο δεν προορίζεται για παραβίαση πνευματικών δικαιωμάτων. Το ακουστικό περιεχόμενο δεν ανήκει σε εμένα και δεν έχω κέρδος από αυτό το βίντεο. Δεν είμαι κύριος πνευματικών δικαιωμάτων του περιεχομένου. Είναι από την προσωπική μου συλλογή και είναι καθαρά για Διασκέδαση.

All audio and visual parts are the sole property of their respective owners. This video is purely for entertainment and recreational purposes. No copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to its rightful owners.

Kinky Sex Makes World Go 'Round (DKs)

(Tiago_R_Rebeiro) Dead Kennedys "Kinky Sex Makes the World Go 'Round"

"We've Got a Bigger Problem Now"

Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedys

Once upon a time a singer named Jello Biafra had a lot of good ideas for a California punk band called the Dead Kennedys (a name indicating the decline of the USA). He made albums with them and contributed to other releases like Wargasm (1982, Pax Records, PAX 4, LP) with the American War Machine song "Kinky Sex Makes the World Go 'Round." The DKs released many great songs with many great ideas but became so popular with non-punks that punks started to criticize them for getting less funny (brilliantly sarcastic or ironic) and more serious (preachy rather than clever) as time went on. The band disbanded and reformed without Jello, who released a spoken word album, No More Cocoons, with the genius "Message From Our Sponsors."

The Strange History of the DKs

(The Punk Rock MBA, Finn McKenty) Strange History of Dead Kennedys

"Message From Our Sponsor"

Better obey or you will be shot

LYRICS: We interrupt this program with a special bulletin! America is now under martial law. All constitutional rights have been suspended. Stay in your homes.

Do not attempt to contact loved ones, insurance agents, or attorneys. Shut up! Do not attempt to think or depression may occur. Stay in your homes. Curfew is at 7:00 p.m. sharp after work.

Anyone caught outside the gates of their subdivision sectors after curfew will be shot. Remain calm. Do not panic. Your neighborhood watch officer will be by to collect urine samples in the morning. Anyone caught interfering with the collection of urine samples will be shot.

The original album version

(Jello Biafra) Message From Our Sponsor: UPDATED FOR 2020

Dick Nixon's Sec'y of State Gen. Haig

Houses will be inspected for trace elements at noon. Anyone who fails to display the required embossed black velvet Mexican painting of Alexander Haig on their living room wall will be shot.

Cameras and surveillance equipment will be posted on all lampposts and streetlights.

Anyone failing to attend required worship services on Sunday will be promptly arrested and dispatched to a reeducation resort. Stay in your homes. Remain calm. The Number 1 enemy of progress is questions. National security is more important than individual will.

Sports make living exciting and worthwhile.

All sports broadcasts will proceed as normal. No more than two people may gather anywhere without permission. Use only the drugs prescribed by your boss or supervisor. Shut up! Be happy. Obey all orders without question. The comfort you′ve demanded is now mandatory. Be happy. At last, everything is done for you. Source

"California Über Alles"

Dead Kennedys "California Uber Alles" (official music video)

Jello: The Dead Kennedys were right (video)

Jello Biafra; Dead Kennedys; Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Lead singer Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys

WWJD? What would Jello do? Jello Biafra is a genius, but too principled for most music lovers. The band the Dead Kennedys could have been big if they had agreed to change their name or comprised in many other ways.

Eventually, in the end, the other members had to make money from their hit songs.

Jello said no to selling out. He had his own label, Alternative Tentacles, to pay the bills. So they got someone else to stand in on tour (as the audience did most of the singing), and they hit the road.

My t-shirt says something to believe in.

The DKs foresaw many things that are happening now. They happened before but never so blatantly. Once in L.A. before a Democratic convention, they played a free concert in a downtown parking lot. The police raided it, shooting people with deadly projectiles (rubber bullets and beanbag rounds) as they ran away terrified.

It was mayhem started by the LAPD, as usual, overreacting as a "show of force." The mainstream media didn't report that side of riots because who dares question police authority in favor of punks or peaceful demonstrators? Certainly not the LA Times or local news stations. Therefore, officers knew they could get away with it -- the same way

(DKs) "California Uber Alles" (Pt. 1) from Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

• they get away with rape
• racist enforcement of select laws
• plant evidence
• beat black motorists (Rodney King and many before him)
• lie on the witness stand
• ignore counter-evidence.

(Alternative Tentacles) "Pandemic"? What would Jello do now? Let's ask

He's watching by cell phone.

It's not easy policing such a big city with such a small force, with a police to citizen ratio much smaller than a comparable city like New York. So city officials let them get away with it through the administrations of many police chiefs, paying out tens of millions in settlements to avoid lawsuits in the most egregious cases of crimes committed under color of law.

Now the City of Los Angeles has the lockdown it always dreamed of. This looks like the "power trip" our police force was always on. People aren't afraid of "the enemy" enough. Pres. Trump is doing an asinine job as commander and chief. Youthful partygoers, yearning for spring break, keep flaunting this epidemic scare. It's as if they intuit that it's BS and we're not being told what's really going on. So it looks like Martial Law is on the horizon under one pretense or another. "The people demand it."

(Dead Kennedys) "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" (which is "California Uber Alles Part 2")

Mayor Garcetti: Love LA. Obey me. I'm leader.

Mayor Garcetti almost announced martial law on Sunday night. Mainstream media news reporters taunt him to impose fines at scofflaws, arrest kids at the beach, punish them, scare some sense into them, call them "selfish" for infecting no one by not staying six feet from each other. He'll crackdown soon.

Real rebellion is from the inside out.

It's the carrot and the stick. He's been promising carrots, so the dissatisfied need a stick. When there are more tests forced on everyone, who are as of today required to show government ID to be tested, the jump in reported cases will scare the living heck out of the population.

They'll demand citizens like themselves be punished for disobeying what is not an infection but an illness brought about by microwave radiation. See Dr. Thomas Cowan's 10 minute talk at the March 2020 Health and Human Rights Summit in Arizona (freedomsphoenix.com).